Some Things to Check Off

As time has passed since I started this, I have been able to cross off some of the things on my list of things to accomplish. So far I have crossed off about 13/100 things off my list:

• I crossed off #9 by eating a leek. It's not that I hadn't wanted to eat a leek before, I jsut hadn't, well, leeks happen to be my host mom Marisol's favorite ingredient in everything. Like most other foods, I enjoyed the leek and look forward to having it frequently while here.
• #21 was crossed off this weekend when I mailed international postcards to a couple of my best friends from home, and to my family, however fingers are crossed I sent them the right way.
• #26 was crossed off this summer when I stayed up all night finishing up the mural I was painting at my local pool with my friend Erin. The mural took days, but on the last day we pushed through and stayed until 7am the next day, just in time for breakfast.
• #27 while in Portugal my roommate Mary and I visited the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, it wasn't a large museum, completely feasible to read all the subtitles and not go crazy while doing so.
• #39 as a group, my program paid for all of us to go see a flamenco show. This time I wasn't sick so I was able to stay awake and pay attention for the whole, and it turned out to be pretty cool!
• #41 was no problem to get since eating tapas is basically a requirement
• #53 took a couple weeks here to get, wasn't hard, but there were a couple wrong turns in there and some missed stops
• #73 the whole portuguese thing didn't really work, but going to portugal did! (pictures to follow soon!)
• #82 Teatro Kapitol is a famous discoteca in Madrid that is 7 stories of late night craziness, I was lucky enough to have some of my friends in town from UST to go with along with my friend Harry and my roommate Mary
• #85 while in portugal we stayed in the #2 rated hostel in the world (it was awesome)
• #93 while semi successful, running on cobblestone is still not suggested
• #97 I have always been good at napping, thus siestas were made for me

As of now those are all I've accomplished, but there will surely be many more of them to be crossed off!

I Knew Sleeping Beauty wasn't a fairytale!

IES brought all of us to Segovia this past friday. I had been before when I was traveling in high school, but this was cool since we got a complete historic tour of it. We heard all the anecdotes, and earned all the understanding, so I'll try to share:

An alcázar is a Spanish fortress or palace, and this one is no different...aside from the fact that a children's fairy-tale takes place in this one. This is the castle that Disney based Sleeping Beauty on. It was the "farmhouse" for royalty back in the day. They would escape here during the summer to avoid the heat and chaos in the city.

The second picture and third pictures are of some of the churches in Segovia. The second is one of the oldest cathedrals in Spain. While on our tour the bells were ringing at the stroke of 11...for about ten minutes, talk about letting people know the time. The third picture is of Iglesia de la Cruz.

After touring Segovia we waited in the sun for our bus to come. From left to right are my friends Marina, Laura, Sylvia, Hannah, my roommate Mary and I.

A Picture of Madrid

These are just SOME of my photos from my time in Madrid thus far. It's gorgeous here, a little chiller than expected, but nothing this Minnesotan born girl can't handle. The pictures starting at the top are as follows:

A couple of what are called "señoras" here. Señoras are typically women anywhere from 60+ years old, some are widowed, others divorced, but generally they're all adorable. Señoras are who host us foreigners in their houses to keep them company, which not only helps them from being lonely, but us students to practice our Spanish, so it's definitely a win-win situation.

Mercado de San Miguel is the second picture from the top. This market is home to some really cool things. They have fresh milk (this is a rarity and only for true cravings...like a couple days ago), pastries, a fish and meat market, a giant cheese booth and a variety of little counters to order tapas or drinks from. It kind of resembles a super fancy/modern version of a farmer's market.

Next is the Plaza Mayor. It used the be the major meeting place back in the "old days." Now it is home to lots of tourists, giant easter celebrations and some enthusiastic street performers. All of the windows that are seen in this picture are apartments, and the only way to live in one is to be grandfathered into one. Each apartment has about 8 bedrooms, and since it is considered a historic landmark, and since all of the residents' families have lived there for centuries, they pay a set fee of only 70€ a month (wouldn't that be nice!)

Below the Plaza Mayor is the Cathedral. This is the Cathedral across from the Palacio Real (Royal Palace). It was built for only the court to attend, but due to a lack of funding the public's taxes were raised, and it was opened to the public later on since the public itself had helped pay for a large amount of it.

The last picture is of the Palacio Real itself. The current monarchy does not live here as it is historic, however the grandfather of the current king did indeed live here. It is filled with lavish rooms filled with all sorts of gaudy furniture and decorations, don't get me wrong, it would be awesome to live there, but it is crazy what the palace is decorated in. The palace is also home to the largest collection of Stradivarius instruments in the world. As a former Violinist these instruments truly are the most gorgeous of them all. (sidenote, in order to keep them from rotting or depreciating, someone has the job of playing them for an hour everyday...what a sweet job!)

Estoy

No cool pictures, but some awesome updates!

So far my trip has been successful. I flew out on sunday, made it on the plane without a scratch, however the stewardess did give the wrong meal to about half the plane...important requirement for a stewardess: knowing which is meal 1 and which is meal 2. I was not capable of sleeping due to the large, drunk, over-sharing Polish guy next to me, however his redeeming quality was that he was really nice. The ride seemed to drag on for a while, but obviously I made it off. I got approved through the oven that Madrid Barajas Airport calls customs even though most of us were pretty sure we were going to pass out because of the heat ducts looming over us.

When I got to baggage claim I guess it was asking too much for the carousel to be labeled as to which bags were from which flight. I found two other girls who looked just as confused as me, turns out they're in my program too. Eventually we found our bags, and our guides and got into a taxi soon thereafter. A girl named Sylvia and I shared a cab and then ended up sharing a room in the hotel. Our room was nice, but it was definitely more appreciated for the shower it had than anything else. After a quick catnap we went to lunch, met some people, listened to some lectures and scurried out to get some quick internet at the Starbucks around the corner.

Later on we took a walk with some Spanish students around the city, it's funny how much déjá vu I had while strolling (shout out to my previous spain trip people). After the walk we spent an hour in the phone store trying to figure out phone plans and which one made the most sense economically and functionally. Tapas followed, along with trying to go to bed early.

The next day we had some lectures and then met our host families. Mary and I are living with a couple in their late 60s who have been married for 10 years, first marriage for both, but obviously too old for children of their own, so they have hosted 6 students a year for the past 7 years, all of them girls except one. He never spoke and that was the end of the male sex in the apartment. The apartment is about 40 minutes from school, walking and metro involved of course. It is small, but large enough for Mary and I to share a bathroom and have our own bedrooms (which is so nice). Marisol is a woman of the house who is kind of neurotic about food. She reminds me of my grandma at home, whom is never able to sit down while others are eating for fear that her guests are uncomfortable, may need something, or possibly want something else. Eduardo is the porter of the apartment complex and only has to work one more year before his pension kicks in, but that means that he will always be here. Theyre both super nice. Everything is so much healthier than what it is in the states. We've had a variety of food from vegetable paella to zucchini soup so there's a wide variety of food around, but since we don't as much as the girls that lived with her before she is constantly paranoid that we don't like her food, however it is quite the opposite. I think that's it for now, more updates to come!

Equipaje

Baggage is not only something that a person brings into a relationship, but also something that can carry memories, mementos, souvenirs, and in my case, enough clothes for four months. Traditionally I am an extremely light packer, however this time proved to be more difficult. Planning for a change of season, change in climate and a change in scenery while traveling from country to country is a very hard task. Luckily, I picked a warm-ish country to go to; I won't have to worry about a thick winter coat or snow boots for when I have to trudge to class, but I also can't get by on the stereotypical American college uniform of a hoodie, jeans and any variety of odd footwear. I am typically a person of comfort, wearing what I please, when I please to. Many test runs were conducted over the course of the past week: packing and repacking, folding and unfolding, picking and choosing. Clothes were selected based upon favoritism, durability and general comfort level with some class associated with it. After packing for the last time tonight, with a duffel weighing in at 40lbs I think I am ready to head out tomorrow.

The nerves are definitely catching up to me. I have responded many a time recently that I am very excited to be there and go everywhere, but a little sad to leave home. It was nice having a month to bum around home, babysit my favorite family, interview for a real job, and hangout with old friends and my family. I will miss watching american tv with my siblings, or the game-show network with my best friend, but I know they will be here when I return, and for now I have to say, as tigger would, TTFN, ta-ta-for-now.