Felicidades Tess!

     Today is Tess' Birthday. She one of my best friends and she's nineteen now! I love you Tessie and I hope you have an amazing day.
     Last night I went to the classical music concert at the nicest theatre in Pamplona. It's huge! I met up with my friends and then we met their friends there. It was great! I go to meet a lot of new people and my ticket was free! It was worth 35 E too. One of Vicky, Maria, and Sara's friends-mom's-boyfriend is the director and he got free tickets for everyone. I was so thankful. It was just a gorgeous concert. I love music. Afterwards we got to meet the director and a met one of the musicians who is French but lived in NYC for five years so we spoke in English. After the concert I headed home and talked to my mom for a little bit and then headed to bed. I went to bed at 12:30 and slept for nine hours! I was so happy to finally get a little sleep.
     After my nine hours of sleep I got up, ate some nougat pillows, and got ready for the mall. I met Natalie and Mariel there and we shopped for a few hours. I bought a few things...all at full price...I could hardly believe myself. After the mall I came home and ate lunch with my family. Now I am going to take a little nap and get ready for tonight. I'm going dancing with the Pamplonians! It should be fun! Besos.

Thriller.

     I feel badly that I didn't blog last night but I just had absolutely no time. Yesterday was pretty great. I mean that's expected though, right? It was a Thursday. They are always simply fabulous. The beginning of the day was a little rough because I was exhausted and I was missing all of my friends and family back home and I just kept thinking about the "Iris" lyrics by the Goo Goo Dolls: "And I don't want the world to see me 'cause I don't think that they'd understand. When everything's made to be broken I just want you to know who I am." I want someone to know that I love almost everything and get along with 95% of the people that I meet. I have way too many interests and I'm not a good-two-shoes. That I love carrots and that just because I love eating chicken nuggets frozen doesn't mean that I need to be checked into a mental hospital. That I make myself busy no matter what and I never get enough sleep. That I need my family and my friends and I may cry on occasion and skype a lot but I am a strong person. I am not a baby. I'm strong for loving and letting people love me in return. I want people to know all my flaws and still love me. I cannot spell. I am the worst at telling stories and jokes and it takes me a lifetime and a half to explain myself because I do things or like things "just because." I'm a little lazy. I talk WAY too much and I sing ALL THE TIME. I over analyze so much of what people say to me and I can't make a decision between Resee's and Dove Dark Chocolates to save my life. I'm also terrible with directions and I couldn't survive without facebook.
     Now that that's all out I feel great!! Yesterday was an amazing day. Let me tell you about that. I went to school and had my little "I want you to know who I am" fit and then got over it. I was invited to go shopping with some friends, Sara and Vicky, and then Sara invited me to a classical music concert (orchestra I believe) for tonight. I was just so excited! So after my day at school I came home and ate lunch and gave my best effort at a nap but I just ended up sitting there. My mind never stops so that makes it difficult to fall asleep. After my not-so-much-nap I met Vicky and Sara and we went shopping for a birthday present for Vicky's little brother. It was fun! The toy store was so cute! And it helped my Spanish incredibly because we were having conversations the entire time. After the toy store we caught the bus back to the school and we took some funny pictures on the sidewalk with Sara's self timer camera...it can take like ten pictures in a row on self timer so that was fun. They then headed to theatre practice. I headed home to get ready for the Rotary dinner.
     On my way home from school I ran into Athena and Dara (both from Washington State) on the street! (Athena lives really close to me so it's not such a huge coincidence) They were headed to the dinner already and I told them to just come back to my apartment until we had to leave so they did. They looked at pictures and videos from last weekend as I got ready. We left around 8:10 and headed for Club Tennis. The place is amazing! We got there and talked to the other Pamplonians and the Rotarians and our host families were there so we talked to them a little bit too. I just love our Pamplonians group. I feel so lucky to have nine other exchange students in my city. It's amazing. All we did the entire time was socialize and eat tapas. Or appetizers. I had a blast. I have to tell you the conversation that Mitchell and I had that just made my night:

Me: This is cool (as I pick up the vase on the table with a fake flower in it and some other stuff)
Mitchell: Those are coffee beans.
Me: Ay, que guay! (how cool)
Mitchell: No. It's tacky.
Me: You're tacky.
Mitchell: I know.

     You probably didn't find it quite as funny as we did but it was basically the best thing ever. We have a lot of little inside jokes already and I love it.
     We arrived home around 11 PM. I did some Halloween History research for English class then attempted to go to bed. Guess what everyone. It didn't work. I laid in bed for an hour. It's a problem because today in Philosophy when my classmates were taking a test I fell asleep and my teacher asked me if I was okay and then told me I wasn't allowed to sleep. Sorry. When I get yelled at now it just rolls right off. I'm kind of used to it. Haha which is terrible but oh well. I'm trying.
     The other day in history of art my teacher asked how I was doing and I told her really well. She asked how the language was coming and I told her that it's alright. It depends on the teacher and then I told her that I really liked her voice. Those exact words in Spanish. It's true though! She has a nice speaking voice and I can usually understand most of what she says. Also on that day I was trying to explain to one girl what my mom does for a living but I forgot the word for Nurse Anesthetist in Spanish but I had already told the other girl sitting next to me what she does so I turned to her and asker her, "What is my mom?" (In Spanish). She looked at me like I was crazy at first and then we all laughed. :) I have one more little random story: My whole class noticed that I finished my first journal because they are all commenting on my new one (the one from Tess! I love it!) and saying that I write all the time, which is completely true.
      Today school was fine. I thought it went incredibly fast. During break I went to the little candy store across the street from the school and bought some gummy octopus'...they are so yummy. You bite off all the legs first and then eat the body. I'm aware that sounds a little morbid. In English class Natalie and I gave our presentation on Halloween for the class. I actually found some really interesting information on the history. Maybe you should look it up. Well I'll tell you the story about the Jack-O-Lantern: So Jack tricked the devil to climb this tree and then Jack carved a cross in towards the bottom of the tree so the devil couldn't get down. Jack told the devil he could some down if he never tempted him again and it was a deal. When Jack died he wasn't allowed into Heaven for his evil ways nor was he allowed into Hell for having tricked the devil. The devil gave Jack a single ember to find his was through the frigid darkness. Jack placed his light in a hollowed turnip to make it last longer. When this was brought to America they discovered that the pumpkin will make the light last longer as opposed to the turnip. Sp there you go! That's the story of the Jack-O-Lantern! After our little presentation we got to listen to...wait for it...wait for it...THRILLER!  We had to fill in the missing words as we listened. It was so great. It made me think of Duke Street when we all danced to it for the Choir Awards my Sophomore year. Wow. It was such a long time ago. What an amazing dance though! Made me miss choir.
     I've been skyping and blogging since I got home from school and now I am going to get ready for the concert!! I am so excited! I'm sure I will blog tonight about it when I get home. But, if not, I want to say good luck Dukes!!!! Have an amazing time at the game tonight everyone! Oh and a shout out to my parents who gave me a new queen bed and a huge bookshelf and a piano in my room this week! My dad showed it to me and it looks fabulous!! I was worried at first...you know because everything is changing and I though I just wanted to come home to things exactly the way they were, but my room looks even better now! All of my musical poster and frames and Dominican paintings and pictures with friends are covering my walls and the piano. I'm in love. Thanks, guys.
     Here's to another great weekend! Besos! Love, love, love you all!

Day 50.

     Can you believe it? I have officially been here for 50 days. Time has flown. I have experienced so much. I still need to learn this language though. I think I need to put more effort towards it. I just want my life to be in English as soon as I get home from school because I desperately want to just fully understand something. I get tired of getting the gist of things. On the other hand, I would understand much more if I put more effort behind it. I mean that's the main reason I came. No time to be lazy, Alex. So I promise I will watch some more episodes of That 70s Show and read some Pablo Neruda and Harry Potter before bed.
     Today was the day I finished my first journal. An entire journal in 50 days. Let me tell you, it's a thick journal. I think I will start to write less as time goes on...but I do have a lot of down time in school...it's hard not to tell something what is on my mind. So tomorrow I begin my new journal. The journal that Tess got me for my birthday this year. Every page is blank. I love it. I'm ready to begin a new chapter in my year. Section two. If anyone wants to send me a journal feel free haha. I only brought three! But that's a joke...shipping is way too expensive and my package has been in customs for 6 weeks now. They just liked Mom's cookies too much.
       Today I went to school. It's starting to become repetitive. There's not much that I can say that will interest you at this point other than this little story: Someone in my class drew an eskimo and an igloo with highlighters and tacked it up on the single bulletin in the classroom and one by one the teachers start to notice and then question it and for some reason it the funniest thing ever. The teachers asked if we were cold or something and the class just laughs. I laugh too because I finally get a joke. You probably don't really care about the green highlighter eskimo but I find it extremely entertaining. Another little story from school: Today during History of Art we went to the library and worked in partners on the computers taking notes about, well, art. Churches today. We were just sitting there and I start making this choo choo cha choo sound. I'm making up a song or a beat without realizing and my partner, Ana, just laughs. Haha. She said I was charismatic! I told her I didn't even realize I was doing it. I laughed as did the girls sitting next to us. Silly, silly.
        After school I came home and ate lunch which Maite made and it was fantastic! Pasta. Mmm. Then I finally was able to watch Glee! It was such a fabulous episode. Best 40  minutes of my time. After Glee I met up with Natalie and we went to Carrefour where they had a Halloween display. I bought an entire liter of body wash. I think it's going to last me for the whole year. I also bought some much needed hairspray and Nat bought me a chocolate bar because she owed me some money. It Nestle and it's dark chocolate. So good. It's my 50th day celebration. It doesn't matter that I already ate six Oreos with lunch. Once we left Carrefour we caught the bus and just stayed on. We wanted to see one of the suburbs so we just stayed and got a tour of the city for 1.10 E. Once the bus finally reached San Juan (my area in Pamplona) we came back here and watched some videos that we taped the other night with the other Pamplonians. They're pretty funny. Then Brandi skyped and she and Nat got to meet. That was nice but Natalie had to leave soon. After she left  continued to skype with Bran. We complained about the crappy things in our life. We're just like that sometimes I suppose. It was nice, none the less :) I love her so much.

         Now we are just waiting for Maite to come home from Judo practice so we can eat dinner. I hope it's soon! I'm hungry. And I need sleep. Lots of it. This is me with my delicious bar of dark chocolate. Goodnight every one! I love you!

A Glance at the Globe.

       So this morning I am just sitting in History of Art listening...trying to focus and comprehend. On the slide show behind my teacher is a map of Europe. I glanced at it and then began to stare. I couldn't take my mind off of all of those countries. I want to go. I want to discover culture. See every sight. Eat the most authentic food. Speak the most beautiful languages. Meet incredible people. I want to experience world in it's entirety. There is so much more than just our small towns. So much to see and do and experience. Would you like to join me?
       After I finished daydreaming about all of the places I want to go I observed the fashion here. Girls wear skinny jeans and leggings. No flares. And so many boots. They are all so gorgeous. I want, I want, I want! There are so many American style hoodies. I was very surprised to see this..but happy none the less. The guys like to wear sweaters. Man scarves are totally in as well. Girls wear scarves like crazy as well. They wear pretty plain colors...lots of tan, brown, grey, and black. They are all pretty fashionable. More so than at Marlington.
       Some random things:
1. I miss kissing my parents goodnight on the lips. I just thought about this today and I cried in class. Is that weird? Should I be over that by now?
2. My hair grows like an inch a day here. When I get home I think I can donate and make 5 wigs. Haha. But my hair seriously is very long.
3. I feel my Spanish improving. Conversations are easier. Words come more quickly and I comprehend a little more each day. It's still impossibly hard though. I don't mean to sugarcoat anything.
4. The leaves here turn brown and die. Wah. Also, it's freezing.
5. I had Nougat Pillows for lunch :D
6. My toothpaste tastes like the spearmint favored gum drops. I couldn't figure it out for the longest time, but now I know and I like it.
7. I love olives. They have huge olives here and they all have pits. They are great though. I always save them for last when eating my salad for dinner.

     Today was the long day at school. I read Harry Potter most of the day and it's starting to become very enjoyable. I understand most of it which makes me happy. I came home for lunch and a quick nap and then headed back to school. It went pretty quickly. Once I got home I received a skype phone call from Tess as she was headed back to school in the tornado. This worried me, but she is fine I'm sure. It was a great talk. I really miss her. I miss how easy all of my friendships are at home. I love my friends here too...it just take a little more time to be completely comfortable...for all of us to really know each other. They all call my goody two shoes....have I mentioned this? Haha. Is this true?! I was able to speak with Joey for a bit and then my dad and Grandpa! My grandpa's surgery went great! I was praying all day, so that's great news. After skyping I finished today's "to-do" list and then ate dinner. now I'm sitting in the living room watching the TV and blogging. This is much better than just sitting in my room, don't you think? Merche is reading a cookbook on pasta and Maite is looking for something in the kitchen.
      I had such a perfectly lazy night (but I did do my exercises). Tomorrow I am looking forward to GLEE!!!! It's the Rocky Horror Halloween episode and I'm jealous because you all have the opportunity to watch it tonight on your big screen plasma TVs. I have to wait until tomorrow and to watch it on my 13" MacBook. Haha. But I'm not complaining...not really."Sweet Disposition" by the Temper Trap just came on the TV. They are showing a youtube video of American money on the trees. I really love this song. It's from (500) Days of Summer soundtrack and a commercial from a few months ago. I think it's great. Now it's time for me to finish my relaxing day by relaxing (and going to bed before midnight). Besos! Os quiero.

Beef Salad.

       Today for almuerzo I had a little something that Natalie and I like to call "beef salad." To me it tastes like creamy nasty beef between a baguette. I hate beef salad. Or whatever it actually is...I'm too afraid to ask. I think it's time I tell Merche I can't eat it. I don't want to seem high maintenance but I gag when I smell this stuff. I think it's closest relation is cat food. It's time to tell her.
       I went to school this morning half awake. We watched a movie first period in history and I sort of fell asleep. It was my first time actually falling asleep here in school. It happens, right? I think it's a sign that I should go to bed a tad earlier (that's why I'm writing this before dinner). I was so happy to be done with school today. My journal entries from today consist of four pages of "I hope the time will pass quickly...Why school going so slowly?...Only one more class left!..." Haha. I'll get some sleep tonight so school will be a littler more enjoyable tomorrow.
        After walking home I ate lunch. I finished writing some letters and then headed for the post office. It was a nice walk. It is cold in Pamplona though! The sun was shining and it was beautiful, but it was cold. I love walking on my own because I can just listen to my iPod and observe everything that is going on around me. When I have my headphones on I feel as though I am not really noticeable, just able to notice. If that makes sense. I like the feeling though. Sometimes when I'm feeling great and a great song is on I just smile and laugh in the streets...alone. I love that feeling. I'm so happy that music has that effect on me.
         When the smiling walk was over I came home and talked to my mom. She bought me some penguin Christmas music box. It's not a box...but I can't think of the word right now...it spins and plays music...do we have a word for this in English? If so, will you fill me in, porfa? Anyways....they are adorable. I love my mommy. I also thanked her today for teaching me how to French-braid hair. I do it all the time. I would have far more bad hair days of it weren't for this. My mom makes me laugh and I love talking to her. Tess is home from school and is going to my house tonight. My mo is making ehr favorite: Chicken Pot Pie and there are cans of Diet Dr. Pepper waiting for her as well. I can't wait to hear about their night (I'm a little jealous, actually. When I get like this I just have to tell myself, "You're in Spain...what's your problem?!) I spoke to my dad for about 3 minutes haha. I forget what we talked about. He was sporting his favorite Ohio State shirt. Oh, I think he would hate the clothing here. Hahaha. I love him.
           I called Grandma Toussant after this Skype session. I was eager for her to guess who it was. I wanted her to go through the list like she does when I call her at home, but she got it on the first try this time. I call from a mile down the road and it takes her 3-4 guesses...I come to Spain and she gets it in 3-4 seconds. We had such a nice talk. I enjoyed every minute of it. I love you, Grandma!
          It's now time for me to relax until dinner time. I might work on some Spanish or watch some more of Rocky Horror again. I might fall asleep at the dinner table and wake up to salad dressing covering my face. Have a great evening everyone! I hope you managed to get through your Monday (they're rough-it's universal). Besos!
          

Pescador de Hombres

       I feel like it's been forever since I've posted a blog. I've missed it! A lot has happened since Friday afternoon. Friday evening I met Natalie at the post office. We originally planned to meet at her bus stop which is about 20 minutes from my house. So I went there. Then she called me and asked where we were supposed to meet. She forgot. But it was no big deal because the exercise didn't hurt. So we sent our letters.  Happy Early Birthday Tess! We then walked to the nearest bus stop and caught a bus to Baranain, a suburb of the city. We were in search of Carrefour, a huge supermarket. Neither of us really knew where we were going but we ended up in the right place! Carrefour was only a short walk from the bus stop where we got off. We didn't have much time to spend in the store since we had to meet Natalie's host parents at the school in about 45 minutes. A frozen pizza, chocolate bar, .45 E roll of cookies, some butter, and food coloring later we were out of there. We only got to spend about 15 minutes in the store but it was amazing! We cannot wait to go back. It's cheap and they have everything. After making it back to the school we waited for Nat's parents and then rode home. We ate dinner at her house. We had Spanish Tortilla! It's a potato omelette that is popular all over Spain. That and futbol is about the only thing that every region have in common. After our delicious dinner Natalie and I watched some of The Rocky Horror Picture Show which is absolutely amazing. We only got see about 45 minutes of it though due to internet not wanting to cooperate. What's you deal Mr. Internet? Too much Tim Curry for you to handle? We made our frozen pizza after everyone went to sleep. We wanted to keep it a secret for some reason. Nat is throwing the box away some day this week when they aren't home. It's fun to be sneaky about things you really shouldn't have to be, right? I mean we laughed.
        Saturday morning we woke up and did just about nothing until Nat's host mom picked us up to go out to lunch. We went to an Italian restaurant near the school. We met the rest of the family there. What a great lunch. This was my first time really being at an actual sit down, order, bring food out restaurant. I ate something for an appetizer that was rice cooked in with pigs blood. Let me tell you, it was the best pigs blood I've ever had. Loved it. I ordered the pizza titled "Dulcinea" which means "sweet" in Spanish. My pizza had a really thin crust, raspberry sauce, cheese, and black little hockey-puck peppers on it. It was amazing! I ate a lot of it. I was proud of myself. I got really full at one point and told Nat and she turned to me and said, "You're American. You can do it." So I did. The conversation at dinner was excellent. They ask us so many questions about the U.S. and what we like and don't like. I'm so excited that I'll be staying with this family next! I offered to pay for lunch (it was pretty expensive) and Nat's host mom was appalled. Haha. She is so sweet!!!
        After lunch I walked home (they offered to drive me but I was only 15 minutes walking) and had a wonderful talk with Aunt Patty. I called her cell phone from my MacBook. It was great. And hours worth of talking cost me less than a dollar. And my phone call from Madrid for 15 minutes cost $50. C'mon. It was such a great talk though!! After the talk I bought The Rocky Horror Picture Show on iTunes because I loved the first 45 minutes so much. I then left the house at 8:30 to meet the Pamplonians in the city. What a night. There are just too many inside jokes and little crazy events that happened to explain here. We basically walked around and went to the park and then went to a bar and just danced. I had a pretty good time. Natalie spent the night at my house and we snacked and then she fell asleep right away. I thought I was tired but apparently not because I ended up watching the rest of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
        This morning Nat and I woke up and ate some Nougat Pillows for our very nutritional breakfast. We left together. She headed for her bus stop and I to church. I love going to church here. It's very short though. I was the youngest one in mass today. Haha. You don't see any groups of people...unless 2 counts as a group. I had yet another breakdown in church. They played the song "Lord, You Have Come to the Sea Shore" but in Spanish: Pescador de Hombres. This song reminds me so much of my Grandma Toussant and I just could not stop crying. It was right before communion so I looked a mess and then I sat back down and just cried. I took my time leaving.
         When I returned home I talked to my mom and Brandi and helped Brandi out with some school work. I'm glad I can still help from all the was over here! I skyped with Korey, Katie, Emily, Abbie, Aunt Barbie, and Uncle Dana. It was great! I got to speak to Katie the longest. It was great! This is your shout out Katie Lynn-I LOVE YOU KATIE BOP! -Love, Alice Palace. (Inside joke...about a time machine believe it or not). I had dinner: salad. Look out! It was good though. I've been on the computer since dinner catching up on here and facebook. I was chatting with Abbie on facebook and she asked me if she could send me her memoir. Of course I said yes! I read it and wanted to cry and smile and laugh at the same time. Smiling won. Thankfully. But I just read the most gorgeous thing. Abbie wrote about her home. Her home is made up of the people...Katie, Emily, Brandi, and myself. It's funny because I was just helping Brandi with an English paper today about "home." It really puts things into perspective when you're across the ocean. To Emily, Katie, Abbie, Brandi: I love you four with all of my heart and more. We are cousins, sisters, best friends until the end. We have a a never ending "to-do" list ahead of us. Abbie said we're starting ASAP. I'm in. Oh, and to our parents who let us do crazy things...I mentioned the time machine? :)
            It's definitely time for me to read Abbie's paper five more times and then go to sleep. Congrats Dukes! I was so excited on Saturday morning to open my email and read the good news! Here's to another great week everyone! Besos. Os quiero.

Tabs (Tabea) from Germany and Natalie from Memphis!

Lovely Lists

      Today all I have time for is just another quick list! It's been great. I went to school and skyped with my parents and Brentie. At school today Natalie and I went to the wrong classroom (since we got kicked out of the library) and didn't realize it until after they got more desks and made us feel comfortable. It was a math class. Logs! Fun fun! I was never good at logs....anyways we won't be going back. We have to go to a language class instead. Wah. During my skype date I got to see my new and improved living room! Let me tell you, it looks fabulous. Let me also tell you that skyping really helps me. It does not make me homesick, it makes me happy. I can't help it. I don't do it when my host family is home though, except for Sundays. anyways....HAPPY 22ND WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MOMMY AND PAPI! I love them.

1. The milk is very different. It comes room temperature in cartons. You can just put it on the shelf at home. Once you open it though, you must refrigerate it, for obvious reasons. It's whole milk. At home I never drink whole milk. I'm a skim girl, but this will do with my Nougat Pillows. It's just different, that's all!
2. In Spain (and most of Europe), you choose a track to be on in high school. There are not mandatory core classes exactly. I like it that way, but I also like having variety.
3. Instead of Victoria's Secret they have Women's Secret. Haha. Lovveee it.

      Well that was an extremely short list. In English class today we listened to presentations (in English) about the Spanish culture. They mentioned bull fights, wine, the food, and fiestas. It was really hard to understand some of them. Some were really great though. I don't know if I could do that in Spanish. Ha. That's so pathetic. After the presentations we moved onto music. Our teacher played "I Love The Way You Lie" by Eminem and Rihanna. The uncut version. That's right. We had to fill in the missing lyrics and put the chorus in order. It was great! I love this song and she had to play it three times for everyone to understand it. It's so crazy that they can play songs like this. I mean they drop the "f" bomb on more than one occasion. Just saying. I forgot to mention that they other day in history class we watched a movie. After the characters ate dinner in the movie they guy said he needed "dessert." A lot of people were having "dessert" in this movie. I love Spain. Right before break today my counselor handed out report cards. Guess who didn't get one. That's right. This girl. I was SO happy! They're not even giving us marks! Woo!!!! I love Spain, have I mentioned this?
       Tonight is the big corn hole tourney at MHS. Uncle Dana and my Dad are a team and I like their chances. But my mom did make a valid point on skype today- they are usual drinking when they play. Tonight they are playing sober. Hahaha. So we'll see. Brandi and my mom are going to be a team as well. Then the big game is tonight: Marlington vs. Louisville. I want us to win so badly! GO DUKES! I talked to Brent and told him good luck! I hope I receive emails full of good news tomorrow.
        Tonight I am going shopping with Natalie. We're going to a huge grocery store. We're pretty excited. I'm going back to her house afterwards to watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show and stay the night. Tomorrow I am going to the mall and then out with the Pamplonians in the evening. Do you think the name Pamplonians is silly? Tess was making fun of me for it on skype last time! Anyways, Natalie is staying the night here then afterwards. I have another busy weekend ahead of me. So go Dukes and go Buckeyes! I love you all! I pretty much love anyone who reads my blog because I spend so much time on it every day. It means so much to me when people tell me that they read it. I'll be back tomorrow or Sunday. I'm living the life. Besos!

Don't Rain On My Parade!

        I can't help but love Thursdays. They're always a parade of fortunate events. I love them. I will continue to love every Thursday. No one can stop me. School was pretty extraordinary in an ordinary way.  I just talked so much more than usual. My literature teacher is sick, and they do not have substitute teachers come in (I just don't think they have them here) so my small class of eight talked and laughed the entire time. I was invited to a slumber party!! And I think it's a big deal. They are planning it and everything. I'm pretty excited. Okay, I'm super excited! I think it's time for a list:

1. Last night Natalie and I went shopping and we went into a perfume store. They have them all over the place here. I immediately found my perfume, Gucci: Envy Me, and put it on. Oh my gosh it smelled like heaven! I really miss my perfume. Right after I got a sample of that I found my mom's perfume: Daisy by Marc Jacobs. I got a sample of that too! I love scents. I always smell everything before I eat it. Weird?
2. Tax is included in the price that's on the item. It's so nice.
3. I had a chocolate bar sandwich for almuerzo today! I ate it all together at first and then I separated the baguette from the chocolate bar. Mmm. Que rico!
4. I finally bought myself a binder/folder thing and I am organized. Yes.
5. The paper here is longer. Two inches maybe?
6. I introduced my literature class to Spark Notes so they can understand Hamlet. We're reading in Spanish and they don't understand so I asked them if they could read English and comprehend pretty well and they said yes. How do they survive without Spark Notes?
7. Girls will kiss each other on the cheek in the hall way! It's so cute.
8. I have seen zero mechanical pencils besides my own. Their wooden pencils do not have erasers on them.
9. They ALL have a white out pen or white out tape stuff.
10. So many boys here have the name "Javier." It's so popular. When in doubt ask for Javier.
11. There are no letter grades. The scale is 1-10.
12. I only missed one question on my Economics test today!!!!! I was so excited. I almost screamed when I saw my results.
13. I annotated my entire Hamlet packet today and understood pretty much everything :)
14. I finished the most intense/beautiful friendship bracelet I have ever made today! 10 strings.
15. I strongly believe that That 70s Show would be hilarious in any language.

It's 10:30 and we still haven't had dinner. What is the deal? I'm starving. That green been gravy soup that looks like baby food from lunch did not hold me over very well. I had a great day AND tomorrow is Friday!!!! Go Dukes tomorrow night!! Beat Louisville...please. Os quiero! Besos!

The Color Purple.

      I wore purple today in memory of those who lost their life recently due to anti-LGBT harassment (Amy, I'm sorry I stole your status but I believe that you put it the best). This is so sad. It's so horrible that teens haven taken their lives due to bullying. It needs to stop. I believe in equality. It is not something that comes overnight, so we will have to work towards it, but it can be achieved. No one deserves to be harassed for a trait or characteristic they are born with. Sorry for this, but it is how I feel, and I feel very strongly about it.
        Today I made a list of all the things I am looking forward to. It is a very long list. I am very happy. I won't post it because it's long and it won't be as exciting to you. On the other hand, I  will post an anniversary poem I wrote for my parents (it's Friday). It's a very cheesy poem as I wrote it during my literature class today (the teacher was sick...study hall!):

I am so happy that you two fell in love.
It must have been a gift from Heaven above.


You complete each other in every way,
And take Chancie for walks every day.


I have the two best parents that any girl could ask for.
No matter where we are or what we do, life together is never a bore.


By each others' side you always will be.
Thankfully, I know you are supporting me.


Now, together on your day of twenty-two years,
I hope there will be no saddened tears.


On this Friday you will cheer and shout, "Go Dukes!"
With the hope that no player gets hit and pukes.


My love for your love has no end.
So I'm telling you, "Thank you. I love you," and now, "Amen."


     I am well aware that I am no Pablo Neruda, so apologies if you hated it. I skyped with my parents today and they liked it so I suppose that's all that matters! I also was able to skype with Loren (the exchange student in Alliance last year from Paris). It was so amazing! I miss her so much. I talk about her a lot.
     Tonight I also went grocery shopping with Nat and bought ingredients for a Red Velvet Cake that she is making for her host bother's birthday on Sunday. We had a hard time finding things. She still doesn't have everything. We'll keep searching. I purchased European lip balm, the newest Elton John album, and two birthday cards. I had a great night. I also applied for The Ohio State University!!!!! It's in! Now time to apply for the scholars program and scholarships. I put Spanish and Pre-Medicine as my majors on my application. I hope to minor in some kind of English/Journalism/Writing as well. I really enjoy writing now. What would I do without it? Be a very bottled up emotional mess. No tears today!
       I am exhausted now. I need to get some sleep-Thursdays are busy days. They are the best school day though! I'm looking forward to that. I also have theatre tomorrow night. I like it right now, but it is one thing to improvise in English...in Spanish it is a whole other ballgame. I'm trying though, and that's what matters. I am making memories and building friendships. Loren told me tonight that the language took her about four months to master so that made me feel much better. Comprehension has improved immensely but speaking is still very difficult. I'll get there. Buenas noches! Besos!

Thank You For Everything I Know

      I did not want to wake up this morning. At all. I went to bed really late last night because I was up blogging so tonight and I am writing before dinner. Way before dinner- it's only 8:04! It's going to be so strange to go back and eat around 6. It's just so crazy, but I got used to it quickly enough here so going back home shouldn't be much of a problem. Today I had so much time to think. I mean I always do, but today I thought even more than usual. While in Latin, my mind went back to my last night at home. I watched Boy Meets World with Brandi on the couch, sitting in the same spot as usual. We watched until we were exhausted. I remember going to bed and calling for Chance. He came and slept with me and I prayed and fell asleep, no problem. I remember sleeping like a baby that night. This made me miss Brandi, Chancie, and my bed so much. I wanted to cry in class....but I didn't. Thankfully. I really miss my bed: I have trouble falling asleep here...it just takes me awhile. I sleep great though.
       So in between classes some of the students open the windows and go and stand by them. So I walk over and get my coat and wonder if they are really from Russia. I swear, they're from Alaska or something at least. Yes, Ohio is cold, but we don't inflict coldness on ourselves let alone embrace it. We're all for heaters. At least my room at home is really warm. It's small and the door is usually shut so the heat stays in. Yay!
         This blog title is directed towards all of the people in my life who taught me helped me grow into the person I am today. This includes my family, my friends, and my teachers. The teachers here are very different. They speak at you. You write down notes. I realize that this is how a lot of college classes are, so at least I'm getting used to it now, but I am so happy that I went to Marlingon High School. My teachers at home are so personable and willing to help. They care about their students entirely, not just educationally. I had so much fun in high school and I feel like I learned a lot. I absolutely loved my high school experience. Life's all what you make of it and I try to have fun and work hard. My teachers helped me so much, in so many ways that I can't even explain here. I think I owe all of them a heartfelt email at the least. It's on my "to-do" list. It keeps growing. I am never bored here. There's a quote, "Boredom is an insult to oneself." I love this.
           I almost forgot...TODAY IS SIX WEEKS IN SPAIN! It's gone so fast! Especially these last few weeks. I look forward to just the weekend now...not June. Haha. I make plans every weekend and have a blast with my exchangers. They're all so great. But anyways, I am really proud of myself. I don't mean to come across as cocky. I just cannot believe that I am doing this. I used to cry like a baby every time my parents went on vacation for a week without Bran and I or sometimes even just staying the night at a friend's house. I still cry, but I am no baby. I actually just  really cried for the first time today in over a week. That's great for me. I'm just emotional now. But I don't mind it. I feel better after I cry. No need to hold everything in.
           I got my Literature test back today. I got four out the seven that I answered correct. SCORE. I was actually pretty pleased with that. I honestly could not tell you what that book is about. I know it had ten short stories so that make it all the more confusing. Oh well. Better than 50%!!!! I'm good with that. For now at least.
           Today I had two extra hours of school so Natalie came to the apartment with me during our lunch break and ate. We ate something that tasted like pie crust with ham and cheese and possible egg....could it be some kind of quiesh? (I have no idea how to spell that one) We both enjoyed it. We had clementines and candy bars for dessert. The extra two hours at school were nothing special. I walked home after school and unloaded the dishwasher as I listened to Simon & Garfunkel. My jam :) Glee is playing on my iTunes right now. I always have music playing. And speaking of Glee: It's not on this week but next week is The Rocky Horror Picture Show Episode!!!! So I'll be watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show tomorrow to prepare myself. I just listened to all of the music today and it is going to be so amazing. Glee has really picked up it's game this year. Is it so much better, or is it just me? I've always loved it but the plot needed some work and I think it's fantastic now. I'm a Gleek! :D

       This is what I do with some of my time at school. Hahaha, no, I've been working on it for a long time now. Enjoy if you can actually read it. I'm going to paint my nails and watch Aquellos Maravillosas 70s and work on my listening. Can you believe that I have to force myself to watch TV? That people tell me I need to watch TV? Crazy! Happy Tuesday everyone. Enjoy your evening. Besos. Os quiero.

My ABC's

        One thing that I have furthered my knowledge for here is the alphabet. Yes, I've known it since I was four or five, but now I really know it. I use my Spanish/English dictionary all the time. And you know it occurred to me today, is the alphabet named "alphabet" because of "alpha, beta"? I was just curious. It makes sense to me. Anyways, I used my dictionary many times as I dove in head first to Hamlet. I look up every word I don't know because I really want to get a good grade on this test. I want to understand what is going on in class. It helps so much that I read it last year though.
        This morning I went to school after eating my bowl of Nougat Pillows. I found out today that Natalie and I no longer get to go to the library for "French." I'm pretty sure the evil cat lady librarian had something to do with it. I mean we weren't necessarily angels in there but we were not bad at all. Just rude. Anyways, we know have to go to class with the grade below us during that time. Today it was economics. When we got there we found Tabea (Tabs, the German exchange student) there. We were so excited. We love Tabs. She is so funny. She rolls her own cigarettes and wears a bowler hat. I love her.
        I finished the day with another period of economic filled fun. I took a test. It was 10 multiple choice. The teacher (it's weird calling him a teacher because he looks 16) read the correct answers and if I'm not mistaken I got the majority of them right. Score. I haven't been able to understand much of what he says. He is a mumbler. I was proud of myself! I can't wait to get my literature test back tomorrow. And start HAMLET! Gahh.
        After school I ate lunch. It was much to be desired. Some beans and cabbage. I skipped out on the cabbage and had  yogurt instead. I ate something that reminded me of a milky way for dessert. After lunch I wasted my life away on facebook and did my exercises. After that I met up with Athena, Tabs, and Nat and we did some shopping. I had my eye on a pair of shoes from Saturday night. The plan was to buy them today but they didn't have my size. Figures. Once I got home I got to talk to Katie and Abbie!!!!! It was so nice! I miss them. I had dinner afterwards: salad: tomatoes, tuna, onions, little pickles, and dressing. Also bread.  I did the dishes, showered, and watched tv with Maite.
         It is soooo time for bed. I'm exhausted. Buenas noches!

"I like you. You're different."

       Yesterday as I was on the bus with Natalie and Mitchell playing some of y favorite music for them and talking all about musical theatre Mitchell turns to me and says, "I like you. You're different." This made my day. I love being different. It makes me interesting, right?
        This morning I woke up around 9 and got myself ready for church. I misjudged walking time so I had to run there. That's right. In  a dress. It's a good thing that there's not many people out on Sunday mornings. I made it to church right on time. It is such a gorgeous church. As soon as I walked in a found a pew and started praying. I don't know what it was, but I could not stop crying. Maybe it was because I was so emotional because it had been the longest I've ever gone without going to church. There weren't too many people there but there are four masses in a day and I went to the earliest one. There were mostly older people there. I really enjoyed church this morning. I cried a little after communion. Tears were falling on the pew in front of me as I was kneeling. Again, I do not know the reason for these tears, but they were flowing. I'm not homesick. I don't feel any desire to be at home right now, I was just emotional I suppose. Mass only lasted about forty minutes because they don't sing extra songs and the sermon was pretty short. I put my headphones on, presses play, and started on my walk back to the apartment.
         I came home and did some facebooking and emails. Merche left for a little bit and she had me keep an eye on lunch (all I had to do was turn the stove off when the timer rang). After I turned the stove off I took a heavenly nap. It was so nice. I slept for almost two hours! Merche woke me up for lunch and asked if I felt sick. I told her I was just so tired and her response was that Sundays are for sleeping. I'm so happy we agree. I think I had chicken balls rather than meatballs for lunch today with some kind of gravy over top. I liked them. Lunch is always bigger on Sundays. We usually get together with family for lunch on Sunday, but not this week.
           After lunch I skyped until I could no longer talk. It was crazy. I got to speak with Korey, my Mom, my Dad, Brandi, Emily, Aunt Barbie, Uncle Dana, Taylor, Morgan, Aunt Bev, Russel, Nick, Uncle Jake, and Livy. That's a lot of people, okay? It wore me out! I don't know if I can handle skype sessions like this every Sunday. I really enjoyed each one though. I do need to start spreading them out more. Livy told me tonight that I came to Spain to live here and learn the language. She told me that my relationships with people at home won't change if we skype less. She is always right. Always. Except for the time she told me that my phone had no chance after sitting for three hours in the rain. After a night in a bowl of rice it was fine! Oh Samsung (this is how I refer to my phone), how I miss you.
           After talking to Livy I ate dinner. Salad! We had cheese tonight too. It's really good. There is a special container for the cheese and it lasts a really long time. I need to get my mom one of these because our cheese always gets nasty after like a week. Then she tells me to just cut off the moldy parts but I learned in biology that it can be in other parts of the cheese but you may not be able to see it. Or maybe that's just with bread...whatever. The only moldy cheese I want to eat is Cottage Cheese. I'm not sure if they have that here. I miss it a little.

       Oh and I forgot to mention that today I chatted on facebook with Alejandro (the exchange student from Venezuela staying in Alliance, going to MHS). It was so great! I met him a few days before I left so that was nice. I asked him about the teachers and the football games and what he liked and didn't. I apparently aid "I love that" a lot because he toldme, "you love everything. Even if it's not alive!" I told him he already knew me so well. I do love just about everything. I can't help it. I'm easily pleased and entertained. Good attribute for an exchange student? Perhaps.

            It's time for me to watch That 70s Show and go to sleep. I don't want to have to run to school again. Not fun. Enjoy your Sunday evening everyone and have a good start to the week tomorrow. We start Hamlet in Literature. I am so excited! Buenas noches!

DE NADA MUJER.

       Ever since last night, each time I say "gracias" to Merche she responds with, "de nada mujer." In English this translates to "you're welcome woman." This makes me laugh. It's just funny, right?
      Last night I went to Doner Kebab with the Pamplonians and then to the park to hang out. Natalie and I headed back pretty early and watched a few episodes of That 70s Show and then went to sleep. We slept in until 11 this morning! It was great. For breakfast we had Nougat Pillows. Surprise! We watched some more of That 70s Show until it Merche came home and it was time for lunch. Lunch today was "Mexican." We had tortilla chips with BBQ Sauce and Sour Cream. Mom, I miss your homemade salsa. After the chips we had some kind of chicken and dipped it in the BBQ sauce. Does this sound Mexican to you? ....it shouldn't. Missing you, Jalisco's.
       After our interesting lunch, Natalie and I got ready to meet Mitchell at the La Morea mall. Our bus was super late so we decided to take another bus and walk the rest of the way to the mall so Mitchell didn't have to wait on us as long. Once we got off the bus, we asked two girls (early twenties I'm guessing) which way the mall was, just to be sure. They pointed us in the right direction and we continued walking. After about a minute a car stops next to us. It's the two girls that just gave us directions. They asked if we wanted a ride to the mall as they were going there too. We said sure and got in. They were so nice! Natalie and I agreed that we would not have done this if it were two guys. We're not going to be like those girls from Taken I promise. Please don't worry about us. Pamplona is such a safe city. Once we got to the mall we met Mitchell in the food court and started shopping! I bought a plaid shirt (I've wanted one for about a year now, maybe longer) and a belt. My package still isn't here with my belt so I had to buy one. Oh well, it's cute and it was only 8 Euros.

     Natalie, Mitchell, and I took the bus back into Pamplona around 7:30. Mitchell had to go home, but Natalie and I walked around before Natalie had to meet her host family. We went to Taberna and bought muffins and then fell in love with these really great shoes in one of the million shoe stores in this town. They are 30 Euros and I'm going to buy them. Pronto. I'm in love with these shoes! Natalie likes them in grey and I like them in brown. Perfect. After Natalie met her host family I walked home. I found out the times for church tomorrow. 10-11-12. Also perfect. I'm excited to go. It's been about 5 weeks. That's the longest I think I have ever gone. I'm going to start going every week now that I know the time and the place. It's just that Saturday night is the night to go out....that's why pretty much no one goes to church regularly here. Everyone will say they are Catholic but only about 3% actually go to church. It's funny.

         I got home and no one was here. I skyped with my family for about 20 minutes. They finally fixed the internet connection and it is fabulous now. So much better. My dad was so excited. My dad was also going to Poncho's today and I was so jealous. I miss Poncho's! Especially compared to my "Mexican" lunch today. When my host family came home Merche made me a ham and cheese sandwich. She wasn't hungry so she didn't make a salad tonight. The ham and cheese was really good though. So American.
          I am exhausted. I have another great day ahead of me. Church, the market with Merche, and then skyping with everyone imaginable. Dios mio! My Spanish is improving everyone. I'm starting to feel it! Finally, right?! Have a good night everyone. It's already 1:34 am for me. Oh my. Go Buckeyes! Besos y abrazos para todas.

Say Whaaat?!

Lovely List For Friday:

1. For break, all of our sandwiches are in aluminum foil. All of them. Everyone in the school. That's a lot of foil.
2. I had something on my sandwich a couple of weeks ago that was mysterious looking. I titled it "beef salad." I haven't had it since. Thank the Lord.
3. I got a 10 on my English essay that I wrote about Korey. (10 is the highest you can get) Yay. At least I can write in my native language.
4. The teachers here lecture. We have to take our own notes. I can't do this yet because I don't understand enough. College will be  a breeze compared to this. Lectures in English! Haha....but I'll actually have to do work then...so it won't be that easy.
5. The school bell is obnoxiously long. I miss Marlington's nice little three charm ring thing that it has going on.
6. I'm freezing in school. They have a thing with opening windows. (Some people don't wear deodorant)
7. The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame is in my history of art book. This made me so happy! Yeah Cleveland.
8. This is how my ride home from the airport in July is going to go: Dad will start the drive home and I will be hugging Mom and Brandi the entire time. Brandi will stay, "Stop it sissy. Why are you so weird?" Then we when make it to the Canton/Akron area I want to drive home!! If my Dad lets me that is...THEN I want to drive straight to Little Caesar's Pizza and buy a $5 pizza and stuff my face. Dad can drive from there. Then I'll give Chancie a piece when I get home :)

        This morning I got yelled at. I don't even know what I did. The girls in my class told me that the lady is just mean. Whatever. She's crrraaazy. I'm sure she has her fair share of cats as well. I gave Sara her birthday present today and she loved it! I was so happy that she liked it. I love making things for people. During break Natalie and I walked to the bank and I got some money out. I also figured out my pin number for my debit card here. I tried using it the other day at the mall and completely forgot about pin numbers. Good thing I had cash.
         I had literature last today. I had to take a test. The girls tried telling the teacher not to give it to me but she did anyways. She let me use my book and she didn't make me so the essay. I did all five multiple choice and two of the five short answer. I think I got them all right actually. I had to really do some searching though. I feel good now, but I am going to get it back and they're all going to be wrong. Just watch. I felt like I was taking one of Sholtis' Shakespeare tests in another language. It was really difficult. I did get my book for Hamlet today though. I read Hamlet last year in Shakespeare class and loved it. I'm so excited. Something I know!! It's in Spanish though...this is so weird to me because in a literature class you analyze the parts of literary piece. In Shakespeare the stanzas, iambic pentameter, couplets, and equivocation mean so much to the piece. These elements cannot be translated. Oh well, at least I'll know what is going on!
           Tonight I am going to Doner Kebab with the Pamplonians and then Natalie is staying the night. Tomorrow I am going to the mall with Mitchell. Both should be fun. I'm in for another great weekend! Good luck to the Dukes and the Buckeyes this weekend!! I hope everyone has a great time! Happy 55th Wedding Anniversary to my Grandma and Grandpa Biddle! I called them today and talked for half an hour. It was great! I love them so much and I really miss playing cards with them and playing Chinese Checkers with my Grandma. I love emails everyone...send me one! OS QUIERO.

I Love Thursdays.

        I don't know about you, but Thursdays are my favorite day. At least they are in Spain. My class schedule is the best. English, "French," Literature, Art, Latin, Economics. Lovely! I got a 10 on my first English essay. 10 is the highest by the way. I miss a few vocab on the test but so did Natalie so I figured it was okay. Our teacher said it was a hard test. Haha. After English Natalie and I went to the library for "French." She slept and I got on the computer. Guess what! The librarian scolded both of us today. She walked in about half way through the period and woke Natalie up and told me to get off the computer. I'm sorry but that is just rude and excuse my French (hahahaha that's so funny) but she is a bitch. Whatever lady. I'll just work on my friendship bracelets! Maybe you should consider doing the same thing so you can make some friends! That was harsh. I'm sure she has a cat. Oh I'm awful.
        I had an amazing bocadillo at almuerzo today: baguette and ham. It's been my favorite so far. My second half of the day went pretty fast and after waiting with Natalie for her host mom I walked home and ate some lunch. we had soup today. It reminded me of wedding soup. I really enjoyed it. A little bit later Athena came over and we watched RENT: The Final Performance Filmed Live on Broadway! It was her first time seeing the stage production and she really loved it. I loved it. It's such an amazing show. It has changed my life so much. After a few hours, Athena headed home and I went to theatre practice.
       Theatre practice is great, but in order to fully use my acting abilities I need to be able to speak. It would really come in handy. Soon enough. It is one of the girl's in my class (Sara) birthday on Sunday so she brought in sweets tonight and I had some amazing chocolate-pastry yumminess dessert. I also had some octopus gummies. They're great! I walked home after theatre and ate dinner. Salad. Look out! Since then I've been working on a button bracelet and a mixed CD to give Sara for her birthday. I hope she likes them!
        I've had a great day. I hope tomorrow is just as great. I'm exhausted. Ahhh. Back to normal :)

Remember That Time?!

      Remember that time when we were all little and played "school" and one person was always the teacher and the others were the students? Remember how the "teacher" would put on fake glasses and wear them right on the tip of their nose...the point right before they were about to fall off? To the point where it hurt your eyes to look through but you did it anyway...just because it gave you some power? Something that the "students" didn't have? Well, meet my Literature teacher. I don't know how she does it. Right now we are reading The Decameron...whatever that's about and then we are moving on to HAMLET! Something I know! I know Hamlet inside out. Thank you Mr. Sholtis. I'm so excited to actually know what is going on. I can't wait.
      I have two embarrassing stories that I really don't want to share with you but will regardless because let's be honest...I don't really care. But don't judge me. Last night after dinner I went to put my plate in the dishwasher and I accidentally broke it. I felt really bad. Merche and Maite told me it was nothing..but still. I felt so bad. Moving on...I stayed up until 1 AM last night. My reasoning was that since I slept in so late that morning that my sleep would all catch up or something. I was wrong. I ignored my alarm. Maite came into my room at 8:21 and asked if I was okay. I jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes, grabbed my backpack and sandwich, and then I was out of the door...SPRINTING. I ran all the way to school and you will never believe this but I was on time. Hermes was on my side this morning. Let's be real...I'm a terrible runner. But something kicked in and I made it. It was crazy. I think I was out of breath all first period. I also think my shoe fell off at one point...I'm so happy that I was awake enough to go back for it. Oh good Lord. Speaking of the Big Guy...I need to find church times and start going on my own. I really do miss going and it will help me with my Spanish and I don't mind going alone at all. Not anymore.
          Today I went to school and then came home and had some lunch. I don't know what I was eating but I liked it. After lunch I watched Glee. It's so great. Rachel and Finn sang "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton and Kiki Dee. AMAZING! Oh how I love Glee and Elton John. Mix them together and you have perfection in entertainment. After Glee, I met up with Mitchell and Athena. Mitchell got his hair cut and I convinced him to get a mohawk. It's a short one and it looks fabulous, let me tell you! It's so great. I'll out a picture up :) I came home around 7:30 and talked with Lizzie and Tess. It was so nice. I love them both so much. When was finished skyping I helped Merche make the salad and I set the table. We had dinner. Salad: Iceberg lettuce, mini pickles, olives, carrots, tomatoes, onions, dressing, and salt. And of course we had water to drink and some fresh bread. Yummy. I showered...I used the 2 in 1 that I bought for the first time in my life. 2 in1? Gahh. But I think it actually worked pretty well. My hair feels better...haha. My shower was somewhat enjoyable tonight. It's usually pretty cold but tonight it was luke warm/warm warm. Nice :)

           I can't describe how much better I am feeling now. Lately I've started missing home so much less and I'm starting to really get busy and find my life. Thank goodness. It didn't take too long, do you think? Tomorrow I have school and then Athena is coming over to watch RENT: The final broadway performance live. Gahh I am so excited. I had to bring it with me. Then I have theatre at 7:30. That should be fun as well! A week has gone by so fast. But I have not cried the past two days at all and Monday it was only because I was writing an email to my mom telling her how much I love her. So I'm doing great! I feel amazing! Now it's time for me to brush my teeth and watch an episode of That 70s Show. Enjoy your evening everyone! Os quiero.

I Dreamed A Dream...

      Of Nougat Pillows. Oh yes. The other night I had a dream about cereal and I had it right after skyping with my mom. She inspired my dream. Here it is: I woke up one morning and started to pour myself a bowl of Nougat Pillows. Next thing I know, there are not only Nougat Pillows coming out of the box, but Fruit Loops and Chocolate Pebbles too. My mom has always been the one to combine the potato chips, dorritos, and pretzels in one container to condense. Why? I do not know. It does not taste better this way, Mother. Regardless, I laughed. Thank goodness it was only a dream.

It's time for a list:

1. Eugenia, one of Merche's friends, is so extremely nice to me. I mean everyone is, but she is extra nice. When I was at her house the other night she would just stare and smile at me and make sure that everything is okay. She is sweet.

2. I love my mom so much. When I picture her I see the strongest yet most precious thing in the world and multiply it by ten. I still cry whenever I see her on skype. It actually makes her happy though because she knows that I still need her. I love you, Mommy.

3. People here are surprised when I tell them I am 18. They think I look 16. What the hell? Is this true? I mean everyone always thinks Brandi looks older than me....but 16?! 

4. The Camino de Santiago goes right through Pamplona. It's one of the first cities on the pilgrimage. You see pilgrims with backpacks and boots daily. It's so cool. I would love to walk it someday. It should be a month/month and a half. Any takers?

       So I did pretty much nothing all day. I cleaned my room and my suitcase that I use as a junk drawer....but as far as being productive that's about it. I watched so many episodes of That 70s Show while I worked on some bracelets. I got to skype with Brody today! It was the first time I had actually talked to him "in person" since September 5th! It was so perfect. He asked me questions like, "What is your favorite food so far? What don't you like?" and most importantly, "Alexandria, how is bed?!" Little questions like that...no one has really asked me about the little things and it just made me happy. It was the most perfect Skype date. After our catch up session I ate dinner around 10. I was so hungry tonight. We had a great salad: tomatoes, turkey chunks (it tastes like bologna though), onions, cucumbers, and dressing. It was great! And it had lots of tomato juice for the bread. Perfect. I think this is my favorite salad. Well it's almost midnight here and I have some exercises to do and an episode of Aquellos Maravillosas 70s to fall asleep to. It helps so much. 

          I hope all is well tonight. Brandi has a volleyball game and I know that Korey came home for it for Kate's senior night. Have a great night, Kate!! Happy Tuesday everyone. I have to go to school tomorrow and face Wednesday: my least favorite schedule of classes. Ughh. Oh well. Goodnight everyone! Besos! 

At Least I Look The Part.

     When I first meet someone they usually think I am a Spaniard. Apparently I have a good "hola" and my hair and eyes are so dark. It only takes them a few moments before they realize that I am not a Spaniard because I talk like a three year old. Haha. Comprehension is coming, but speaking is still extremely difficult. I'll just keep practicing! Watching That 70s Show in Spanish helps me so much since I pretty much know punch line.
      Yesterday was Columbus Day so we didn't have school (we also don't have school today!). I slept in until 10 or so and then had my Nougat Pillows. After breakfast I started a new bracelet and watched some That 70s Show and occupied myself until it was time to go to Yayos house. They call their grandparents in this family "Yayo" and "Yaya." Lunch was nice. We had some really amazing chicken. It was baked and had some kind of cheese sauce in it. So yummy. I think Yayo is getting pretty old. I have been there at least 3 or 4 times so far and they still have to introduce me every time and yesterday just after they told him I was from the U.S. he said, "Oh, France?" Maybe he has Alzheimer's. That so sad if he does :(
        We stayed at the grandparent's for a few hours and then headed back home. I met up with another exchange student from Canada, Mariel, and we went to the mall. It was great. I bought some great leggings. They're almost pants. Everyone has them here so I needed a pair! I got them from Zara, an extremely popular store in Europe. I also bought some Hello Kitty socks from H&M. I just could not resist. They are spongy and so cute. They're eco-friendly too! How could I pass them up? (maybe because they were 3 E a pair? haha). I also bought this scarf thing from H&M. It's all connected to make a circle and you just double it. It's so perfect. It's a big scarf- for outside. I love it! Our last stop in the mall was the Supermarket (yes there is one in the mall) and I bought some Shampoo (2 in 1...I'm cheap) and Mariel bought some butter and ice-cream because she was making apple crisp last night. It was Thanksgiving in Canada yesterday. I just learned that. Haha.
         After shopping I got on the bus and headed home. Have I mentioned how much I love public transportation? It's great. When I got home, I did some catching up with friends on facebook and talked to Brandi for a little bit. That was nice. Maite and Inigo were here skyping with Raquel. They were laughing a lot so I think they had a pretty good time talking to her! The three of us ate dinner around 11:15. So late. I was starving last night. We had salad. This time with lettuce, tuna, oranges, onions, and dressing. It was pretty good.
          I slept in today until 11! It was so nice. I really needed to catch up on sleep. Today is going to be a relaxing day. I have some cleaning to do in my room and some birthday presents to work on. I hope everyone enjoys their day at school and work! I'll be at home :) Spain just needed this extra day. Why not make it a four day weekend? I hope you all enjoyed your weekend! Besos y abrazos! I love you.

Comida, Comida, Comida!

       Tonight I went to dinner at a friend of Merche's with she and Maite. Her apartment is in Barinain, a a really nice suburb of Pamplona. There were five families there. All of the kids were Maite's age or about sixteen. I had so much fun at dinner. I was just so in love with the atmosphere. I felt happy and warm and welcomed. And to be honest, I was the center of attention. I'm sorry, but I really enjoyed it. They all asked me so many questions and they made me speak so much Spanish tonight! It was just so great. Besides the conversation, the food was fantastic. We started out with the Spanish omelette and some bread. There was also this great chorizo (some kind of meat) for an appetizer. We then had some potato salad with an interesting twist: tuna. I liked it, my it was definitely not my favorite thing. As exchange students we are expected to try everything that is offered. After the tuna potato salad we moved on to...wait for it..wait for it...PIZZA. Oh my gosh. It was such great pizza. It was the first pizza I had eaten in at least a month. It had ham on it and it was so nice an crispy. Mmm. Next we had something that I don't know the name of but will attempt to describe...it is rice formed into little hockey-puck shapes with a tomato sauce with peppers over top. It's pretty good. After the yummy hockey-pucks we had stuffed peppers! The stuffed peppers were so amazing! Then we had more pizza. After the last round of pizza we moved onto dessert. We drank this very sweet milk. It was delicious. We then had the amazing pastries with melted chocolate sprinkles from Tabenera and some kind of apple dessert. The apple dessert reminded me too much of flan, so I wasn't too into that. I ate it with a smile anyways. It's been about four hours since I ate dinner and I am still stuffed. This was the most I have eaten since I've been in Spain. They kept stuffing my face. They wouldn't let me say no! And the food was great so I really didn't want to...but my stomach is pretty upset with my decision. Haha. Oh and if you are a guest for a dinner such as tonight's, then you must bring a gift i.e. wine, dessert etc. After dinner all of us "kids" took a long walk around Barinain. It was a lot of fun. I had the chance to really talk to Maite and that was so nice. I want to become closer to her...it's just taking me some time. While I can remember, I wanted to mention that there are wedding dresses in so many windows here. They are all so gorgeous. Oh my goodness. Every girl deserves a dress as beautiful as these. Seriously, they are amazing. Anyways, we arrived home around midnight and I've been catching up on my computer since. It's about 2:10 am here and I am exhausted now. Tomorrow I am going to sleep in and then I think I am going to do some shopping on my own. I feel like I deserve a day to myself to buy some things. I'm ready for some new shirts. I didn't bring enough. I hate repeating outfits at school....haha...but really. I can buy some things...I've only bought one shirt for myself in the five weeks I've been here, so it's time. I hope that everyone has a great Columbus Day! (In Spain we get Tuesday off as well!) I'm so tired so good night everyone. I love you! Besos!!

Una Fiesta Grande

     I've never been to an actual party in the U.S. but I have heard a lot about them, and based on this I can say that parties in Europe are very different. A group of us met in  El Plazo del Castillo and headed for Villaba. We planned on taking a bus there but they were so packed that we decided to just walk. We had to  walk for an hour to get there. The walk went quickly and Pamplona is gorgeous at night, so I enjoyed it. I got so much exercise yesterday. Geez. Walking there I had no idea what to expect. I mean I thought we were going to a club to go dancing...but it was just a little different than that. We finally arrived in Villaba  and there were people everywhere. It looked like a fair or a festival. There were a few rides and a big tent set up with a stage and there were a few bands playing. The music was alright. They played some Bon Jovi. Woo! There were some kids there that had to be only 13 or 14 and it's just crazy to me. They are just partying in the streets. There is no entrance fee or anything like that. So we just met people and danced and had a great time. Natalie and I saw a lot of people from our school there which was nice. At 3:30 Nat and I started to get really tired and we asked the girl that we were supposed to stay with if she would call her dad so he could pick us up. She said he couldn't come until 6 am. WHAT? We couldn't do it. So we told her we were just taking the bus back into Pamplona and were going to stay at my house. She was fine with it. So we walk to the bus stop and I'm holding on to Natalie's arm because there are so many people pushing shoving. We had to get on this bus. We were not walking an hour back in the rain. No way. It was the worst pushing and shoving I had ever experienced. I can't even explain how crazy it was. And we had to yank at our purses after we made any steps. It was just insane. After we arrived back in Pamplona we had about a 20-30 minute walk back to the apartment....in the rain. Luckily Nat had an umbrella. Once we got here we had to be extra quiet not to wake anyone up. We went right to bed. This morning we woke up and explained to Merche that we are not cut out for these all nighters and had to come here. She was happy that we did instead of staying out all morning. We ate our Nougat Pillows for breakfast and then Nat took the 11 o'clock bus to Zuasti (her village). After Natalie left, Merche took me to the market place and that was pretty cool. It reminded me a lot of Roger's Flee Market. Very similar. So I liked it. We came home and I watched some TV with Maite and now here I am. I hope we eat lunch soon because I am starving. It's already 2:30. Gahh. Need food. Later today I am skyping with my family! I can't wait. Then we are having dinner tonight at a friend of Merche's. That should be fun. I still don't know what I am going to do on Monday and Tuesday. I need to figure something out though. I cannot just sit at home. Or maybe I can. We'll see. Have a relaxing Sunday everyone :)

Interesting Combination.

I've had a busy past two days and now I only have about 10 or 20 minutes to write this blog. Tonight I am going out dancing and staying at a friend's house with Natalie. Her name is Andrea. She is a "rebound." She went to Canada last year for exchange and it so sweet. There are about eight of us meeting for dinner and then going dancing. I think it will be so much. I can sing and dance and laugh! So recap of my past two days...

1. School was so long yesterday. Natalie told me that her dog, Tess, is sick. So keep her in your prayers. She's as close to Tess as I am with Chance.
2. At break yesterday Natalie's host mom packed her a candy bar sandwich. No joke! How freaking awesome. It was a baggette with nestle chocolate in between. She ate them separately, but still.
3. Natalie and I shared a baggette for a snack yesterday. It was only .80 E!! So cheap. And we ate the whole thing. Sooo good. We said it was okay because it was wheat...so those are good carbs, right?
4. We went to the park with the other exchangers and spoke in Spanish most of the time! We were picked up at 9:30 by Nat's parents. We had dinner and watched some of the futbol game and then watched some of That 70s Show before going to bed.
5. This morning Natalie and I had breakfast and then got ready for a bike ride. This is the first cardio I have done since I have been here. Oh my gosh. It whipped me into shape. So many hills!!! My legs and butt were feeling the burn. I'm not a very fast bike rider...but did any of you really expect that?
6. After the hour long bike ride we watched Peter Pan! I love this movie so much. It made me think of Grandpa Biddle and Brandi the whole time. We watched it almost every time we went over there when we were little. It's so great. Then we watched some more That 70s Show and I made a bracelet.
7. We had lunch...croquettes and chicken and french fries! Yumm. They all wanted me to eat more haha. I tried explaining that I just don't eat as much here. I love the food, but I get full so quickly.
8. I taught Nat how to make bracelets and she is great! She learned so quickly. Thank goodness.
9. I talked to Taylor and Morgan on Skype today. It was great!!! I miss them and love them so much. Rotary sent all of us exchangers an email saying that we should only skype once a week...I have some work to do if I want to get there. But my host family is not home a lot of the time so I skype then...I don't really think it's a problem....I just love so many people!!!! You all are great. I love emails...so send me one please :)

Okay everyone, I've gotta go! I'm going to have a great night!!! Go Buckeyes!!!

Amayzing Gertrude

      Just in case you are wondering I do know how to spell "amazing" but the Seussical the Musical version has a "y" just for fun. Before I get the musical bit, let me recap on my day...
      I've had best day in Spain so far. Nothing big or spectacular happened, but it is the little things for me that make all the difference in the world. I woke up this morning to an email from Aunt Patty. I was so happy to read it. I love hearing from home. I want to know how everyone is and what they are doing. I'm sure this will pass, but for now, share your lives with me por favor. Instead of saying por favor sometimes they just say porfa. I like it. They also say ha ver all the time. "Let's see." I first I thought they were saying haber and I was so confused because that just means to have. Anyways, after my email I got ready and headed to the police station. I had to take the bus there and it was my first time using the bus system on my own. It was great: I had no troubles whatsoever. I love public transportation. I also love "The Biddle Bus" though. I miss you, buddy. Haha. I arrived early to the station and met a college student from El Salvador while waiting. Her name is Diana and she is so nice. We talked for a long time and she asked for my email so we could hang out sometime! I'm so excited. I really like her. I think we could be really great friends. Once I got into the police station they changed my identity number to nine digits instead of ten so I could pay at the bank. They told me to go to the bank right then and then return after. I asked for directions to the bank and their directions were crap. So I headed in the general direction and asked for help from many people. Not too many knew exactly where Caja Laboral was, but I was persistent and It's a good thing too because I finally stumbled upon a really nice middle aged couple and they pointed me in the right direction. I was walking parallel to them for awhile and then they saw me take a wrong turn. They got my attention and told me to walk with them. They talked to me the whole time until we were there. They were so nice to me! I love people like that. I don't think I'll ever forget them. Friendliness goes a long way, I'm telling you. So I went into the bank ready to pay and the lady told me that I couldn't because I was not a resident of Pamplona. I told her I was and insisted that I pay, respectfully of course. She worked her magic and let me pay my student card fee. Thank goodness. After I had the receipt I walked back to the police station and waited in line to give them my photos (which were the best passport photos I have ever taken in my life...they let me smile) and the receipt. After they had both of these things they fingerprinted me and I signed some papers. Now the only thing I have to do is come back in one month (no appointment necessary) and pick up my student card. Finalmente! I am finally free of paperwork and appointments and blue ink. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I was proud of myself, so I went to the nearest little bakery/snack store and bought me some Nestle chocolate and then caught the next bus to the other end of town.
        At school I came into third period....Literatura. There are only eight of us in the class and they were split into two groups. I was told to go in the group of Sara, Vicky, and Maria. We were supposed to be analyzing El Decameron but we had better things to do like talk about ourselves. It was so much fun! We now know each others birthdays and facebook accounts and other random information. Haha. They even invited me to a theatre group practice that took place tonight!! Could I ask for more? At the end of the class the teacher came up to us and sot of scolded us for socializing the entire time. Understandable. It was worth it. I laughed so much. After literature I had Latin. They had a test so I knocked out another chapter of Harry Potter. Then it was time for Economics. We went to the computer lab for a group contest about the stock market. I'm in a group with Maria. Neither of us care for Economics so we talked the entire time. We talked about all of the places we've been and want to go and what we want to be when we "grow up." Needless to say, I left school in a great mood. Natalie and I sat in our usual place, the bench, after school to wait for her host mom. After Nat left I walked home while listening to my iPod. I just could not stop smiling. I'm sure people think I'm crazy.
       After school I came home and ate lunch and then made my dad skype with me so I could tell him all about my amazing day. He was happy. He was in the middle of watching "The Rockford Files" (nerd...I know where I get it) on Netflix and taking things down in the living room because they are remodeling it!! My mom and dad purchased new carpet and furniture! I'm so excited. I made my mom buy this picture called "Living Life" for the living room. I had intended to buy it for her before I left, but they were out of stock. So I told her to just take the money out of my account haha. After skyping I watched a few episode of That 70s Show and then headed for theatre practice. Theatre practice was great! I went out of my comfort zone my first time! Thanks to Seussical I can act. Thank you Amayzing Gertrude. I had such a great time! All we did was play acting games and talk. I'll have even more fun once I can understand everything and speak better. At the end of practice we had desserts for one of the girls birthday. Yum. At the end of practice they all asked me if I liked it and then told me that I did a great job for it being my first night. I was so happy. I said goodbye to them and then turned my iPod on and headed for mi casa. We ate dinner around 10:20 tonight. So late. We had salad.

Random list for the day:

1.There are a lot of mullets here. No one in school, but all around town. Some have rat tails and then some of the rat tails are dreaded. It just confuses me.
2. They wear tons of bracelets here. My wrist fits right in!
3. My feet are sore from walking so much this week. I love walking though.
4. Some people need to invest in a stick of deodorant. Just saying it wouldn't hurt.
5. Have I mentioned soemthing called Spanish Time?! I'm early for everything here. I wait a lot.
6. I graduated a little over four months ago. Crazy, right?
7. Arm pit hair. Ohh yeah. I saw this girl on the bus the other day. She was wearing a tank top. Then she lifter her arm. At least one inch long. I accept it, but I am not embracing that particular aspect of the culture.
8. I'll put some pictures up from McDonald's.
9. I'm so exhausted. I feel back to normal :)

     I don't think I can blog tomorrow night. Possibly in the afternoon. We're going out with the Pamplonians and then I think I am staying the night at Natalie's house. Fun fun! Good night everyone. Kisses and hugs for all. Good luck Dukes tomorrow night!! Beat Alliance!! :D

I Am So Much Better Than Before

What a day. I am so exhausted! I think it will be much easier if I just make a list of my day. I'm too tired to write stories (I'm sure it will end up just as long as the others...just wait).

1. My history teacher passed out tests today and then she laughed when she saw I had one and took it away from me :) Kind lady.
2. I went to the police station today for my visa extension. Merche and I had to wait an hour and twenty minutes...and we had an appointment. We are so on Spanish time. I was really worried about my meeting for some reason but it was actually easy. They just told me that I had to get three passport style pictures taken (which I did tonight...they gave me eight. I clearly said tres) and I had to pay the 10.20 E. Or I at least tried to pay the fee. The lady at the bank told me the number had too many digits so I need to ask about that when I return the police station tomorrow morning...alone. Gah. My first time taking the bus alone! It's easy. No problems. I just don't feel like missing more school. Really.
3. I skyped with my mom and dad today after school. It was so nice. I cried a lot, but that happens. I'm just so emotional here! I never was at home. It's so bizarre for me. So I cry. There could be worse things. I could have pink eye or something. Ew.
4. I met Natalie after skyping and we went to McDonald's! Delish. I got a Happy Meal as always. It included a Hello Kitty toy, a cheeseburger, french fries, bottled water, and ice cream. All for the small price of 3.65! Everything was great. I can't believe I missed McDonald's. I never even eat there. It just felt a little comforting. That was nice.
5. Natalie and I walked to Parque Yamaguchi and ran into one of the other exchange students while he was on a run. It was nice to seem him. We walked around and stumbled across a KFC. Biscuits anyone?
6. We met some other exchangers in el Plazo del Castillo and went to the candy shop. I bought a little birthday present for someone special there. Then we talked and headed home.
7. Maite's boyfriend came over tonight and let me download the entire 190 episodes of That 70s Show in Spanish from his external hard drive. I'm watching the first one tonight. It's a good thing I practically have the entire series memorized. That should help.
8. We had a really late dinner and I didn't eat much because of McDonald's. Then I showered and now I am here. So read to watch my show and fall asleep.

Today was great. It flew by and I am up late with things I have to get done and it feels like my old self is coming back to life! It's great! I feel so much better :) I saved Glee for tomorrow so I have something to look forward to and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to take a nap. I stayed up late last night too because I couldn't stop watching RENT the live on broadway final performance....so amazing. I only cried during "Without You." But I did skip "Goodbye Love" because that could have gotten ugly. I feel happier but sleepier. I'll settle :) Buenas noches mis amores!

A Fan of Fractions.

     I've always loved fractions. Always. Decimals aren't that much fun and you can visualize fractions so much easier. So my year is measured mathematically in 10 sections. 10 months. Guess what everyone. I've made it 1/10 of the way. I have officially left one month ago and I feel proud of myself. I think that this has been the hardest month of my entire life. Really. I mean I'm having a good time- don't get me wrong- it's just difficult when you are thrown into a new language and a new way of life with people you don't know. It's pretty crazy- but I did it. I hope that this month was the hardest. I hope that the time continues to fly by and I start to make more friends at school. I talked with the girls at school much more today. I asked one of the girls how she was and she told me that she was tired and I agreed with her. I told her that school here is hard and it's not fun. I told her that school in the states is fun. It's a social event a lot of the time with all of the clubs and sports and activities constantly taking place. Here they go to school to learn and nothing else. I'm serious. And everyone has been in the same school since they were little so it's hard to become good friends with some people. But I really love some of the girls in my class. They are so sweet and we'll become much better friends once I know the language: I'm sure. And I know that everything will become easier. It's just going to take some time. It would help if the Rotary were more involved and took us to do some things, but I knew it was going to be like this choosing Spain, so I cannot complain.
      
Today's Random List:

1. The hall lady is crazy. It is her job to stand there and yell at people. Natalie and I were cold yesterday during our break which is outside so we went to go inside and she yelled at us to go back out. So then we stand on the entrance steps to the building and she says we cannot stand there. Seriously? Lighten up crazy hall lady. Eat some Nougat Pillows.
2. The girls here have really long hair. I don't know any girl at school with hair above her shoulders.
3. They don't wear flare jeans either. I swear I am the only one in the building who wears them. I love them.
4. Natalie almost got run over by a giant truck today and afterwards said, "I just figured he would stop."
5. Natalie and I had to present a debate in English today on the pros and cons of personality testing in the work place. The best part was that the class couldn't understand what I was saying. Welcome to my world 24/7! It's a great place filled with squinty looks and long lasting headaches! I repeated everything I said really slowly and they asked questions when they didn't understand. I really enjoyed it actually.
6. I woke up at 8:16 this morning. I'm usually ready to go by 8:15. I was moving so fast my brain could hardly keep up. Needless to say, I was out the door by 8:20 and I dressed up. Oh yes.
7. I started reading Harry Potter in Spanish. I'm on page 20 and I get the gist of things. I think I'll really be able to enjoy it once I'm about half way through. It helps that I know they story like the back of my hand.

     I'm happy. I want everyone to know that. I want everyone at home to just understand that this is difficult and it should be. This is what I want! I'm learning so much and I'm having a great time. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. I have school and then I get to skype with my mom and dad and then Natalie and I are hanging out in the city and the parks and then.....we're watching GLEE! Cannot wait! It's going to be a great day. I just always need something to look forward to. It really helps. Or today, I thought back to Tess' birthday weekend last year and I wrote 5 pages about it in my journal. It was a really great weekend and it made me feel so happy! It's nice to think back to some of the really great memories I have. It's been almost a year since then. Crazy. I know the time will fly by here and I will continue to add to my list of great memories every day. Oh and I didn't even shed a tear today everyone- the "happy" playlist has been successful! Time for dinner. I love you all! Besos y abrazos para todas :)