Como un Jefe! AKA "Like a Boss!"

Hola! I'd like to take a couple minutes to simply recount my experience living with a 6 year-old Spanish girl...so here goes!

The other day when I arrived to my host family's house, Paula (6 year-old daughter) asked Michaela, Molly, Hailey, (the girls from America) and me to play with her in her room. She decided she would be the teacher and we would be the students. Everything sounds cute right now, right?

Well...then she made us read a book out loud. That was okay. All of a sudden she decided that I was a bad student and needed to stand in the "rincón" (corner) of the room. I played along with her and tried to creep out of the corner a couple times, but each time I went to move, she would point and yell at me to get back! Meanwhile, Michaela, Molly, and Hailey sat comfortably on her bed!

Basically this is what I looked like...

She then demanded that we sing like Violeta, a popular Disney Channel star in Spain. I began to sing and she yelled "para!" demanding that I stop! Apparently my voice does not resemble that of Violeta's....

Finally I was permitted to sit down on the floor. At this point we were all watching Paula sing with her microphone. Molly and I tried to get a picture of Paula, (she looked so cute!) but Paula got mad and stole our phones. We yelled "Paula, no eres mi madre!" AKA "Paula, you're not my mom!" and again continued to play along. Before long we became simply too overwhelmed with this game!

Cute and innocent ;)

Then...several days later Paula decided it would be fun to lift my dress up multiple times right next to the kitchen. She wanted to see what color my underwear was...believe me...I tried to resist. Just after, she wanted to look through my closet to see what other clothing items I brought! This child is just so curious!!!

We then proceeded to playing house. She was the mom and I was the child. I could only refer to her as "madre." She began making eggs for me in her play kitchen, but I demanded chocolate instead! As a result, she served me up a little plate of ice cream and chocolate on top of eggs. How lucky was I?!

Then a day or so later, I explained to Paula that Hailey (from Tennessee) would be celebrating her birthday on Tuesday, July 1st. Paula got especially excited and suggested that we make a card...and so we did! She got all of her markers out and began working diligently. Then, all of a sudden, she told me to grab the green marker...then the red marker...then the blue marker...as if I were her personal assistant! I asked if I could help with the coloring...she wouldn't allow it. I told her I could draw really pretty roses...and she finally gave in! While I had to beg and beg and beg...and stoop down to a 6 year-old's level...in the end we had created a beautiful birthday card!

In sum...Paula is curious, adorable, sweet, ridiculous, funny, fascinating, LOCA (crazy), y COMO UN JEFE (like a boss)!!!

P.S. If you're wondering about the 24 year-old Spanish son who lives with me...he recently told me his favorite basketball team is the Miami Heat. I tried to explain how Cleveland fans tend to feel about Lebron James....enough said.

Picture credits:
http://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/positive-discipline/timeouts

Livin' the Spanish Vida!

Hola! The last few days I've really been embracing the Spanish lifestyle!

Monday I went to my first flamenco class! Of course it was taught in Spanish and there seemed to be at least 100 people in the room...so let's just say it wasn't the most productive. However, I HAD A TON OF FUN! I learned some of the basic steps, but struggled for the most part. There were only 2 teachers and it was very difficult to hear--let alone understand them--in a gym full of so many people! Before long I began putting my own spin on the flamenco! Instead of the beautiful hand movements (which are actually very hard to master), I began to utilize the forever graceful dinosaur arms. The girls outnumbered the boys of course, so the lovely Mary Nemer (Ohio State) was my partner. We stared deeply into each other's eyes and were definitely the best at making eye contact in comparison to all the other pairs. My host mom says it's a very difficult dance and that most people practice for years...I'm thinkin' I'll be a pro by the end of this trip ;)

What the flamenco is supposed to look like...

What I look like doing the flamenco... :)

After class I returned to my host family's house and found Paula (the 6 year-old daughter) watching Camp Rock on Disney Channel! I immediately began to explain the Jonas Brothers, referring to them as "muy guapos" (very good-looking). She giggled and I tried to explain High School Musical and other Disney Channel shows that our popular in the U.S. Moreover, Tuesday morning when I walked into the kitchen, Paula whispered something into her mom's ear. According to Rosario, my host mom, Paula thought that I looked "guapa!" Haha how sweet is she?! My relationship with my Spanish sister is progressing! YAY!

Also, the last few days have been difficult as far as classes go; therefore, I've been going to office hours like a beast! My professors are very encouraging and supportive! I feel like I'm really improving and definitely doing my best to learn!

FUN FACT: The other day in my Spanish architecture class I learned that the university at which I am studying used to be a monastery! It has existed since the 17th century! HOW CRAZY IS THAT?!

Also, Tuesday we had a dinner called "Cena de los Rompehielos," in which we met people ages 18-30 who live in Toledo, Spain. Rompehielos means icebreaker! We mingled with them and exchanged contact information in order to become "intercambios." This means that we will meet up once a week and will talk in Spanish for 1 hour and English for 1 hour!

After cena, I came home to find Hailey (the girl from Tennessee who lives with me) and Paula playing in Paula's pink princess bedroom! Paula said she would make us bracelets, and I immediately jumped around the room excitedly! Then...Paula said, "Estás loca!" You guessed it...she called me crazy. Her castigo (punishment) was a major tickling session! Haha we had fun playing and I can't wait until she finishes that bracelet for me! :)

I'm sure you're dying to hear how my Wednesday went....am I right?! Well...let's just say that my friends and I have determined that "we cannot live off of bread alone." Wednesday's lunch was not the best...so I filled up on bread. Also, the flan (typical dessert) was way too "eggy" so we decided to call it a flamelette. Thankfully dinner was much better; however, I am missing American food!!! More about Wednesday to follow in my next post, but adiós for now!

Picture credits:
http://www.holabarcelonatours.com/flamenco.html
http://khakisandcarryout.com/2011/05/12/shrinking/
http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-come-to-office-hours/

MADRID!!!

Inside el Museo del Prado

Hola! I just spent Friday through Sunday in Madrid...and it was amazing!!! We took a bus Friday morning from Toledo and after a short hour we arrived in Spain's capital! Our first stop was El Museo Nacional del Prado, one of the most famous art museums in the world! We saw masterpieces such as Christ washing the Disciples' Feet by Tintoretto, The Garden of Earthy Delights by Heironymous Bosch, Las Meninas by Velázquez, The Third of May: the Executions on Príncipe Pío by Goya, and more! We couldn't take pictures inside :( but here is a picture from Google! The Fund organized a guided tour for us; however, the guide spoke Spanish the whole time and it was difficult to keep up with. I personally wish we could have explored the museum by ourselves so we could read the descriptions next to each work of art. With that said, I still felt very fortunate to be there in the first place!

After touring the museum we went to a delicious buffet to get some energy for the rest of the day! We then checked in at our hostel, which was surprisingly pretty nice! It was very clean and the lobby decorations were a little gaudy but beautiful at the same time!

Cat's Hostel in Madrid

Afterwards we decided to go out and explore the city. We strolled down La Gran Vía, a huge street that is reminiscent of Michigan Avenue in Chicago. There were so many shops! I bought a pair of sunglasses from a gigantic H&M and we also went into several boutique shoe stores. Besides that, we spent some time watching a magician in La Puerta del Sol, a plaza where many people gather to spend time together or watch street performers. 

Magician at La Puerta del Sol

While it was only about 10pm at that point, our night was just beginning! We came back to the hostel to get ready for El Kapital, one of the biggest discotecas (night clubs) in Madrid! It has 7 floors with a different theme on each one! The club opens at 12am, many people arrive at 3am, and it closes at 6am. It's much different from America, right?! Perhaps the siesta in the middle of the day gives Spaniards a little more energy to party until 6am...but it's loco! We heard that the later you arrive to El Kapital, the more expensive it becomes, so we arrived promptly at 11:30pm to wait in line. Apparently we were a little eager...nobody was in line that early. So what else to do but go to McDonald's right down the street?! 

Muerte por chocolate=death by chocolate in this McCafe!
Why can't they be like this in the USA?!

I want European McDonald's in Ohio pronto!

First people on the dance floor...
CAN I GET A WHOOP, WHOOP?!

Before we knew it, 12am rolled around and we finally got into El Kapital. Not many people were there at that point, so we decided to explore each of the 7 floors before they got too crowded. After doing so, Sarah, Sasa, and I were the first ones to walk onto the main dance floor. We acted silly and pulled out some amazing dance moves...which resulted in more people coming to join us! Let me just say...WE STARTED THE BIGGEST PARTY EVER...IN MADRID, SPAIN EVEN!!! After a little dancing, we went to the Karaoke floor and sang Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Singing this song was by far one of the proudest moments I've had in Spain thus far! Haha we "air guitar'ed," sang opera, and flailed around the whole time. People from all over the world were in the audience...and they all joined in to sing with us! THEY LOVED IT!!! I had so much fun!!!

Near the El Kapital entrance!

Running on 5 hours of sleep, we went to venture the city all day on Saturday. First we went to La Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena. It was the most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen in my life! I couldn't believe my eyes!

Incredible organ!

Outside El Palacio Real! 

Next to the Cathedral was El Palacio Real, which is the official residence of Spain's Royal Family but is only used for state ceremonies. While former kings and queens lived there, the current Royal Family lives in a palace on the outskirts of Madrid. Nevertheless, this palace was certainly more extravagant than anyone could possibly imagine! Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside, but check out this Google image to get an idea of what it's like!

Throne Room of El Palacio Real

Shortly after our tours around the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen, we walked through La Plaza Mayor, one of Spain's most famous plazas. We did a little souvenir shopping while we were there! I can't wait to show my grandma what I got her...but for fear that she may read this before I come home...I can't say more!

La Plaza Mayor!

Our next stop was El Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, another extremely famous museum in Spain. It was here that we saw the renowned Guernica, Pablo Picasso's painting in response to the bombing of Guernica (the city) during the Spanish Civil War. Again...no pictures allowed...but here's one from Google! :) 

Picasso's Guernica 

By this time of the day we were exhausted and sunburnt...so what else to do but go to El Retiro, a huge park in the middle of Madrid! We relaxed on shaded benches for a little while and people-watched/dog-watched until we got so hungry that we absolutely had to find a restaurant. As we neared our hostel we found a nice little restaurant and finally got some food! The waiter spoke English to us at first, but we immediately told him we have to practice Spanish and that we cannot talk in English anymore! He teased me because of my accent the whole time, but it was all in good fun! :) He was very friendly and made sure we enjoyed our time there!

Fountain in El Retiro Park

That about wraps about Saturday...so now on to Sunday! Sunday morning we went to a Pixar exhibit and learned more about the process of animation in movies such as Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, Up, and more! We then went to El Rastro, a huge outdoor market that takes place every Sunday morning. We were overwhelmed by the amount of people there...and we heard of several pick-pocket attempts within our group of friends, so we decided it would be better to just grab a quick lunch. I still found some time to buy myself a beautiful hand painted fan, however! 

Pixar Exhibition!

For lunch we had some ham and cheese pizza--ham is a huge deal here...they have ham EVERYWHERE I tell you! And then before long we had to catch a bus back to Toledo. We navigated the bus and metro systems beautifully and I was back in sweet home Toledo several hours before dinner! While Madrid exhausted us, it also intrigued me and made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I still can't believe I spent a weekend in Madrid...IS THIS REAL LIFE?! 

I'll have more to share later, but adiós for now! 

Picture credits:
http://travelioo.com/images/spain/museo-del-prado
http://uniglobalexotic.com/2010/01/10/exotics-latest-madrid/
http://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/collection/artwork/guernica
http://www.madridsmartrentals.com/en/pixar-25-years-animation/

Corpus Christi y bonitas vistas!

Hola! I haven't had a chance to update you all about Corpus Christi until now! Just keep in mind that I'm writing this on Sunday but everything in this post took place on Thursday! :)

With that said....

Well the concert last night (Wednesday night) ended just after 3am, so I'm currently running on 4 hours of sleep! Needless to say, today (Thursday) has been a long and exhausting day, but also really fun at the same time!

We started the day off with a guided tour around Toledo. Even though I've already explored the city for 10 hours at least, and been lost many MANY times, our tour guide showed us parts of the city we didn't even know existed! 

We then boarded a bus in order to explore the area of Toledo near the river. Toledo is a walled city and the river surrounding it serves as an additional source of protection. The best views of the city were in this area! It was breathtaking!

Good 'ole O-H-I-O!

Before long we were back in the busiest section of the city where many people gathered for Corpus Christi. Thyme and rosemary filled the streets to create a pleasant smell everywhere! The decorations were gorgeous as well! Unfortunately so many people were in the streets that it was very difficult for me to see the procession (I'm simply too short!). However, I definitely noticed the gun shots that sounded to announce the beginning of the procession. Soon after, multiple religious figures and government officials began walking from Toledo's main cathedral. As they walked by, people threw rose petals from the house windows above the streets. It was a beautiful sight and the natives seemed so happy and so proud! Check out this short Youtube video (less than 3 min) below if you're curious! Adiós for now!

Decorations in honor of
El Greco

More beautiful decorations
for Corpus Christi

Plaza decorations!

La gente está loca!

Toledo view at night. 

Hola! After enjoying a little bit of Toledo's nightlife yesterday, I headed back to my host family's house to get some sleep before today's class. Overall I think my literature class sounds great! My professor seems very organized and helpful. We will be reading a play called La Casa de Bernarda Alba, which I fortunately already have read and really enjoyed! I'm looking forward to reading more texts and learning more!

All the decorations are ready for Corpus Christi!

Spain unfortunately lost a game in the World Cup today, but so many people were out in the streets at bars and restaurants. There were more people than ever! People of all ages! Babies, children, teens, the elderly! I'm beginning to see just how important fútbol truly is! Tomorrow is also a huge religious festival known as Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi is so important that we don't have school and nobody has work. Because of the game and the festival tomorrow, everyone is partying here! 

Crazy concert!

Hailey, the girl from Tennessee who lives in my host family, went with me to the concert just down the road. The performers/bands were great, and they supposedly are always on the radio! It was so much fun! There was also a DJ and more than half of the music is in English, which was very surprising to me. I've heard from multiple natives that they prefer American music more than Spanish music. Perhaps that's really the case as I've heard songs such as "We Will Rock You," "I Like to Move It, Move It," "Talk Dirty To Me," and some of Rihanna's and Miley's "greatest hits!" We stayed at the concert for a little more than an hour, but left because I have to wake up at 7:30am tomorrow to go to the Corpus Christi procession. Now it's 3am here and the concert is still going strong! I can hear every song as I'm laying here in bed...I don't think I'm ever going to sleep!!!

La gente está loca! (The people are crazy!) Maybe I'll have to take a long siesta tomorrow! Adiós for now!

Selfie at the concert with Hailey!

Primer día de clase!

Hola! Today began with a little snuggling! Messi, my host family's gato (who's named after a famous Spanish fútbol player), came into my room and demanded to be pet as she meowed louder than any gato has meowed before. We've already formed a solid relationship as you can see!

Mi gato nuevo, Messi!

After some snuggle time and breakfast, I walked to the bus stop and hoped for the best! A bus soon came and I arrived near the Fund in less than 5 minutes! I'm slowly but surely figuring out this bus system!

Today was my first day of classes! I have each class twice a day--today I had Spanish art and architecture from 11:30am-12:45pm and then again from 4:55pm-6:15pm. I understood my professor for the most part; however, she speaks extremely fast! It was definitely hard to keep up! The class itself was interesting and I hope it only gets better! As part of the class we take 3 field trips to look at the art and architecture around the Toledo area! AND there's no homework! Just an essay, final exam, and participation! How great is this?!

In between classes I had lunch at the Fund (they had delicious soup today!) and explored Toledo with some friends instead of taking a siesta. We definitely had fun walking through the streets; however, I'm really regretting not taking any time to rest right about now!

Proud moment of the day...I walked back to my host family's house without getting lost! And Messi immediately came in my room to greet me!

I'm heading to my first Spanish restaurant with mis amigos pretty soon! I'll do my best to update y'all tomorrow! Adiós for now!

Amigos nuevos!

Hola! Yesterday was a great day! It began with el desayuno (breakfast) during which I had some type of sugary bread and yogurt. Afterwards my host mom walked me to the Fund to ensure that I would make it to my exam at 9am. It took us about 20 minutes to get there and there seemed to be so many turns down different streets. Unfortunately I arrived 5 minutes late but the professors were very understanding. Later in the day I met with a professor one-on-one to schedule my classes: a Spanish art and architecture course and a 20th century Spanish literature course.

Beautiful view of un catedral. 

During our free time we got a group of 8 or so girls together to book a hostel in Madrid for this weekend! We'll be staying at Cat's Hostel right in the center of Madrid! We leave on Friday and I can hardly wait!!! Besides that, some "amigos nuevos" and I explored Toledo for a good portion of the day. Toledo is basically a walled city of extremely narrow cobblestone streets. It can be difficult to walk and you are often times walking uphill or tripping...which happens at least several times a day in my case! Somehow cars are able to travel down these little streets, just barely avoiding a crash! Some streets are too narrow for cars...some even too narrow for motorcycles. While it's sometimes scary having cars drive so closely, the streets are absolutely beautiful! Sarah (Ohio State), Hannah (Ohio State), Sasa (Northwestern), and I stopped for multiple photo shoots as we explored! Below are a few of my favorites! :)

Another breathtaking picture
I took as we continued to explore!

After a fun-filled day of exploration, we had another orientation in which we learned more about our upcoming schedule and excursions, heard about safety from a Spanish police officer, and signed a contract promising that we would only speak in Spanish. I've broken that contract several times unfortunately, but I'm getting better! We then went to the courtyard for a fiesta with a mariachi band! So much fun!!!

Mariachi band!

I just love these views!

It was 10:30pm before I knew it and I soon realized that I had no idea how to get back to my host family's house. Katelyn and I waited for a bus so we wouldn't have to walk back in the dark; however, the bus took much longer than we expected. In the meantime, several Spanish guys put a stuffed animal dog right near us. They kept calling "Rufi...come here Rufi!" and throwing food in our direction. We began feeling a little uncomfortable when they tried to put Rufi over our shoulder, so we then moved closer to some older Spanish women at the bus stop. Of course the other people at the bus stop chuckled at our embarrassment but everything ended well and our bus finally came!

But before I say EVERYTHING ended well...I should mention that I got off at the wrong bus stop and quickly walked to my host family's house. I wasn't quite sure how to get there, but I just so happened to guess correctly and make it back safe and sound. Today is a new day and I have more confidence with the bus system! Let's see how it goes! Adiós for now!

Mi primer día! (My first day!)

Hola! Unfortunately I haven't had the energy to update my blog until my second day here in Spain. I'm still suffering from a bit of jet lag, but pulling through! Everything's been great so far and now it's time to recount what's happened since my last post!

Boarding my flight!

I flew from Cleveland to JFK--that was no biggie! To my delight, Matt Couch was the name of the captain on the flight! For anyone who doesn't know, Matt Couch is an amazing student affairs professional at Ohio State and is a current idol of mine! I figured this would be a great flight just based on the mention of his name! Once I took my seat, I began talking to the man sitting next to me, a 37 year-old pharmacist from Egypt. Ironically he began asking about how much houses cost in Ohio--he had recently spotted a house he loved during his business meeting in the Akron area. He showed me a video of the houses he was driving by and it turned out that he drove right by my development! How crazy is that?! Needless to say, flight #1 wasn't too bad!

Yay! No luggage problems!

After landing in New York I still had about 4 hours to kill before boarding my flight to Spain, so I walked around exploring JFK for a while. I bought some delicious New York pizza and a water bottle...and paid $10! Gotta love those New York prices! After a couple hours I met up with Katelyn, a student from Notre Dame, and Hannah, a fellow Buckeye! At about 6:20pm we prepared to board our flight. Katelyn called me out because I apparently looked freaked out--I couldn't believe I was actually flying to Madrid! The flight itself wasn't too bad. I surprisingly enjoyed the dinner and breakfast they served us; however, the man sitting next to me caused several unwanted disturbances. Needless to say, I got no sleep on our 7 hour flight. Thankfully an adrenaline rush kicked in when I heard Frozen's "Let it Go" playing as we landed in Madrid. We got through Customs without a problem, my luggage appeared on the belt (what a relief!), and we soon met up with a director of our study abroad program. Before we knew it, we were on a bus to Toledo!

Madrid Airport

Passport stamp!

View of Toledo from a window at the Fund.
 It's breathtaking!

In Toledo we immediately went to La Fundación Jose Ortega y Gasset y Gregorio Marañon. Yes...that's the name of the university at which I'm studying...such a long name, right?! We call it "the Fund" for short! After eating la comida (lunch), receiving a tour of the Fund, and listening to an information session about host families, I finally met my host mom, Rosario! We greeted each other with besos (kisses) on each cheek and enjoyed some tea and desserts in the Fund's cafeteria. Funny thing to share--my host mom pronounces Brittany as "Barney!"

I soon met my host dad, Miguel, and their daughter, Paula, a 6 year-old they adopted from China. They also have 2 biological sons--Cristian who is 24 and Oliver who is 26. I have yet to meet their 2 sons--Oliver does not live at home and Cristian was helping his friend work at a bar. To my surprise, I discovered there are also 3 other Americans living with my host family but studying through a different university in Toledo: Molly and Michaela from Nebraska, and Hayley from Tennessee. It makes me feel a whole lot better to have them here!


While I was unpacking, I noticed my mirror broke during the flight. When I showed my host mom the mirror, she immediately offered to take me to a "China shop" to buy a new one. We soon began traveling through the streets of Toledo to shop around a bit. My host mom bought me some delicious "menta de chocolate" ice cream on our little walk! Ella es muy generosa! Moreover, gun shots kept sounding about every 10 minutes during our walk. I finally asked my host mom why I kept hearing gun shot after gun shot, and she explained that the gun shots are part of a celebration in Toledo known as Corpus Christi, which celebrates the belief in the blood and body of Jesus Christ. A procession takes place in a couple days (Thursday) and travels throughout the streets of Toledo. It's such a big deal that everything is closed and classes are canceled! I still don't fully understand why there must be gun shots; however, it has something to do with the Virgin Mary being carried during the procession. I couldn't quite understand everything my host mom told me about this, but that's the gist! I'll have to wait to learn more on Thursday!

At 9:30pm we sat down for dinner. I am beginning to see how different eating times are from those in America! We eat lunch, the biggest meal of the day, at 2pm and dinner around 9:30pm. My host mom prepared bread with ham, cheese, and tomatoes. She also had a plate of salami and some other breads that unfortunately were not my favorite. I think the breads I disliked had olive spread on them, but overall everything was pretty good! During dinner we all spoke in Spanish, and although it was a little tough and I asked "qué" many times, I think the comprehension and speaking went fairly well! I can't wait to see how much I improve! It helps that there are 4 American girls and we can all collaborate together to explain ourselves!

After a very long day and after not sleeping for about 36 hours, I finally got some sleep in my cozy little room I have all to myself! Although there's no air conditioning, a nice breeze comes through the windows at night, and I slept pretty well! I'm very thankful to be here and am grateful that my first day went so smoothly!

Although I just finished my second day here, I gotta get some more sleep! I will post about my second and third day tomorrow I hope!

Buenas noches!

Waiting at the Gate!

Adiós Christopher! Voy a extrañarte!

Hola amigos! I'm currently waiting at the gate in Cleveland Hopkins International Airport! I easily made it through all the different steps before arriving at my specific terminal. Though I was worried beyond belief (I haven't flown in 6 years!), things have gone very smoothly thus far. I board the plane in 15 minutes and will arrive at JFK at 2:25pm. Special thank you to my Dad and Chris (boyfriend) for driving me to the airport today! It was hard saying goodbye--I love and appreciate you both so very much!!! As my Dad left he kept reminding me to "be comfortable being uncomfortable." Welp...I'm outside of my comfort zone and doing my best to remain as confident and calm as possible! And in the words of my Grandmother (who I affectionately call "Ghee Ghee"), I shall maintain the "can do attitude" that our Scandinavian ancestors had! Oh how wise these old people are! As I get all my bearings straight, I'll have to say adiós for now!

Pre-Departure Excitement!

Hola! Tomorrow's the day I've been dreaming of since the 8th grade! At approximately 12:25pm I will board a flight to JFK and will soon be in Madrid, Spain! I am so humbled, nervous, and excited! Most of all, I feel so blessed to have this opportunity and am thankful that my dream of studying in Spain is finally becoming a reality! Thank you so much to all of those who made this experience possible and who have supported me along the way! Here's to a summer of taking chances, worrying less, and living in the moment. Adiós for now!