Transitioning

So now that I have been back in the States for almost a week, let me just say it is weird to be back.  I keep having mixed emotions.  At some points I can't even believe that I am home, and it hits me at really weird times like yesterday I was sitting on the couch and I was surprised that I was actually sitting in my own house.  And then when I realize that I am actually home I am so happy that I am home.  And then at other times, like during the day when I'm really bored and wasting way too much time on Facebook and other pointless things I wish I was back in Spain walking the streets, going for ice cream, sitting in El Campo Grande, or touring a new city.  I really miss Valladolid and the atmosphere of the whole town.  I loved how it was set up where everyone just walked places and you would go outside and see someone walking.  There would usually always be something going on at the Plaza Mayor, and I miss the conveniences of meeting people there and having a glass of wine or something. Here no one walks anywhere, but that's because Batavia isn't really set up as a walking town.  


Overall though the transition has been good.  When I first got home last Saturday I was surprised by all my friends from home.  I literally had no idea, but my parents were so sweet and invited them and my mom also made my favorite dessert and so we were able to talk and catch up.  It was so nice.  

Then the next day my dad grilled burgers for us and they tasted so good because I hadn't had a burger in forever!  Other foods that I missed in Spain that I was happy to have again here were peanut butter, cereal, and real flavored chips, like cheetos.  In Spain they would have really weird flavored chips, like jamon(ham), or Salsa, so it was nice to taste chips that tasted like real chips.  


For breakfast though, I have stuck with the usual breakfast that I had in Spain, two pieces of toast with butter and jam.  I never thought I would, but I had really grown to like that breakfast.


But, here in the states I am happy to have my shower again.  In Spain we would have to shower with this sprayer thing, so we would have to hold it, and then turn off the water when we shapooed to save water.  Now it is nice to not have to do either of those things.


One thing I did learn for the trip though is that I can live on a lot less.  My wardrobe for the whole six weeks consisted of only a few  bottoms, tops, and a couple dresses, but it worked!  No one really cared if you wore the same shirt in the same week or anything and it also motivated me to be more creative with what I had.  Everything was a lot smaller sized and simpler, which was nice to live with for six weeks.  

So I guess this is my last post for this blog.  Thanks to everyone who read along! 

Ugh

Today was a stressful day in which I almost reached by breaking point.  I am in Madrid and I fly home tomorrow morning.  The day started in Valencia, which was great, and then we took the train back to Madrid where I would be staying with two other girls from the trip, Haley and Jessica, in a hotel near the airport so I could fly out easily tomorrow. 


Well, Kevin, Chris, Danny, and I all got off the train and then we went our separate ways.  I took the metro by myself from the train station to the airport where I would then catch a shuttle to the hotel.   I was so glad that the metro went smoothly and now I feel like I am an expert at taking them metro, but then when I got in terminal 4 I realized I had missed the shuttle to the hotel by 5 minutes, so I needed to take a taxi.  So I got in the taxi and told the guy where I needed to go, the AC Marriott.  Then he said that he didn't know where that was.  I was thinking to myself, how do you not know where that is, you're a taxi driver?  Then he asked me for the name again because he said there was more than one AC Marriott and so I said the AC Marriott Corrado, and he still didn't know what I was talking about.  Then he went and asked one of his taxi friends where the hotel was and then we started driving.  He kept saying how there were so many and he didn't know the last name and I said Corrado and he said he didn't know.  While we were driving it had been a pretty long day and I was really ready to get to the hotel, get my stuff together for the morning, and then go to bed.  


Well I started getting concerned when we were driving for about 15 minutes and the taxi fare was already 20 something Euros because I was told this hotel was only like 6 minutes from the airport, but then again I could have been wrong.  So finally we got there to this AC Marriot Atira or something and the taxi fare ended up being 34 Euros! The taxi didn't take debit cards, so he drove me to an ATM to withdraw money.  I was kind of upset, but just hoped that this was the right place.  I went inside and said that I was checking into the room with  Haley Nelson and they said there was no one of that name staying there.  Then asked me, "could it possibly be the other Marriott?" And I said yeah it could be, so he pointed me about 2 blocks down the street to the other Marriot.  So I walked down there will all my stuff and said I was checking in with Haley Nelson and this guy told me the same thing.  He said which Marriot are you looking for? And I said Marriot Corrado?? He didn't know the name either.  Then I said it was close to the airport and he looked at me with a face of horror and said oh no, we are so far.  It turns out the Marriott I was looking for was the Marriot Cozlada, not Corrado.  At this point I was really fed up because I knew that I had to take another taxi all the way back near the airport and pay another 30 Euros.  The guy at the counter gave me the address of the new place so I could give it to the taxi driver.


I checked my wallet and realized I didn't have 30 euros, so I went to an ATM and then started freaking out because I couldn't find my debit card.  It wasn't in my wallet, but I remembered taking it out the first time when I withdrew money.  I thought I had thrown it in my purse because I was so frazzled after the first ride, but my purse was jam packed with maps and tickets and I couldn't find it.  This was the point I almost started crying.  But I knew I had it somewhere so I just decided that I needed to get to the hotel and got in the next taxi.  This guy drove me to the hotel and the fare ended up being 30 Euros.  I only had 15 Euros in my wallet, and I looked at him and said, "lo siento, no tengo dinero sufficiente" (I don't have enough money).  He just looked at the 15 Euros and said, "Pero esto no es mucho" (this isn't alot).  I tried to explain the situation, that I was sorry, that the other taxi driver took me to the wrong place and I spent all my money on that one, that I lost my debit card and couldn't withdraw more money.  He didn't say anything.  Then I frantically started looking through my purse and found my debit card! What a relief, so he said he took debit cards, but he tried it like 10 times and it wasn't working, and there wasn't an ATM in sight.  Then I went inside the hotel to see if there was one, but there wasn't.  I came back out and he set all of my stuff on the sidewalk and I apologized again and he said, "yeah but I want money."  I didn't know what to do.  Then I found 50 dollars of American money and said, I only have American dollars and he said, "dolares? Si esta bien." So I paid him in half euros, half dollars, and then he drove away and I checked into the hotel.  Once I got to the hotel room I went right to bed.  Such a long day, but excited to be home tomorrow.

Last Night All Together :(

Today we are in Valencia and it is our last night that all six of us will be together.  Melissa and Chris are leaving for Rome tomorrow morning, and the rest of us are leaving for Madrid tomorrow night.  This week has just been absolutely amazing and I am so thankful I got to travel with this group of people.  Tonight all of us we piled on a bed (the 3 tall and lankies a.k.a Chris, Kevin, and Eric, and then Melissa and I) and we were laughing about all the fun times we've had.  It's crazy to think that tomorrow we will all not be in Spain together, and even when we see eachother in the future, which we will, it won't be the same.  When are we ever going to all be together on a bed in Spain and traveling around?  It's crazy, and hard when things like this are so temporary.  Right now I'm feeling like I don't want to leave, which is crazy because I remember How I felt when I first got here.  I'm just letting these final moments sink in and enjoying them.  This trip I have made so many memories that will be with me forever.  Spain is nothing short of an amazing country.

Sevilla + Valencia

Well I have alot of catching up to do.  This past week I was also in Sevilla and Valencia!  Both were great cities, but sooooo hot! In Sevilla it was 45 degrees Celsius which is around 110 Fahrenheit.  In Sevilla the first night we went and saw a Flamenco show.  I had no idea what to expect really, I just knew that Spain was known for its Flamenco shows, but It was so cool!  Flamenco involves singing, a guitar, dancing, and clapping, and its all improvisation.  The dancer just goes with what they feel in the music, and the dancers we saw were both really good.  I'm glad we got to see the show.  Sevilla is also the perfect place to see a Flamenco show because that's where all the best schools are.  


The next day in Sevilla we went on a walking tour.  The two top things from the tour were the cathedral, which is the largest gothic cathedral in the world, and also the plaza Espana.  Every major city in Spain has a Plaza Espana, but the one in Sevilla is by far the prettiest.  They also filmed part of Star Wars there.   

The next day in Sevilla we went and saw the Alcazar, which is a place with really pretty gardens and architecture.  We flew to Valencia Wednesday night and got to stay in this really nice apartment for only 13 Euros a night.  It was great and it had a T.V. and everything so we were able to watch the Spain game.  In Valencia we went to a really cool Aquarium which had exhibits outside, we went to the beach, and also went to a really cool science museum.  All of the cities we visited this past week were amazing but my favorite is still Granada.  

Granada

So on Saturday we arrived in Granada!  It was beautiful, but super hot.  It was 42 degrees celcius, which means 107 degrees Farenheight.  We went and saw the Alhambra and it was amazing.   It amazing to think it was built hundreds of years ago.  And it was also huge!  To see the whole thing it would probably take you four hours.  There were so many pretty flowers and fountains and buildings and everything was amazing.  Later we went on a bike ride throughout Granada and it was really cool.  We went on a dirt path and all throughout the ride there were Mountains and cool little houses.  It was really pretty.  Then we stopped in this super cold river that felt like an ice bath and swam for a little.  It was so cold, but after felt so goo when we were riding our bikes because it was so hot outside.  Then later that night we went to Plaza San Nicholas and saw this amazing view of the Alhambra at night.  It was probably one of the top views I've had in my lifetime.  It was so amazing.

 

So far I'd say that Granada is one of my favorite cities.  If I would ever live in Spain, Granada would be the town I would choose.  People are so much friendlier in the south of Spain, and it's much more laid back.  We left Granada this morning and now are in Sevilla.  It is equally as hot here, like in the 100s.  I think tonight we may go and see a Flamenco show.  Well that's all for now.  I'll try to update later this week!

El Ultimo dia en Valladolid!

So right now I am packing my suitcase and getting ready to leave Valladolid.  My trip is not officially over because we still have one more week of travel, but this is my last day in Valladolid and last full day with my host family.  It will be sad to leave.  What a blessing these past five weeks have been, and all these great people I've gotten to know!

The final days started last night with a group dinner which was delicious.  Some of our teachers came to the dinner and it was so great to see them one last time.  I loved both of the teachers I had here in Valladolid.  Cristina, my lit teacher always was so full of energy and was really funny.  Alfredo, my culture teacher was also great and very knowledgeable about everything.  Both of them were great helps to us when we were traveling if we needed to print boarding passes, or to give us advice on the best tapas places.  I will miss them!

Then today we had a graduation ceremony!  I really can't believe it's already over.  I remember the first day when we were taking a tour of the city and they said, here is the building that you will have your graduation ceremony in, it'll come before you know it, and they were right!  

I've also gotten to know people from other schools, not just Iowa.  There are some Pennsylvania people that I will miss a lot and i probably will never see again! My roommate and I were talking and we agreed that sometimes certain people are only meant to be in your life for a short time.  Sometimes they were just placed in your life for a little while and that's it.  Maybe to teach you something, or help you through a certain phase of life.  It's sad to leave those people, but I guess there is a chance if sometime I randomly go to Pennsylvania I will see them again!

Then we had lunch with our family this afternoon and gave them gifts and thanked them for letting us stay with them.  I brought them  real syrup that my aunt and uncle who live in Wisconsin made directly from the tree.  I was so happy because she was so excited when I gave it to her.  She said she lovvveeesss syrup and it's really hard to find in Spain, they don't really sell it in the stores.  They are getting ready for a wedding which is tonight, so we will be on our own tonight for dinner and everything.  We took some final pictures with them.  I am so glad to have had Cristina and Felipe as my host parents and will miss them alot! But I have their e-mail address so we can still keep in touch.  And I have decided that this will not be my last time in Spain.  I will definately be back to Valladolid sometime in the future!

What's been happening the last few days

What I've been up to the past few days....

Attending class

Dodging pigeons in el campo grande (one seriously almost flew into my face yesterday.  The pigeons fly so close to the ground here and aren't afraid of getting close to humans.)

Eating ice cream for my friend Jess's birthday

Planning our last week of travel to Granada, Sevilla, and Valencia

Studying for exams (tomorrow!)

Jk they're not really this bad 

On the way home from school saw two people with giant backpacks who were doing el camino de Santiago! It was cool because we just learned about the camino de Santiago last week in culture class

Things I still plan to do...

Go to dulcemania!

Attend a graduation ceremony

Attend a graduation dinner

Pack