I Can't Believe A Year Went By So Fast

     A year ago GODSPELL auditions and our first Rotary Overnighter were on my mind. Now my head circulates thoughts of how my New Year's in Spain will be and how the move to my new host family will go. It's funny how different my life is now. A year ago I didn't even know I was coming to Spain. I just knew I was going "somewhere." But here I am. Ready to eat twelve grapes at midnight then meet friends at two am in a costume to celebrate the first hours of 2011. I seriously don't know where the time has gone. Throughout my eights months of 2010 spent in the U.S. I enjoyed every minute of my time left of high school and summer break with my family and friends. The past four months that I've spent in Spain, I have learned and experienced so much and added another family and group of friends to the people I love.
     As for New Year's resolutions, I can't remember if I even had one last year. If I did, it couldn't have been that significant because I am drawing a blank. As for this year's resolution I think learning Spanish and speaking fluently will be at the top of my list. And, as always, living today as my last. Enjoying every minute of my life here and introducing my culture to Spain while learning everything I can about theirs.
     I still can't believe that it's been another year. That 2010 will be over in five hours (for Spain at least). It's been a great year. A year full of so many new experiences and wonderful memories. I look forward to a great year in 2011. Happy New Year's everyone!! Drink some champagne and eat twelve grapes! ¡Prospero año!

I'm Like Santa!

     So you knowhow Santa eats cookies and milk in the middle of the night and likes to give out gifts and such? Well I think I'm him. The past two nights, I've been eating milk and cookies at four in the morning. I think it's mainly because I am hoping the milk will help me fall asleep, but what is milk without cookies? Anyways, I just got done eating my milk and cookies and brushing my teeth. Speaking of brushing, I finally bought a better hair brush. I brought one with me but it really only for when you blow dry your hair and it turns out I needed another brush for when I'm not blow drying my hair. Who woulda thunk it?
    The past two days I've pretty much done the same thing: sleep in, eat, clean my room, meet with the Pamplonians, pack, and watch Friends. Yesterday I did buy a birthday card for my Dad and I finished Brandi's bracelet so they're both in the mail now! Happy Birthday! (January 6th. Mark your calendars.) I also bought some tennis balls yesterday. My neck and back have been bothering me so I bought them and put them in a sock and then if you lay on the floor they help get the knots out. Yay! It actually turned out being really helpful.
    Last night I began the packing madness. I have to be out of here in a week, so I figured I would just get the packing out of the way. Last night packing sort of turned into "let's try on all my clothes" instead of actual packing. I didn't accomplish much. Tonight, however, I think I over accomplished. I packed everything. I put all the stuff that I use in one suitcase and the other things I don't need right now in another suitcase (and a carry on). I've come to the realization that I brought a lot of stuff. I don't remember having all this stuff. Oh well. Dear family: when you visit, please leave some space for my things :)
     Tonight I went to Rob's with the other exchangers and then we walked the streets looking for good costumes for New Year's. Everyone in Pamplona dresses up! It's going to be so much fun! I bought this really cool masquerade mask. I'll wear it and a dress and heels. Oooh, and I bought these really cool long gloves that I'm so excited to wear! New Year's should be fun. After buying my mask and gloves I headed home and ate dinner. Tonight our salad had couscous in it, along with tomatoes, pickles, onions, and sweet corn. It was fabulous! I loved it. After dinner I resumed the packing madness and then let the insomnia begin. I've been going to sleep at 4 am and waking up around noon or one. I think it's just preparation for New Year's. Once 2011 starts, I'll regulate my sleep schedule and get ready for school again. Wah. I like staying up super late. It's nice. Oh well.
     It's time for bed now. I'm kind of tired. Haha. Goodnight. Besos!!

Family, Friends, and Lots of Food.

     So it turns out that I was wrong about staying the night at the Grandparents on Christmas Eve. A relative from Madrid is actually staying here with us over the holidays. My bad. So, Merry Christmas everyone! I honestly haven't been doing a whole lot. On Christmas Eve I slept in and showered and ate my Nougat Pillows. I talked to my Mom for such along time and watched Friends in between. I have a minor addiction. No big deal. Around 9:30 we left for the Grandparents house to eat dinner. We had a lot of seafood and later, candies for dessert. It was fine. I mean it just didn't feel like Christmas to me. I sang Jingle Bells for the whole family. The told me that they would sing with me but the only part they knew was "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way" so I had a few solos. Haha. Some highlights from the night included Grandpa being a wino. He's my fav. And all of the little kids were covered in marker. I didn't quite understand it. Maite joined in on the fun and she let them color her face. Hm. Around 11:50 pm, Merche and I walked to church. We went to La Misa de Gallo. The Rooster Mass (since it was at midnight). It was absolutely incredibly. It was so gorgeous. Candles were lit and we were singing. I was so happy that she took me. After mass, she and I caught a bus and finally got back in the house around 2 am. As soon as I arrived home I signed into skype and called Grandma and Grandpa's house. I knew everyone would be there, and sure enough, they were. I was able to talk to everyone. Here are my favorite parts from the hour phone call:

Uncle Jay: I love you, man.
Aunt Patty: I don't know what's cool. I teach the second grade.
Brandi: Hi sister. I'm making punch!
Grandpa: You know how you sent us that card, skeeter, and you said that you miss me and Grandma? Well we miss you, too.
Daddy: Man this Pork BBQ is good! (me: jealous)
Grandma: You like Pork BBQ?!
Mommy: Are you out of your frump? Call me in the morning. I love you, honey.

So they are pretty much the greatest thing in the world. I love you all so much!

     Christmas day I woke up and ate breakfast. I then continued watching Friends and skyping until it was time to go to the Grandparents again to eat. We only stayed for a few hours and were home by 5. Athena came over later and we ate brownies and talked and watched Friends (hahaha). It was so nice. She left at dinner time. I then ate dinner with my family and gave them their presents from the US! They loved them! I gave them Livy and I's strawberry jam, ornaments, Heggy's candy, homemade soap, and an Alliance Hospital Cookbook. Then Merche left the room and returned with a present for me. She got a beautiful mauve colored shirt. I absolutely love it!! After that, I went to my room and called my family quickly and then went to bed.
      On Sunday, I met Athena and we then walked to church together. It was really nice. As soon as I returned home from church, we left for the Grandparents for more food. Dios mio. We ate lunch and it was great. My host Grandmother is an amazing cook. For dessert we ate turron. Turron is amazing chocolate/fudge stuff that is out of this world. It's special for the holidays here. Gahh. I absolutely love it.  Once we returned home, I watched more Friends and then got ready to meet my friends at a cafe. I was really late in getting to the cafe and I didn't see anyone (and I still don't have a phone), so I walked around town for a little bit in search of them. Haha. I never found them so I just went into the church I go to every week. I sat there for half an hour. It was so nice. I felt so peaceful afterwards. Sometimes it's really nice to go to such a quiet place and just sit. Not even think. To just clear your head. After awhile, I went home, ate dinner, and then went to bed.
     Yesterday I woke up really late. I showered and did some things until it was time for lunch. It was just me and Merche. We had chicken nuggets. Hahaha. I could hardly believe it! They were pretty good too. After lunch I packed my back pack and got ready for Elle's! We were finally having our Christmas party!! I met Athena and then we met Mitch at the bus stop. The three of us were on our way to Gorraiz (Elle's suburb).  We started making food right away. Once everyone was there we ate homemade mashed potatoes, Spanish Omelet, and lasagna. YUM! I helped make everything. I'm really extremely shocked with myself. I think I'm becoming good at cooking....This makes me so happy!!!! I can handle this. Hahaha. We then made buckeyes and churros and ate lots of food. I gave cards to everyone and then I finally gave Natalie her Secret Santa gift. I think she liked it and that made me so happy. Then Natalie gave me owl pajamas for Christmas!! I adore them. They are so cute and comfortable. Thanks Nat!! For the rest of the night we talked while Athena did crazy things to our hair as we watched Friends. Now everyone is addicted. So it's not me. I'm not the problem. The show is just brilliance. We can't help ourselves. I stayed up all night and then caught the bus at 11. It was a nice bus ride home. Elle lives really far away.
     Today I came home and slept. Then I went to lunch as a zombie. We had amazing paella! Merche makes the bets paella. After lunch I crashed once again and didn't wake up until 8:30. I then ate some Nougat Pillows just because I wanted to. I'm not going to have the luxury of having them every day for very much longer, so I took advantage of my opportunity. Oh my gosh. I need to stop eating so much. My stomach is going to explode from all of this yummy Spanish food. I cleaned up my room and put away my clothes and checked things of my list until dinner. Tonight's salad included lettuce, turkey, tomatoes, and onions. I love my salads! After dinner I skyped with Tess. I wanted to thank her for the bracelet, silly bands, and Christmas card that she made/got for me!! She made the most amazing bracelet. I'll post pictures soon. I absolutely love it!
      Now I am so tired. I'm going to watch Friends (that's right, I'm not ashamed of my addiction) until I fall asleep. I'm glad that I get to wake up to a day full of doing whatever I want tomorrow. It's so nice. Please don't make me go back to school!!! Haha. Goodnight everyone, besos!!
                                      

    

Living Life.

     It may see that I have been avoiding my blog lately, but that's not the case. It's just that life is happening. I'm becoming busier every day...and it's not always that I have more I need to do, it's that I become more comfortable and I don't think about writing about whatever I did because it's not new anymore, you know? I'm not sure if it's interesting for the world wide web to know that I eat Nougat Pillows every morning and then walk to school and then come home and eat lunch and lalala. My life isn't boring by any means...I don't know how to describe it. But you know, just for the heck of it I'll tell you what I did.
     So Tuesday, the usual. I went to school and then came home for lunch and then went back to school. Then, oooh and this is pretty exciting, I studied for my Spanish History test. And no, Hell did not freeze over. Merche walked in my room and became all excited because I was studying. It gave me motivation to keep reading about Spain in Spanish. Gahhh. I then ate dinner. Salad. Surprise!
     On Wednesday (and this is a bit more interesting) I woke and ate yogurt and a clementine. Look out! Ha. Then I went to school and took my history test. Victoria, the profesora de historia (hehe), gave me a sheet of paper that told me to write what I knew about the Spanish Restoration. I wrote a full page in Spanish! I was pretty proud of myself. I think I did a pretty good job. Tabea also received the test. Afterwards she said this, "I think in fact I may have written about something other than what the exam was about." Then I asked, "Well, what did you write about Tabs?" Tabea then goes on to tell me that she wrote about machines and factories and child labor. Me: "...umm, Industrialization?" We laughed. A lot. And she said, "How am I supposed to know about what is happening in Spain? How does she expect me to know that?" Tabea doesn't have a book yet so I don't expect her to know about it. This just made me laugh. I love you Tabea. Ich liebe dich. That's right. I'm learning German. In Latin class I worked on Brandi's bracelet and everyone was fascinated. The other classmates were working silently when my teacher got up and approached me. She just asked how I did it and she told me that it looked great! She is so cool. My favorite teacher by far and I can't learn from her (wahh). Most of the other teachers would have told me to read a Spanish book or something.
     After school I came home and had lunch. I then made brownies with mint chips. Mmm. They are so good. A little gooey, but sometimes that makes them better, right? I then met up with the Pamplonians in a cafe for Athena's birthday. I had this amazing tea called cocktail de frutas. It was amazing. It reminded me of Muggs so much. Mm. Not the cafe, just the tea. I also had a delicious chocolate muffin. Que rico. After chatting for two hours in the cafe, Elle and I headed back to my house to eat a salad with Merche. It was yummy. I then attempted to call Brandi for her birthday but my skype would not sign on. I began to freak out. How can skype not work on my sissy's birthday?! I immediately signed onto facebook and thank goodness Ben was on. He called Brandi and told her that I couldn't call, so she signed onto facebook and I could wish my best friend an amazing 17th birthday. Here is Bran's shout out: Sister, I love you so much. You are my best friend. You know absolutely everything about me and I miss you so incredibly much. You are so beautiful, smart, and hilarious/evil. I just want to ask, "What's new pussy cat?"
     After eating dinner, Elle and I got ready and then met Becca. We waited for the others (Athena, Dara, Mitchell, Tabs, and Natalie). Then we headed to the bar to dance. My curfew was extended until 2 am. Yay!! So Elle and I left around 10 after 2 since it's about a 3 minute walk to my house (we were on Spanish time). We came home and crashed. Dancing is exhausting! We then had a plan to get up and make buckeyes but we heard the alarm this morning...didn't say a word to each other...and went back to sleep. Ha. True friends. We finally woke up around noon and I introduced Elle to Nougat Pillow (which she loved) and then she left to catch her bus.
     Once Elle left I made some dippy eggs for myself. Mm. How wonderful. I had to eat lunch about an hour or two later. Needless to say, I didn't eat much for lunch. After lunch I did a whole lot of nothing. I honestly can't even remember. It's break. Time to relax :)
     I finally got dressed around 5 and left the house. I went to the post office and then met Becca. Becca came back here and we ate my brownies and drank tea. We then watched RENT. I cried. Quite a bit. Haha. It's just like my favorite work of art in the universe. That's all. As soon as Becca left for home, Merche and I ate dinner. Tonight's salad was my favorite ever. Oh my gosh. You wanna hear what was in it?! Yes? Okay fabulous. Tonight's salad consisted of tomatoes, tuna, hard boiled eggs, onions. green olives, oil, vinegar, and salt. It was riquisimo. Oh my goodness. I loved it. I never wanted it to end. I love the food in Spain. After dinner I washed the dishes and Merche tried to find a good movie for us to watch. She found something and then made us popcorn. We started watching it and then the phone rang. She answered and was gone for awhile and the movie was kind of boring so I came in my room. After about an hour or so (maybe less) she went out in the living room and then came back and came into my room to say goodnight. She didn't like the movie either. Haha. I watched a few episodes of Friends (yes, I'm extremely addicted) and now here I am.
      It's so strange to me that tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Merche told me that we are staying the night at the grandparents with the whole family. And then we'll eat with everyone on Christmas. I haven't been too sad about Christmas yet. I mean it sort of just feels like I'm skipping it this year. I'm going through all the motions...baking, wrapping presents, singing/listening to Christmas Carols...but I don't feel it. It's a strange feeling. I don't know what to think about it. I'll write more tomorrow. Hopefully. If not, Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy the time with family and friends and good food. That's what it's about. The three "F"s. Goodnight. Besos. I love you.

A Magnificent Monday.

     I have had such a great day. Allow me to elaborate. Out of bed straight to the Nougat Pillows. As always. I hurried to school and got ready for language. It was fine. I then had "French" and History. There is a History test tomorrow. Perhaps I should study? The it was time for break. Break was great. Tabs and I talked to a lot of the girls that I am in theatre with. It was fun. After break we were able to choose a speaker to listen to. They were speaking about different fields of study, so Tabea and I chose medicine. It was really great. I enjoyed it. It just made me tired because I was concentrating so much. After the the two hour speech, we were allowed to go home. Since it was an hour earlier than the time that we usually get out, Tabea and I went to a cafe. While there, we decided that it's time for us to speak in Spanish most of the time together now. We have fun speaking in Spanish with each other. It's just entertaining. After the Spanish practice, we worked on German. That's right. I'm learning German. Tabs is going to continue to teach me German. I'm so excited! The accent is nearly impossible for me, but I'm working on it. It's so funny. We laugh so much at my pronounciation skills. Or lack of.
     After our language mania at the cafe, we both headed to our homes for lunch. I ate and then watched Glee. While I was heating up my lunch the doorbell rang and Maite said there was a package. I got so excited. I ran to my room and grabbed my passport because I was sure that it was for me. Maite brings it in and tells me that it's for the neighbors. They weren't home. I was extremely disappointed. Then, talked to my Dad for the first time in a week. I missed him!! He was on vacation. Haha, what's new? Then I was able to talk to Tess and as I was talking to her the doorbell rang. Again. I jumped up and answered it. Our friendly building handy man brought me my package!!!! I was so excited! I tore through it as I was talking to Tess. I was jumping up and down. It was a little over the top. I suppose. It basically made my night. My week. Gahh!
     I've been cleaning my room and checking off this and that on my to do list. A relaxing and happy night. Dinner was nice, followed by dishes and TV with Maite. Goodnight everyone. Besos!

Martha Stewart

     On Saturday I slept in until 11. It was so nice. I didn't wake up once. I then got up and showered and ate my nougat pillows. You know, the routine. Then I did Christmas shopping and present wrapping! My mom and I skyped so we could wrap presents together. I was so jealous of her fabulous new reindeer pajamas! I want some. Maybe Spain has after-Epiphany-sales? I sure hope so. Cause this lady is broke. Haha. That's not true. I'm just sick of spending money.
     During the day I found out that we could not go to Elle's because she is so sick. Get well soon Elle! So we all went shopping and out to eat. We went to the bull ring where they had so many vendors! It was great. I bought myself a necklace and a headband. I love them both. They're kind of tribal. Yay. After shopping we went to Doner Kebab and ate fries and sat for hours. Some people brought their gifts for the exchange and some left theirs at home because they wanted to wait until everyone was there. Since I knew Mitchell was my secret Santa (I figured it out) I told him and he was like, "How did you know?!" Haha. So he gave me my gift. H got me this really cute purple watch and this little notebook with an elephant on it. I love them both. I've been wanting a watch since my first week here. Actually there is one in my first box...that was sent THREE MONTHS AGO. Anyways. I love my presents! Thanks Mitchie Poo. Then we moved to a cafe and had tortilla de patata. Mmm. I love it. The Tabea did her "fake English." It was hysterical. You know how we pretend to speak in another language when we are little? This is what she did and I about peed my pants, just so all of you know. Then Natalie stayed the night. We watched Friends until we fell asleep.

      This morning I woke up, got ready, and then met Athena at the spider park near our house. We headed to church. It was beautiful as always. After church we walked in Parque Taconera, which is a beautiful park very close to our buildings. We then parted ways and went home for lunch. I had tortellini for lunch (yummy) and then watched The Social Network on my computer. It was pretty good. After awhile I met Athena and we did some more shopping. She bought some amazing shoes and we tried on these awful body suits just for fun. On our way home we bought churros dipped in chocolate at this little place on the side of the road that we pass almost every day. Every day we say that we are going to get churros "the next time." Today was finally the next time and thank goodness because they were absolutely incredible. Never in my life have I tasted something so wonderful on my walk home. Haha. Then Athena came back here because I wanted to give her her birthday presents. I made her a bracelet and a Christmas tree. I made the bracelet out of beads and the tree out of a UPS envelope, masking tape, and some magazines. When Natalie and Athena saw it they said I was a Martha Stewart. Really? I made another tree out of Dove Chocolate wrappers. It was so much fun! After the presents, we watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carey. It was so nice. We did this until I had to eat dinner. After dinner I washed the dishes, talked to Livy, and watched TV with my host family. Now I am so exhausted and ready for bed! Goodnight everyone. Besos!

I Feel You Christmas...

     I'm very sad that it's December 17th and I only have 10 blog posts for the month. I've missed 7 days already. That is just unacceptable...but I am becoming much busier. Hmm. Yesterday. Yesterday I slept in a bit (until 9) and then got ready for the police station. I got there for my appointment at 10 and then had to wait at least 30 minutes until I could talk to someone. The talking was easy. The man just told me I needed to pay (again) at the and then return to be finger-pritned. So I came home and ate my sandwich here. I thought there was no point in going to school for the break. I took my time and I talked to my mom because I had a mini break down after the police station. I was just so frustrated that I have to go through all of this again. I just wanted to be done. And I wanted my pin number. Anyways, I got off of skype happy and then headed to school. School went quickly since I was only there for Latin and Economics.
     After school I came home to a big envelope from Livy that had a Christmas card from her, a letter, a million post it notes filled with inside jokes, a calendar from Grandma (she accidently sent it to Livy), and an angel story book from Grandma. It made me so incredibly happy. Soon after, I received a message from Paula on facebook that said my mom had called her from work and told her to give the name and number of the person at the bank I needed to call for my pin. Thank you Paula!!!! I had to call three times until I was finally able to talk to Corey about changing my number. He was so helpful and everyone on the phone was so nice. Alliance, Ohio. How sweet :)
     Once I knew that I had access to money, I gathered my Christmas cards and met my friends to go to the ATM, Correos (post office), and shopping! After doing those three things I headed to theatre. We watched the play that we are doing. I honestly don't like it that much, but that's not really important. It was a lot of fun. We ate afterwards and one of my friends, Norea, was teaching me a Spanish Christmas song. I came home for dinner and we had potatoes and ham. I was so surprised. I was like, "Where is my saladddd?" Haha. But dinner was good nevertheless. Then I was so exhausted that I couldn't even blog. It's sad, I know.
     This morning I slept in again. I got ready and then headed for the bank to pay for my student card (once again). Spain, haven't I given you enough money already? It was easy. I then caught a bus to the police station and I was in and out of there in no time. I headed back home to just relax until after the break. I felt I deserved this hour and a half to do so. So now hopefully everything is done. No more trips to the police station...only to pick up my card in a month...other than that, I am so over the police station. Although yesterday I saw some guy with a Dominican Republic Passport and I really wanted to talk to him, but he looked kind of irritated so I resisted. I feel like part of me is from the DR...I was thinking like, "Oh my gosh! You're from there too?!" I just love it. Everything. Ohh I want a papaya and pineapple milkshake now. I want to be working the autoclave (an instrument sterilizer)....I am such a nerd. Anyways. Moving on...I could write about the Dominican forever.
     At school today I took a test in Language class. Yes, Spanish language. It actually was not that bad at all. I feel that I could have done really great if I had more time. I just don't feel that answering one out of three questions is going to cut it. The rest of the day we went to the "chapel" and listened to a speech about safety. They talked about robbery quite a bit. Fabulous. Just what I wanted to hear about. After school I came home to a hot dog and mashed potatoes. Merche, I love you. What a wonderfully odd combination. I loved it. I received a letter from Emily that made me so happy as well. There is nothing like Snail Mail. I can't explain it.
     I then talked to Emily and Brent for a bit and then became Christmas creative. I made some cute trees out Chocolate wrappers and magazines. I like to recycle. After while, I met Natalie to continue the Christmas shopping. Then we met up with Mitch, Elle, Tabs, and Athena at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. I was so excited to eat Mexican...but...wah. It was super expensive. It was not your typical authentic Mexican food and it made me sad. The guacamole was fabulous, so it was worth it. I might some guacamole tomorrow. I've never tried making it, but hey, it can't be that hard, right?
     I came home and made presents and wrapped presents and watched Friends and The Grinch. What another wonderful evening. I also came to the realization that I am just good at Christmas because I love it so much. I know almost every word to every Christmas song, I'm super creative with my present wrapping, I love the movies...I don't know....can Christmas be a talent? Can I add this to my resume?
     I am now really exhausted. I have another full day ahead of me. Shopping, wrapping presents, cleaning my room, baking, and going to Elle's for the Pamplonians Christmas Party are all on my agenda. I'm so excited!!! Gahh! I just love Christmas! I need to get a good nights sleep now. I'm so happy to sleep in for the third day in a row. Que suerte yo tengo!

The World's Greatest.

      My day: School wasn't too bad today. We watched Friends in English class and it made my day. I laughed the entire time! The rest of the day was pretty boring. In literature all we do every single day is read the text aloud. The most exciting thing to happen is turning the page. It's semi-dreadful. Ha. After school I rushed home as fast as I could so I could call my mom and wish her a happy birthday. I finally got ahold of her at Grandma's. I was able to talk to Grandma, then my mom, then Emily, then Aunt Barbie. It was great! Everyone was so happy. Then I got some stuff done until Dara, Athena, Elle, and Natalie came over. We watched Glee, youtube videos, and talked. I worked on Brandi's friendship bracelet while we watched Glee. It is about halfway done. She's been so pushy...demanding sister. I wrapped Dara's single dread with some pink string. She loves it. Me alegro.
     After they left I ate dinner and got on my computer for a bit. Then I talked to my mom again. I just want to say that I am so thankful for my mom. She is honestly the world's greatest. I have no idea what I would ever do without her. She is my everything. I couldn't have asked for a better mother. She continues to send me packages and letters and skypes whenever I need it. She has pulled me through this impossible situation and is my light through everything. I miss her so much. All the time. It will never go away. I know that for sure. I love you, Mommy.
     I'm exhausted now. As always. Haha. Tomorrow I have to go to the police station and handle everything for my student card. I hope it goes smoothly. I get to sleep in for another hour and a half. That makes me so happy. Then who knows how long I'll be at the station. They tend to take quite awhile. Oh well. It's time for sleep. Goodnight, everyone. Besos. Happy Birthday, Mom. You are the best. Te amo.
    

My Philosophy

     This blog is going to be short because 1. I'm exhausted, 2. I have philosophy homework to do, 3. I still have yet to eat dinner, 4. I need more sleep. My life feels so back to normal it's ridiculous. Haha. I spent the majority of my day at school. I paid attention in almost every class. It actually makes the day go a little faster and it helps to know that I am not only learning Spanish, but other random bits of information. I found out this morning that Tabea is now officially in all of my classes! This is great news. I forgot my sandwich this morning so she shared her "black bread" with cheese German sandwich with me. Her mom sent her the bread. It's her favorite. I really liked it. It was not black, but it was very moist. It's so hard to describe, but I'm getting a feel for German culture as well as Spanish. I ask Tabs so many questions about Germany and Christmas there. Today I asked her what they milk was like. Haha.
     My counselor teacher who is also my history teacher pulled me aside after class today and asked how I was doing. She was wondering if I was understanding everything and asking me if I would be ready to start taking exams after Christmas. I nodded a lot and told her, "yes, of course!" She told me that I can write down any questions that I may have...I don't think I'll waste her time because I'm just along for the ride with this high school thing. She asked me what I was doing next year and I told her about OSU and that I wanted to study Spanish and Medicine. She seemed really impressed and then her face went into a state of confusion: "Why are you in the humanities classes then?" Hahaha. You know, why not? I told her that I just wanted different classes since my high school career in the states was mostly math and science based.
     After school Natalie came over for a bit until her parents picked her up. She used the computer while I tried to figure out how to work my TV. The guide said that Gilmore Girls and Gossip Girl were going to be on. So after 15 minutes I finally get a picture on the screen, which was a miracle in itself. So now I am searching for the Cosmo channel. I cannot find it anywhere. The station thing is strange. There are two different things that have to match up and it seems like the only station that is not coming in is the one I freaking wanted. Oh well. No pasa nada. I was sad afterwards but, you know, I got over it. Time heals. Haha. Es la verdad.
      I wrote Christmas cards until my hand abut fell off tonight. I hope that I can send them soon. It's just thatI have no money. It's a pressing issue. I talked to Brandi a lot today since she's had another snow day. I also called my Grandma and Grandpa. It's Grandma's 82nd birthday! She's still going strong. Grandpa told me he bought me a Christmas present today but I can't have it until July. I said, "dido." I also called my dad to make sure he was still alive. He's on his way to Hilton Head and I was a little concerned about the turnpike with this weather, but he made it through. He didn't take the laptop with him, but he's making his friend take his. He said that he is going to make Jim (his friend) get skype haha. I was like, "Dad, that's so sweet that you're going to miss me that much!" He said, "well I'll be happy to see you again." Hahaha. Love you, Papi.
     So much for a short blog. It's time for philosophy homework. Hello, Descartes. "I think. Therefore, I am." Here's my philosophy: "I'm exhausted. Therefore, I sleep."

El Cumple de Elle

     I forgot to bring my journal with me to school today. Wah. But I managed without it somehow. I actually paid attention in class more than usual. In Econ, my teacher actually wrote notes on the board as he spoke and gave out handouts. My kind of education. I learned. Imagine that. So that is good news. I can handle school here. It's just very hard. It's hard to understand in the first place, but then to be expected to retain the information...they are all lectures...so I can't possibly takes notes and listen at the same time. But I'm working on it. I do a lot of day dreaming though. Today I thought about this Toy Story computer game Brandi and I used to play all the time when we were younger. When I talked to her today I told her about it and she got it out. She's going to try playing it later. Haha. We LOVED that game.
     After school I came home and did the usual: lunch, Glee, computer. Then my card came from Chase! Thank goodness I can have money again. I then attempted to make a cake for Elle. It was a French boxed brand. It looked interesting...Then I got Elle's present ready and headed to Rob's to meet the Pamplonians. Everyone was on time. It was amazing. We all ate fries, kebabs, and cake. Everyone loved my chocolate French cake! I was so happy. Now I know none of you (those of you that knew me pre-Spain) are going to believe this...but they all told me I was a good cook. Now I checked, and Hell did not freeze over. When they said this year was going to change you, I believed them, but I was expecting any miracles. Geez Spain, you're working wonders.
     I had a great time laughing with everyone at Doner Kebab and singing to Elle for her 17th birthday. I hope it was an amazing one. I remembered her present but forgot her card at home. I made her a button bracelet and gave her some silly bands, candy, and lotion. It's not much, but hey, all my money was stolen. Hahaha. I then walked home with Athena and Tabea and ate dinner. I was really full though from before so I only had a little bit of salad. Now I am about ready to collapse. I am so exhausted! My positive attitude is back. Completely. Thank goodness. It's so nice to feel like myself again. I mean I'm still a little sad of course, and way over protective of my purse and everything, but my attitude...my mood. So much better. Goodnight everyone. I love you! Besos!

Light

      I'm glad to be back to normal blogging. It makes me feel happier. Let's see, what did I do today? This morning I woke up and ate my Nougat Pillows and got ready for church. Church was really nice today. I stayed after and prayed for a bit. That's when the tears came, but I was expecting them. After church I came home and watched That 70s Show in Spanish while writing out Christmas cards. It was really nice. For lunch we went to the Grandparents house as usual. We didn't stay long at all for some reason. Only about 30 minutes. I wanted to bring up though that every time we go to the Grandparents' house I pay particular attention to the parking jobs of the cars on the street. Most of them are parallel parked. Now, with this said, the way of getting the cars to be parallel to one another is quite interesting. If you notice almost every car has paint marks on all four corners. That's right. The way of parking here is to go until you hit something. It doesn't even matter if something is another car. It boggles my mind, really. And the parking garages are so tiny. There is no way the Biddle Bus would make it here. I miss my car! Gahh.
     I came home and skyped for awhile. I talked to Aunt Patty the longest. It was so nice. She always cheers me up. Right now, I'm back to skyping all the time simply because I need it. I've gone through such a traumatic experience and I just need support from home. It's unfortunate because I was just getting over the homesickness and now I need my family all the time. But it's life. It's not easy. We face so many struggles, and we have to be strong and get through them because life is amazing. I'm struggling through this right now...but then I look at how amazing my life has been and it's hard for me to complain. I know that if I were to go home right now I would be losing so much. This year is the hardest, but it's going to be one of the best.
      So the rest of the night I just relaxed and enjoyed the time I had to myself. I made myself some dippy eggs because they just make me happy. I also got to talk to Livy!! I love her so much. She is one of the world's best sisters/friends. Te amo, Livy. I talked to my dad tonight about details for our cruise in June and I became really excited. It's final! The rooms are booked and we're making plans for France, Spain, and Belgium. I'm just so happy about it. I really needed this good news this week. I have such an amazing family.
     Anyways, I am so exhausted. I have to go to school tomorrow. Wahh. It's so boring-but I'm learning, and that is the important part. I was born to question and learn. Lalala. I titled this "light" because I am happy now. I'm really good. Who knows how I'll be tomorrow, but I'm happy for the moment and that's enough. I love you all. Goodnight. Besos!!!!

I Don't Do Sadness.

     "I don't do sadness, not even a little bit. Just don't need it in my life, don't want any part of it. I don't do sadness, hey I've done my time looking back on it all, then it blows my mind. I don't do sadness, so been there. Don't do sadness. Just don't care." 
     These lyrics are from the musical Spring Awakening. I felt like they were the most fitting for how I feel. I'm ready to start blogging everyday again. I need to. I need it. I just didn't want all of these depressing posts. I was really down. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Before bed I would picture it happening even though I didn't see it happen. I remember one night I had to think about penguins, and the movie Happy Feet to fall asleep. Two nights ago the only thing I prayed for was a peaceful night of sleep. And I got. Since then, everything has been so much easier. So I'm ready to try to put this behind me...not to forget about, but to just stop dwelling on it. So here starts the blogging mania. Ready?
     Let's rewind to last Sunday. Natalie and I met at the bus station early in the morning and boarded the bus to Barcelona. When we arrived we really had no idea where we were going. We had a map but it wasn't all that helpful. We were by the Arc d'Triumph when my friend Elle called and asked where we were (a group left earlier than us). I told her on the phone (in English) that we were just going to improvise getting to the hostel. A guy overheard us speaking and asked if we would like help (in English). He was clearly American. He told us he would help us but added this, "Can you hold on a minute? I need to get some tofu." Hahaha. So of course we waited. I had a great feeling about him. And he was gay so I wasn't worried about being sold as a sex slave. So of course we waited. He came back shortly and gave us a little tour all the way to our hostel. I never asked him name so I like to refer to him as Tofu Tour Guide. Me and my alliterations. I am just such a fan. Once we got to our hostel, we checked in and since we had a private room we had to walk a block down the street to another building and climb five flights of torturous stairs (they really weren't that bad). 
      Now for my day...Natalie and I attempted to walk to the Picasso Museum when some French guys stopped us and asked for directions. They spoke no English or Spanish which made directing difficult. I did a lot of pointing. One of them was a little infatuated with me. I don't mean to sound conceited but I've never had my cheeks kissed so many times at once. He found me on facebook and I just now deleted him from my friends because he will not stop talking to me in foreign languages. He keeps commenting on all of my pictures and he tagged me in pictures of him. That's where I drew the line. Sorry bud. It's  over. Haha. Anyways, after that strange encounter, we ran into Elle, Mitchell, and Athena on the street! Isn't that crazy? I sort of had a feeling we would just bump into each other. We talked to them for a bit and then parted ways. Natalie and I then explored the streets of Barcelona by walking into little shops and asking many people for directions to the museum. We finally came across it but the line was so long that we decided not to go in. We then shopped. I bought quite a few souvenirs for my family and friends. Taylor told me to buy her something from Barca so of course I did. I hope she loves it. Don't worry Morgs, I got you something too. 
     For dinner, Elle, Nat, and I went to a Tapas bar and had a few appetizers for dinner. We had amazing mushrooms and potatoes. I loved it. The food and atmosphere were both fantastic. The three of us then walked to the Mediterranean Sea. It was cold but we dipped our feet in and then got gelato after. It doesn't make much sense, but gelato is always amazing. They actually had Mint Chocolate Chip and I about fell to the floor. It was so delicious. I was so happy. We then went back to the hostel and I took an amazingly hot shower. My shower here is not very hot and it's something I certainly miss.
     The next day we had our breakfast and then we all (all being me, Natalie, Elle, Athena, Mitchell, and Tabs) took the metro to the Sagrada Familia. We waited in a line that wrapped around the entire church. It was so worth it. The church was the most amazingly gorgeous work of art I had ever seen. It's not yet finished. 1909-? It is just so beautiful and detailed on the outside and on the inside the ceiling goes on forever and there is beautiful stained glass everywhere you look. I can't even explain how amazing it was. I could stare at it for hours on end. After our time at the church we headed out to eat for lunch. After lunch the group split up. Natalie, Mitch, and I went to the stadium. They both really wanted to see it. I could have cared less but it was important to them, so no complaints. That evening Natalie and I did some more shopping and walking in the gorgeous city at nighttime. We came back to the hostel for a bit to shower and get ready. We then met up with the others and went dancing. You know the story after dancing. I would rather not go into detail. 
     After handling things in the hostel Natalie and I couldn't waste anytime. We had to find my bank in Barcelona and it took forever because it is a bank specific to the North of Spain. It was very difficult to find, but we finally did. The lady was very nice and printed out a sheet and told me I had to go back to the police. After the bank we headed to the bus station to get me a new ticket (that was stolen as well..go figure). That couldn't have been any easier. We told the lady the problem and a minute later with no questions asked I had my new ticket. Thank goodness. I didn't need any more trouble. Now that we handled all of that crap, it was time to see the city. We got on the metro and headed straight for Park Guell. On the metro we met two American girls that are living in Madrid teaching English. The one girl told me that just two weeks ago her purse was stolen at a restaurant. It can happen to anyone. It made me feel better...I mean I felt so bad for her of course, but it made me feel like it wasn't my fault. We got off the metro a few minutes later and started the hike up to Park Guell. There were escalators in the street because it was so steep! Once we got there we could see that it was so worth it. The park was gorgeous. They also had the ANTM finale runway there. The season where Caridee wins (if anyone was curious!). After the park, we headed to see the building that Antonio Gaudi designed. There were absolutely incredible. We went into one and it was amazing. The roof made me feel like I was in some sort of magical land. Like a foreign game of chess actually. That sounds so strange, but that's what it was like. 
     After sight seeing, we headed back to the hostel to get some sleep. We then went to the police station so I could file another report with details of how much money was stolen from me. We were there for an hour or so and ate dinner as we waited. We all went back to the hostel. Natalie and I gathered our things and headed straight for the bus station. We made it home the next morning at 5:30 am. Wednesday was awful. I was on skype the entire day sobbing to my mom. My poor mom. I've put her so much stress throughout this awful experience. But I need her. It's so difficult. I feel so lonely sometimes...and now with this. But she helped me through it. 
     On Thursday I handled things at the police station and the bank and then headed to school. I came home after school to talk to my family some more before heading to theatre rehearsal. I didn't get much sleep because Brandi and I were talking so late. But I didn't mind. Friday was much better. School was incredible boring but I came home and made the batter for buckeyes. Then around 10:15 Merche, Maite, and I went to a friend's house for dinner. We stayed until 2 am. It was fun. Everyone asks me so many questions about me and my life and my culture. It's really nice to have that. Today I finished making the buckeyes with Athena. Good news: They're amazing! Everyone loved them. I took a really long nap this evening and then some of the Pamplonians came over for a little bit. They about two hours ago. I need a night to myself now. I'll be up late just doing what I want. Tomorrow I am looking forward to going to church. I'll be so happy to just be back. I need it right now. 
     I'm surprised at how quickly I am getting over this traumatic experience. It's still hard, but I'm pulling through. I'm hanging there the best that I can. No day but today. Besos.

A Lesson I Didn't Need To Learn.

     I have some very unfortunate news. As some of you may know, I was robbed while in Barcelona. Now before anyone goes on believing that I was a naive young girl who couldn't handle the big city, let me get my story out. Before leaving for Barcelona I told my friends how awful the pick pocketers were in Barca. I warned them. I knew it could happen to anyone at any mooment after Livy told me that her Dad was stolen from his fanny pack on the metro while vacationing in Barcelona this summer. A fanny pack. He never even felt a thing. With this in mind I took the smallest bag I owned and wore it across my body the entire trip. I was so extremely careful that I put it on my lap between my legs in restaurants. I new that these people were professional thieves.
     Now for the story. I had gone out dancing on Tuesday morning (everything is just delayed in Spain...I'm not a party animal...let's be real..you all know me) we left the disco around 4:40 or so. I don't really remember what time. We then went back to the youth hostel to grab some coats. Once we had our coats in hand we made our way out to the main street in Barcelona. We headed towards the beach. We wanted to watch the sunrise. On our way we ran into two of other friends in the street so naturally we stopped to talk to them. We were standing in a circle...just talking...ready to go any second...when I reached my arms up to put a ponytail in my hair. Then it happened so fast. My bag was cut from me with a knife. A guy that was with my friend Tabea chased him. Mitchell and I ran after them. Tabea's friend caught up with him but the thief had a knife. There was nothing he could do. I was running and screaming at the top of my lungs for as long as I physically could. It was no use...he was gone.
     I went to the police station immediately after and filed a report. My friends walked me back to the hostel where I called my family and canceled my debit cards. I found out that my pin number for my card here was in the bag that he stole. He had access to all of my money in my bank account in Spain. He withdrew 590 Euros. I can't get that money back unless he is caught...he won't be caught. He does this everyday. Nothing was taken from my American account and my new card is already on the way. Until then I have 15 Euros to get by on. My friends and host family here will support me until I can have access to my money. I went to the bank this morning and canceled my bank account here. The banker gave me the 5.30 Euro that was left. Ha. Fabulous.
     My camera, cell phone, drivers license, debit cards, and my student ID here were all stolen. Not to mention my favorite little owl change purse from Aunt Barbie and my bag from the Cathedral Cafe in West Virginia. But these things are all replaceable. I was not physically hurt. I am very hurt emotionally and I am doing my best to stay positive. I will not be defeated by this. I was a victim, but I will not stay one. There has to be some reason this happened...not because I needed to learn a lesson because I already knew...At least I made it easy for the guy...I hope he turns his life around with that money...even though...let's be honest...probably not going to happen. I'm upset about the money because I earned every penny of it. I keep relaying the situation in my head over and over again and it's so torturous. I don't want anyone to be worried or feel bad for me. I just want support and understanding. I feel so alone. I've thought about coming home so many times, but I will not. I will enjoy the rest of my year. I will over come this. It's just gong to take some time.
     I'm sorry this isn't the blog you were all looking forward to, but I felt you should know. I'm not going to lie, this is the hardest thing I've ever had to go through-but I am strong. I will over come this. I don't know why it happened, but it did. Now all I can do is try to look at the good...I was not hurt...things could be much worse. I only lost a little bit of money. I'm traumatized emotionally, but I am physically better than ever. I'm healthy everyone. I love you all. I need your support. Thank you for everything. Besos.

Barcelona Bound!

     Let's rewind to Friday morning. I slept in and ate some breakfast. I then entertained myself until we ate lunch. At the moment I can't even remember what we had. Right after lunch I asked Merche if I could bake. She said yes and I started making my brownies with the ingredients my mom sent me. I put them in the oven and then quickly got ready to meet Becca and her sister. Right before heading out the door I took the brownies out and then let them cool. I met Becca and Sam in the Plaza del Castillo and we began to take tons of pictures of all of the lights in the city. Flat Stanley stole the spotlight. We did some shopping in El Corte Ingles. I bought a present for my Secret Santa and the ingredients to make Buckeyes. NO ONE know what they are. I mean I know that Ohio is the buckeye state and everything, but they are just so absolutely delicious that I thought word would have spread by now. I mean the exchangers in Wisconsin have never even heard of them. It's just not fair. Everyone deserves to eat buckeyes. I will be making tons of them this holiday season for the price of a small fortune. Peanut Butter costs about $6 US dollars per jar here. It will be worth it though. These are too amazing to pass up.
     I returned home around 8 and cut into the brownies. Mmmm. How I missed them. Oh my gosh. Amazing. I put some on a tray and covered them with foil. I then got ready to meet my Spanish friends. I met them, brownie tray in hand, at the school around 9. There were about 7 of us there and we caught the bus to Sara's house. Once at Sara's we all dressed up ridiculously. I really am not sure why, but it was fun. My attempt was Minnie Mouse at Christmastime. We played games, ate pizza and brownies, talked, played this sort of dare game, and had fun. I had a lot of fun. I fell asleep on the couch first. Speaking and listening in Spanish all night is exhausting. Haha. I woke up in the middle of the night (morning?) and they had covered me with a blanket! So sweet! Then this morning we ate breakfast together and cleaned up Sara's living room. It was a little crazy.

     I didn't do much today. I relaxed and caught up with Ohio. I spent most of the night packing and now I am so exhausted and ready to watch some videos and fall asleep. Tomorrow I leave for Barcelona!!!!!! I am so excited!!! My bus leaves in the morning and I will return early Wednesday morning. I couldn't be more excited! I will have plenty of time on Wednesday to write an amazing Barca Blog filled with pictures and lots of details. I was skyping with Livy tonight and one of the last things she said to me was, "Alex, go crazy in Barcelona." Hahaha. This is why we're sisters. I love her. Anyways, I'm off to bed. Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone! Besos!

Time For Sleep.

     What a day. This morning I received an email from my host counselor in response to the one I sent him. He told me to have a good time and be careful in Barcelona. Then I said, "Thank you very much." :) Yay. I can't wait for Barcelona! I leave Sunday morning. Que ganas! This morning in English we continued watching the movie, The Invisible. As the movie was starting one of the boys kept shushing our teacher and she did nothing. Hahaha. He was interrupting her with so many "shhhh's!!!!" It was pretty funny because Aina didn't care. The bell rang before the movie was over so Aina let us stay to finish it...or at least that's what we thought was going to happen. She turned it off about five minutes before the end...not sure about that logic. The movie got much better and then took a major turn for the worse. It is just not my cup of tea and let me tell you, I like a lot of kinds of tea. Other highlights from school include Miriam, our director (principal), telling Natalie, Tabea, and I that we now have to actually do something in school. She talked with our teachers yesterday and they expect completed homework, tests, and exams. Fabulous. It's a good thing because it will force me to learn the language better, but it is going to be a struggle. I was very content with listening, writing in my journal, and reading Harry Potter, but apparently my teachers think differently. They want proof that I'm actually learning...who woulda thunk it? Silly. Today in Economics we went to the computer lab so I was reading the headlines from the Alliance Review (they come to my email daily) and I was reading an article about the stars and I came across this quote that just really stuck out to me. I'll share it. I found it interesting. "So the number of stars  in the universe is equal to all of the cells in the humans on earth-kind of a funny coincidence."
     After school I came home to hot dogs and potato wedges. An American lunch with Heinz ketchup! Yum! But I have to say I would have preferred a Spanish meal. I absolutely love the food here. The food is great at home, too, but while here I want to try and enjoy everything! Once I finished lunch I headed to my room to fully finish catching up on Gossip Girl. I'm just hooked on this show. It's so catchy. Hahahaha. Now I'm laughing at my hook/catch irony. I must be pretty slap happy.
      Later, Merche and I walked together to the Plaza del Castillo. She had French class and I had to get my notebook that I left at Doner Kebab last night. Merche and I had a really nice talk on the way. I found out that I am supposed to change families between Christmas and New Year's. Which is a little sad because Epiphany is on January 6th and that is when the gifts are exchanged, and giving random gifts to an unknown family could be less than fun. I have no control on the situation though. And I do not want to cause any troubles with Rotary because I want to be able to travel. After our talk, Merche and I said our goodbyes and I headed in to see my favorite waiter, Rob. As soon as I walked in he knew why I was there. He handed me the notebook and I asked if I wanted something. I wish I'd had the time but I was in a hurry to meet Natalie at the bus station, so I had to be on my way.
      My walk to the bus station was absolutely gorgeous. All the Christmas lights and decorations in the city looked so beautiful. I would have taken pictures but I forgot my camera. Tomorrow I plan on taking lots. I'll have them posted soon enough. Once Natalie arrived at the station we headed down the escalators to see if we could get our tickets switched to eight hours earlier. We thought we could just sleep on the bus and we could gain an extra day, but unfortunately all of the other buses were full. No biggie. Then we hurried off to theatre. Throughout rehearsal Nat and I really tried avoided practicing our part and she even left a few minutes earlier than usual for her bus stop so we could just skip that section when we got to it...but we didn't skip...oh no siree. I performed it with another girl and it went fine. After theatre practice I was invited to a friend's (Sara) house for dinner. My friend Norea told me that she would get ahold of me and we could go together since I have no clue how to get there. I think I might make my brownies tomorrow and give some to my host family and then take the rest to Sara's. I think that would be nice. I'm excited!
      I quickly walked home after our long rehearsal and ran up the stairs to make myself a little warmer. It helped! Once I got home I checked my facebook and opened one of the best messages I could ahve ever imagined: Title: "Good news sissy." Message: "Congratulations my wonderful sister, you are going to The Ohio State University! I love you so much, and I'm so happy for you :D" Thank you sissy!!! I couldn't stop smiling. I feel great! I told my Merche and she was so excited for me. She gave a huge hug and it was so nice! I love my host mommy. She then left to have dinner with a friend and I haven't seen her since! I think she is having a good time! It's 1:22 am here...hahaha...she deserves it!! She works so hard.
      Since Merche went out, Maite and I made a salad together and watched TV. I talked with my family about OSU for a little while and now I am so ready for bed it's ridiculous. I've had another great day, but I am so ready for it to be over. I am so excited that I get to sleep in tonight. It's going to be heavenly. But of course I'm excited to wake up and start tomorrow's adventure. This journey is quite an interesting one. I love it. NO DAY BUT TODAY! Besos.

"I Got A Singular Impression Things Are Moving Too Fast."

     I woke up exhausted today. Last night I was up late trying to help Brandi fill out my application for a scholarship because all of the information would not print out since the PDF was emailed. Anyways, thanks to my amazing family for pulling that together for me. I owe it to you. Let's hope I get the scholarship! I did a lot of dozing off today in school. I was just so exhausted. School was fun again though because Tabs was there. We played hangman with Spanish vocabulary. The two of us actually do a pretty good job of speaking in Spanish with each other. It's great! We were both excited for the movie in English class today...but Natalie, Tabs, and I were so disappointed. It's called "The Invisible" and it's pretty terrible if you ask me. Haha. Some guy gets murdered and then he becomes invisible. It's just not my thing, but Aina must like it. We'll see. It's not over yet, so there is still time for my mind to change. However, my mind will not change about the way I feel about Literature class. We seriously just read the book. Out loud.  Cover to cover. You would think that the professor would just assign pages for each night and then we would discuss the important parts the following day. Alas, no. Student participation is meaningless here. Questions are rarely asked. It's very different for me to see. In the states we asked questions, had questions asked to us, and gave our opinion at every chance we got. But this is just the way it is here. Most teachers lecture and tell the students the way it is. I mean they are so smart so it's working, it's just different.
     I was so happy to come home and eat lunch today. I was really hungry because I split my sandwich with Tabea today. Her host mom doesn't make her one every day. I will continue to share because she is hungry, plus it makes me more hungry for lunch. Sometimes I am not starving for the biggest meal of the day...and then I snack until dinner because I don't eat so much lunch and blah blah blah. It's just better. Lunch was yummy today. I watched Glee in Spanish with Maite and then I went and watched the new episode from last night on my computer. They were both great. It was ironic because the episode in Spanish was from last year's sectionals and the new episode was about this year's sectionals. They won both! Yay Glee!
     Before heading to Doner Kebab to meet my fellow Pamplonians I jotted down a list of things to do in Barcelona that Senora B sent to me. I listened to my Christmas playlist as I walked through the gorgeous streets of Pamplona and gazed at all the Christmas lights and decorations. Once at Kebab, we took our places at our usual table and began to talk about our trip to Barcelona and eat french fries. Becca's sister is here right now visiting her. Her sister was an exchange student first to Poland, and then to Brazil, so we were all asking her many questions about her experience. After saying goodbye to a few people that needed to catch their buses, Athena, Tabea, Becca, Samantha (Becca's sister), and I went to a really nice cafe to have churros. I only ate one, but it was delicious! Then Athena and I walked home together, talking the entire time about how we cannot believe that we are in Pamplona, which is in Spain, which is in Europe, which is another continent. We cannot believe how fast time is going, and how much faster it is going to go after the holidays. We gave our besos and said goodnight.
     I came home and took a warm shower! I don't know if it just felt warm because I was so cold or if the water was actually warm, but it was nice either way. I then set the table and waited to be called for dinner. Tonight's dinner was different than usual. Pasta. It was fabulous. Cold pasta with tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, tuna, ham, and dressing. I did the dishes and here I am. Exhausted after another amazing day in the life of a foreign exchange student...the funny thing is that I'm starting to feel not so foreign anymore. I'm becoming Spanish a little more each day while still holding on to my Ohioan roots. :)

     Tomorrow is my last day of school until next Wednesday! Goodnight everyone! Os quiero.