Finals =death

There is one reason why i have not had a single spare second to blog and that is FINALS! they are destroying me. I am completely buried in work. Two huge research papers on top of 4 finals in one week ...not ok. Ive never felt this busy or overwhelmed..and im supposed to be ABROAD! I am a little angry..just trying to struggle through it all until Thursday when I am finally free and get to go home on Friday! Cant wait to see you all. This was my 5 min study break...back to the grind.

P.S. The trip with my momma in her words exactly: "perfect!"

Salzburger.

What an amazing weekend. It really could not have been more perfect. Gina, Kelley and I left Barca at around 4 and landed in Salzburg at 10:30 where we hopped in cab (we couldn't even contain how excited we were and I'm sure the driver wanted to kill us). As we drove through the windey, quiet streets the cab driver had to slow down for a tiny little hedgehog crossing the road. It was the cutest thing ever and we all freaked out about for like 10 minutes. Anyways, after saving a creature we continued on up to the Monchesburg where the Redlands castle is. The second we pulled in the drive way about 15 people came sprinting out the door and mobbed us before we could even pay for the taxi. It was like out of a movie and I don't think I have ever felt happier, tears were shed, big bear hugs were shared and lots of smiling. I didn't stop smiling until I went to sleep. So after the enormous love sesh I was pushed inside where I had to change freshen up and then head out to the bars with everyone. I can't even explain how nice it was to be surrounded by people I know, especially by about 20 of my good friends, it felt just like home. After a few yummy beers and several heart-to-hearts about how much we all missed each other we headed back to the house to snooze before Thanksgiving.

I woke up in the morning to the girls waking up for class (they have class in their house so they literally walk upstairs to learn, yea i was jealous). While they were in class I showered and anxiously waited till we could eat the food that I had been smelling all morning. We went downstairs at around 2:30 and feasted on turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy. The food was delicious and just what I needed. Since I couldn't be home, Salzburg was the perfect replacement. After eating waaay too much Lauren and I escaped the house for some much needed catch up time. We could have talked for days, it was so nice to have a huge chunk of time to just talk about everything. After a good 3 hours of chatting over some spiced wine we headed out to the bars again with everyone. This was the last night I would be with the group cause most of them were leaving the next day so we spent the night away in a cozy Irish bar, taking over an entire corner. It was perfection.

The next 2 days I spent with Abbie and Lauren wandering aimlessly around Salzburg. Its such a cute little town and I don't think it could be any more different than Barcelona. They are actually exact opposites. It was so interesting to see what they do on a daily basis and go to all the places they go and it was just so different than here, but in a good way. After basically eating my way through the city, visiting some of the touristy stuff and drinking a beer in a giant church Barcelona was calling us back to finish up the semester. We left at 7 am and were back in Barca by 11. I was sad, but i had the perfect weekend with the perfect people and was ready to get back to the daily grind. Finals are coming up and I will shortly be reunited with all of them again back in Redlands, can not wait! Buuut before that happens MY MOM IS COMING IN 3 MORE DAYS!! I wish you all could be there to see the reunion that will happen in El Prat airport, its going to be a sob fest, possibly more intense than when I saw her after my first 3 months in college. I honestly can not wait. I get my mom for 3 whole days in one my favorite cities, I will definitely blog after she leaves...its gonna be a good one! Anyways I'm exhausted so I'm gonna watch some CSI and hit the hey. All my Deltas have fun at Informal..don't die in the wilderness. To my Salzburg loves, thank you sooo much for such an incredible weekend. I needed it. Merry Christmas everyone!

When you can't sleep, blog.

As goes my life, I cannot sleep. Weird. Anyways, I thought I would take this moment of insomnia to catch up on my blog. These past two weeks have been ....umm....bittersweet, for lack of a more interesting word. My time here in Barcelona is coming to end and while there are so many things I love about this city there are many things I am ready to leave behind:

1. Paying for water

2. Paying absurd amounts of money for tiny amounts of product

3. Grumpy people

4. Grumpy people shoving me around on the metro

5. Grumpy people being grumpy simply because I am an American and like to speak English on occasion

6. Enduring 5 classes of pointless work where I am not trusted with my own grade and have to abide by an attendance policy

7. Having one type of food to chose from

8. Did I say paying for water?

9. Having to concentrate extremely hard just to understand where the bathroom is.

10. Not being home.

Except honestly for each of those ten things there 20 reasons why I love it here. Europe is like nothing I thought it would be. Every time I go anywhere I am blown away by its beauty. I wish I could go everywhere and see everything but I think I got a pretty good grasp of Europe and that is embodied in the word I have used over and over again throughout my past 4 months here... AMAZING. And of course Sevilla, Spain was no exception. As far as traveling goes I have not taken the opportunity to go to many places within Spain. So when Nickie's parents wanted to take a weekend trip with us when they came to visit we chose Sevilla. I am not sure what everone's historical knowledge of Spain is but Barcelona is located in the Catalonian region which is completely different from the rest of the country, they even speak another language, it has to do with the Romans and blah blah blah snooze fest. Anyways, Sevilla is the "real" Spain, that developed under Castillian rule and was really something to see. All of the architecture is Moorish (since thats who ruled that part of Spain forever..and Portugal too) and is extremely detailed and very "African" feeling with a ton of European influence. It was all extremely unique and really unparalleled to anything I have seen thus far. The cathedral was of course incredible with tons and tons of detail and was quite enormous. We also came across this insanely huge palace that the city changed into the government building. It had a moat and two spires on either side of it, it was really something to see. Also, Sevilla is built on either side of a river, we didn't cross to the other side often but the river was so picturesque. There were rowers and bikers and runners. Kind of the perfect honeymoon spot. It was all so quaint, the people were over the top friendly, if you looked lost they helped you and when you sat down to eat at a restaurant the service was prompt and the servers really wanted to get to know you. It was loverly and I would go back in a heart beat, especially for the weather. It was November 20th and it was 80 degrees outside, that didn't suck. Anyways, Sevilla definitely won me over, this weekend for Thanksgiving its off to probably the complete opposite of Sevilla and that is Salzburg, Austria where about 10 of my closest friends are waiting to share a nice big and hearty turkey feast in a castle on a hill with me. Its going to be very cold with lots of snow but its worth the trouble to spend a cozy weekend with the people you love. I am so excited to see them again. I leave Wednesday so this is probably my last update for the week. I can't believe I only have 25 more days left here. Its been such a blur. Congratulations to the active Deltas, I can not wait to see you again as sisters!! Love you all! and to Abbie, Holly, Lauren and LJ...get ready!!!

Prague Blog

Sorry I couldn't help the title...it rhymes. Anyways, what a great weekend. Although it was a little chilly Prague was incredible. I have never been anywhere that old. Gina, Jill (and her boyfriend, Zach) and I all flew in on Friday and got to our hostel at around 4 p.m. Our hostel was adorable. It was in a quiet part of town in the coolest old building. Gina and I were sharing a room with 10 other people who were all our age and all really cool. Most of them were studying abroad but a few of them were just visiting from other countries around the world. Even though hostels can be inconvenient and not the best situation you do get to meet a lot of people from all over the world.

Anyways, after we got settled we were starving so we headed to the nearest restaurant which happend to be Mexican, I know its stupid that we got Mexican in Prague but we were seriously dying. It wasn't bad but not the best Mexican food ever. The ambience was nice though. So we had an enormous meal there for pretty cheap and then headed into old town to check out the sites and meet up with other girls from our program. I thought it was cold in the day, I didn't know cold until the sun went down. Compared to Barcelona it feels like the Arctic. So, we shivered our way around the Prague castle and the St. Vitus Cathedral and across the Charles Bridge. My new favorite thing is to go site-seeing at night. Everything is so much quieter and beautiful at night. We were one of the very few groups there and got to soak it all up in quiet. When we wrapped up taking pictures we went into Old town square and in the square they have tons of little stands with really cheap, authentic food. I followed this amazingly sweet smell and came across a stand selling these twisty, cinnamon roll kind of deals. I can't describe it, but both Gina and I inhaled them in about 10 seconds they were that good. I'm guessing it is similar to heaven what those little boogers tasted like. After, gorging ourselves on the best item of food I've ever eaten we met up with the other girls and decided to try the infamous Czech beer.

We went to a karaoke bar and had a few brews. Weirdly, the beer was cheaper then water and that can be dangerous. But we were all exhausted and the karaoke was terrible so we headed back on the trolley to the Czech Inn, where one of our new friends decided to snore the entire night, that was fun.

Gina and I woke up early the next day and headed to Starbucks, again I know its stupid to have Starbucks in Prague but they just came out with the Christmas drinks there and I was really craving a toffee nut latte. After a delicious morning of warmth and coffee we headed off to see the cathedral and castle in the day time. When we climbed the bagillion stairs to the top we were just in time to see the changing of the guard and it was so funny. They were all decked out in uniform and marching together, I was giggling the entire time. Then we continued our way into the cathedral. I have seen the inside of I don't know how many cathedrals while I have been here but this one was insane. It was huge and seriously tall, there was stained glass everywhere and was just gorgeous. It was worth the whole trip, apparently it took 600 years to make and was finally finished in 1929. I think it paid off. I was amazed. After gawking at the cathedral for two hours we headed back down into the city and wandered around. We grabbed some lunch at a local bagel shop and shopped around. After escaping the cold and drinking a quick pint we were hungry yet again and had the weirdest experience ever.

On the square theres a bunch of little restaurants where you can sit outside and eat under heat lamps. After choosing a restaurant we were a little too cold under the heat lamps so we headed inside and sat at a table next to what we think was a family of three ( who knew we couldn't understand czech?). There was a man of about 65, a woman who we think was his wife and then a man who think was his son (this is all speculation). So the oldest man was extremely drunk and already making somewhat of a scene when we got there, but as the dinner continued he progressed into a belligerent mess. He was slamming on the table screaming things at the woman and being completely obnoxious. The manager came over and told him to calm down and he did for about 30 seconds until he grabbed his son to hug him and they both knocked over the entire table, with all of their food and dishes and beers and everything which all fell to the floor shattering everywhere. At this point it was just ridiculous but we couldn't look away, it was like a bad car crash. So instead of leaving they stayed and the manager called the police where they all talked it out. I can't exaggerate this story enough to tell you how dramatic it all was...probably because we couldn't understand a single thing that was happening. But the food was amazing and despite the unhelpful rude service we got a great show.

After that dramatic display of drunkeness the girls from our program and us decided we would go on a pub crawl. I know what your thinking, and no I did not end up like that guy in the restaurant but we watched other people get to that point. It was a good time and a really good way to meet people. I ended up seeing some girls I had met in Florence and meeting some guys who are studying in Barcelona also. After seeing two girls get in a physical fight and hitting 2 of the 4 bars, Gina and I were exhausted by 1:30 so we caught the trolley back to the hostel. We got a great night's rest, checked out and headed back to the airport to come back to Barcelona. It was quite an eventful weekend but the city was awesome. I wish I could have spent a few more days but I'm glad I went no matter how short of a time we spent because Prague is somewhere I am not sure I would have ever visited when I got older and I am so glad I got to experience how beautiful it is. This weekend is the last one I have to spend in Barcelona aside from when my Mom comes. Its crazy how fast this is all going. Its such a bittersweet feeling because I miss home so much but at the same time I don't want to leave Europe. But I have some exciting things coming up and I can't wait to see my mom! Anyways I have to go do some tarea (homework). Update soon!

Whew

After one crazy weekend wrapping up all the visitors we have coming to see us its nice to just relax. I can only do the Barcelona night scene so many nights in a row before I can no longer function in the daylight. I did not go to sleep before 4:30 this entire weekend and needless to say that can really screw up your sleep..which everyone knows I need a lot of to be a nice person. But it was sooo fun to have everyone from Salzburg come and see Barcelona. I know that it is very different from what they are experiencing in Austria so it was fun to show them a different kind of European city. We went out Thursday, Friday and Saturday going to all the big that were happening for Halloween. It honestly felt like everyone in the world was in Barcelona this weekend because Spain is one of the only countries in Europe that celebrates some form of Halloween. So on Thursday we went out to one of our favorite bars called Ryan's bar and then cabbed it down the beach to Opium, only we never got into Opium. There were sooo many people there and since Europeans don't believe in lines it quickly turned in a pit of pushing and shoving. So Mookie, Kevin, Gina, Jo and I ditched that idea and wandered around through the bars on the beach and called it a night at around 4am. On Friday I got about 10 hours of sleep, which was greatly needed due to the lack of sleep I had gotten the week before and then took some Hilary time and went shopping for a good 4 hours. Best 4 hours of my week thats for sure. That night was probably one of the most fun nights I have had in Barcelona. We all went out to Oveja Negra and got some Sangria and then headed to Catwalk and Shoko for the night. It was amazing. Shoko was a blast, dancing to techno and drinking some champagne with some of your closest friends...what could be better? At around 3 we headed to Catwalk and danced the night away to the usual 90's rap that we all love so much and finally wrapped the night up at around 6am. Probably one of my latest nights in Barca so far. Spent the whole next day cuddling in bed and snoozing but got up to grab some nachos at George Payne and headed to Chupitos and Broadbar for Halloween night. I was being a party pooper and didnt dress up but everyone else did. They take Halloween very literally in Spain. People were dressed up as zombies and looked all ugly and scary. Where in the states I feel like its just an excuse for girls to show some skin. Anyways Chupitos was packed as usual so Nickie, Gina and I headed off to find a different bar and we stumbled upon the cutest little place all decked out for the holiday. The bar tenders were awesome and they were playing the best spanish music. We hung out there for a bit, found the group and made our way to Broadbar which yet again was completely packed. We watched a Michael Jackson impersonator do Thriller and by 3:00 am and 50 similar techno songs later we were exhausted and hit the metro to go home. I hope all the Salzy people had a great time, I know barca can be a little overwhelming! But it was so great to have them all here.

I am definitely excited for whats to come for me! I have Prague this weekend which I can not wait for, then a weekend in Barca, then Sevilla, Salzburg for Thanksgiving, Mom visits, one more weekend and then I am homeward bound. Its gonna all happen so quickly. Its already November ahh!! Anyways I'm gonna attempt to go to bed at a normal time tonight..I'll update after Prague and I am finally done with all of my stupid midterms. Hope you like the remodel of my layout.

Buenas noches guapos!

Rollercoaster

This past week has been a series of highs and lows. It started out amazing with all the girls here from Redlands, I got to see Holly for the first time in we think 10 months and Abbie and Julia who I hadn't seen since May and of course Lauren and LJ. We got to spend a lot of time together but it was still sucha whirlwind I wish they could have stayed longer. We had a great weekend together with going out to Catwalk (a big club here) and watching them go crazy. They're all worried that when I come to Salzburg I'm going to be disappointed with the night life but I'm sure I'm going to be just fine. We went out to eat at this amazing Mexican restaurant called Catina Machita which was delicious. We also walked around the beach, showed them Las Ramblas and shared some pitchers of Sangria. Saturday night we went to our favorite bar, La Oveja Negra, and then went out to a lounge type club thing called Elephant. It was a definitely a good weekend, but on Sunday I quickly came back to reality when I had to tackle midterms.

I had one on Tuesday, my History of Contemporary Europe test which went pretty well I think. I had to answer 4 essay questions on a whole bunch of different stuff. On Thursday I had my Introduction to the European Union test which I am not so confident about. We had to write 2 essays and they were super complicated questions that our teacher hadn't even prepared us for, he's also not that great at English (he's Turkish) which didn't help me understand the questions any better. Anyways, I struggled through them and I think I made it out ok. Next week I have a Spanish quiz and then a midterm in my Democracy in Western Europe class which he gave us all the questions to so I should be fine there as long as I prepare. I'm very excited for them to be over. Especially because of all these distractions that have happend at home..I need to not be taking tests.

Anyways next weekend I'm headed off to Prague with Gina, Jill, Meghan, Kim and Hayley. Were staying at the Czech Inn (cute huh?). Its a hostel that seems pretty nice. I'm extremely excited to get out of Barcelona for a little bit. I just need a little change of scenery and need to stem this homesickness somehow. It so weird how some weeks I'll be soo happy and will be having such a great time and then other weeks I'm tempted to hop on a plane and go cuddle with my pugs. I feel like this is one of those experiences I'm only going to truly appreciate after it's over. I try not to get to wrapped up in going home, and seeing people from Redlands really helps but its getting harder and harder, especially with the holiday season coming up!

But this weekend is Halloween weekend and we have Mookie, Kevin, Grant and Jo all visiting us from Redlands for a few days. Last night we went to this little bar and attempted to get into Opium (a big club on the beach) but everyone in the world wanted to go there and so we didn't get in. Tonight were doing Shoko and Catwalk again, I'm pretty sleepy so we will see how it goes, I'm thinking I might stay in and rest up for tomorrow! Anyways I've gotten everyone up to date now so I'm going to rest for awhile. Missing Jackie! Good luck with the rest of your soccer season...so proud of you!

Parieee con mis amores

So I just got back on Sunday from an amazing weekend in Paris. The city was everything I was told it would, beautiful, charming and absolutely freezing. Nickie and I got there at around 10ish and checked in our hostel in the cutest little area called Monmarte. We were about a 5 minute walk away from Sacre Couer. Of course when we walked into our room everyone was sleeping, including the three guys we were sharing the room with ( a little awkward). So we had to fumble around the room to get into bed and I got the top bunk of the squeakiest bed ever. If i moved an inch it made the loudest nails-on-a-chalkboard sound that I'm pretty sure kept everyone awake all night. Anyway, the next morning we got up early and headed into the main part of town to go to the LOUVRE! On our way there we got a call from Lauren and LJ to meet them there. After about 45 minutes of trying to find them we met right outside the huge triangle in front of the Louvre, it was like out of a movie. I was sooo happy to see them. I was so distracted with seeing them we were having a hard to focusing on the Louvre so we went to grab some lunch to chat it up. We walked down the Champ d Elysses and found this packed little cafe where absolutely no one spoke English and as we quickly found out we really don't know an ounce of French. So after the struggle of a life time and some much needed Starbuckswe headed back to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa, the Sphinx, the Venus de Milo and all the good stuff.

Afterward we took what we thought was going to be a pretty short quick walk to the Eiffel Tower ended up being a good hour. But were really excited to see it. It was waaay bigger than I ever imagined. We took a few pics and went back to our hostel to rest up. Later we met up for dinner with Aidan (who Lauren's friend who they were staying with) and the girls. We had the classic French dinner with some wine. After stuffing ourselves we headed back to the Eiffeltower to see it at night, with yet some more wine. It was soo beautiful at night, way better than in the day and at midnight it sparkled! I'll put a picture of it at the bottom. We spent a good hour there and then decided to grab a crepe and call it a night....I already miss the crepes...a lot. Nickie and I headed back to the hostel and fell asleep the second our heads hit the pillow. We walked sooo much.

The next morning we got up early again and met up with LJ, Lauren and Aidan and he toured us all around the good stuff. We went to Notre Dame which was of course gorgeous and we got to go inside for free which was cool. The stained glass was incredible...but after seeing so many cathedrals so far in Europe it wasn't as overwhelming as I thought it would be. We walked around and went to a holocaust memorial which was really touching, shopped a bit and then grabbed some lunch at the coziest, cutest little creperia. I had a ham, cheese, and lettuce crepe which was absolutely delicious. Then for the 3rd time we made the hike back to the Eiffel Tower so that we could climb to the top. After waiting in like for a good half hour we made the 668 stair climb to the second floor to take the lift to the top floor. Since I've discovered this fear of heights being on top of the Eiffel Tower was semi-frightening, but it was definitely worth it to see a 360 view of Paris. It is seriously the most beautiful city I have ever seen. We were freezing being all the way up there so we grabbed another crepe and headed back to the hostel for a shower. Later we met up again for dinner in this cute little restaurant district where we grabbed some italian food. I had mushroom ravioli and it was A-mazing. Apparently the French really know how to do Italian. After some tiramisu and a chocolate souffle we went to see the Arc Di Triumph which was yet again...gorgeous. I'm really running out of adjectives to describe Europe. But it is such a strange feeling to be in a place and see something you have read or heard about your whole life. It's so weird that now I can say I have been to the top of the Eiffel Tower or that I walked through the same Arch that Hitler did 50 years ago. Its just so surreal and there is nothing like it.

Anyway, after taking a few touristy pics at Moulin Rouge and grabbing a quick glass of wine inMonmarte we said our good-byes and called it night. Nickie and I wandered back through the streets home and got to see the Sacre Cour which is by far the coolest church I have seen yet, and got to soak up the cozy little neighborhood that is Monmarte. If i could bring my family and friends I would live in Paris in a heart beat. The city has such a cool vibe and the people were way nicer than they are made out to be...maybe its because were American girls...but they were all so accommodating and friendly. The buildings were incredible, however the cold would get to you. Coming from 70 and sunny to 45 and cloudy was quite a shock. But it was soo great to see LJ and Lauren, but I am spoiled and get to see them again this weekend! I even get to see Abbie and Holly. Can not WAIT to show them Barcelona, their going to love it! I will definitely update after the crazy weekend I am about to spend with them ...8 Deltas in Barca..going to be crazy.

I forgot to say that I went to a FC Barcelona game last night and it was waaay fun, except for the fact that we lost. We played this russian team that I can't remember the name of and we were definitely favored to win, but oh well. It was still such a fun experience, especially for my firstfutbol game, except I have to say that the fans weren't nearly as rowdy as their made out to be. Maybe its because it wasn't an important game, but I was kind of disappointed. Anyways I had a great time with Gracie, Gillian, Lizzie and Nickie and would love to do it again!!! Aaand more big news, my Mom is officially coming to see me in December, yay Mom!!!!

Blogger isnt letting me upload pics to I'll try again soon!

Good news!!!

After a good weekend, with some much needed rest so I could finally get over my cold I got some amazing news today. This weekend Nickie and I are headed to Paris. It was supposed to be four of us...but it ended up only being her and I which was totally fine..however, I found out today that LJ and Lauren are both going to be there too! What a crazy coincidence! So the four of us will be spending the weekend in Paris. I thought I would have to wait 2 more weeks before I could see them but, nope its this weekend!!

Anyways its definitely been a good week. I'm feeling a lot more at home here, like I just live here now. School has been kind of a pain but thats ok. I'm getting things accomplished for my major so I can't really complain. A few of us hiked Tibidabo this weekend (the only mountain in Barcelona) and that was was pretty! Its been kind of a quiet week since I got sick. I went out on Friday night and met up with my friend Nicole from high school and some of the Spaniards that came to stay at Bellarmine for a few weeks when I was a senior. It was weird to be with all of them. Took me back to the old days. We had an amazing night, we went to a club called Shoko and then to a dance club called Catwalk. It was very typical Barcelona, tons of people and staying out till 5 am. I don't know how they survive. This week is a short week since today was Columbus Day we didn't have school and we don't school this Friday so Nickie and I are skipping a few classes Thursday and ditching out early for Paris to be reunited with LJ and Lauren on Friday morning...I am sooo excited! And then I get to see them again the following weekend and more Redlands people the weekend after! I don't know how I'm going to get any school work done!

Missing everyone like usual and I will definitely update after Paris!!! Get ready to see pics of me at the Eiffel Tower.

Firenze y Pisa!

Bongiorno! I have no idea if thats how you spell that. Anyways, it's Monday night, well I guess Tuesday morning at 2 am. I cant sleep and I'm thinking its because I took a two hour nap today but I'm still sooo exhausted so I'm not exactly sure what the deal is, even though I haven't been sleeping very much for the past few weeks now...annoying. Buuut I just got back from Florence yesterday and it was seriously incredible! We (meaning me, Nickie and Gracie) left on Friday at around 4..took the train to Girona bus station then a bus to the Girona airport, from there we got on the plane and flew to Pisa, Italy where we took a bus into Florence and finally a taxi to our hostel. All in all it took us around 6 hours just to get there. The hostel was pretty funny. It felt just like summer camp, we checked in and the guy at the front handed us our sheets and our towel for the weekend as well as our room keys. When we walked in the room there were already 4 people asleep so we had to stumble around the room and make our beds before we finally got to sleep! In the morning we got up early and walked aimlessly to find some breakfast. After a cappuccino and a croissant we headed into town toward the Duomo. Florence is tiny so we walked around every where. On our way to the duomo we ran into tons of cute little market places and plazas so I took a ton of pictures on the way. When we got there it was 8 euro to go to the top but we wanted to do it. So we paid 8 euro to literally scale (not climb) 436 stairs. It was intense. But totally worth it once we got to the top. We immeadiately took in a 360 degree view of Florence that was absolutely breath taking. We stood up there for a good 25 minutes and I took about a 1000 pictures. The climb down was a lot scarier than the way up, some of the flights of stairs were really steep like you were climbing a ladder. We stopped inside the dome to look at the ceiling that was painted by Michealangalo himself. It depicted the limbo between heaven and hell. I didn't stay for long because we were pretty high up and I was a little freaked.

At the top of the Duomo we spotted this huge market street so naturally we went to find it. After about 30 minutes we found this huuuge stretch of little tent covered shops. I could have spent days there and about a billion dollars. I bought a little purse, a cheap scarf and some sunglasses that were all for a pretty good price. Afterward we met up with one of Nickie's friends from high school, Christiana, for lunch. She took us to this cute little cafe and then showed us around the city. But the best part was when she took us to this 1 euro gelato place that was seriously amazing. I got cookies and cream and I dont think I've ever had anything better. Since we'd gotten in so late the night before the 3 of us made the trek back to the hostel took a 2 hour nap and got ready for dinner. We found a little cafe down the street and Gracie and I both got pizza. It was delicious. Way different than the pizza in the States a lot less filling but seriously amazing. I ate the entire thing and it was pretty big. We also split a bottle of wine which was also delicious.

After dinner we headed into town to meet up with some of Gracie's friends at a little bar. It was weird in Florence because EVERYONE spoke english, which I thought was so weird being that Florence is way smaller and less cosmopolitan then Barcelona and no one speaks english here. But it was really nice that we didn't have to struggle with Italian anywhere we went. Although, we did struggle with the Italian men..they are another story. I'm sure Dad is thanking his lucky stars I'm not in Italy. Anyways we didnt stay out late cause we had to get up early the next morning to check out. We decided that we were going to head back into Pisa early for our flight to check out the leaning tower and explore a little bit. But of course when we got there the weather started to turn. We made it to the tower which was really cool! I didn't expect it to be leaning so much. There were tons of tourist and of course we took the classic pic next to the tower like were trying to hold it up. We had lots of time to kill because as we learned there isn't much in Pisa besides the tower. So we went to get lunch, Gracie and I both had pizza again and we both finished the entire things, again. As we were eating it started to torrentially downpour so we sat and watched it rain for a good hour and when it stopped we made a break for it to the bus and back to the airport when it really started to pour, and that was the end of our trip to Italy! It was a quick one but weirdly I was ready to be back in Barcelona and get a good nights sleep (which I have yet to get) in my own bed. Alrighty I'm going to attempt to go to sleep now, I have a long week of school ahead of me...lots of reading and a stupid spanish test on Wednesday. Congratulations to all the new Deltas!!!! Can't wait too meet you all!!

me holding up the leaning tower (sideways..I couldn't figure out how to rotate it)
The river (can't remember the name of it though)
The view from the duomo
Gracie, Nickie and I
The painting inside the duomo.

Florence bound!

Alrighty I'm going to make this kinda short because I have had a long week and am exhausted! These past two weeks have been crazy. We had a long weekend..4 days this past week because of Merce and so it was four nights of going out on the town. It was really fun just very exhausting and am definitely ready to get out of Barcelona for a couple days. Tomorrow we leave at around 6 to take the train to Girona and then fly from there to Pisa where we take a bus to Florence. We end up getting into Florence around 11. I've been googling it like crazy and I can not wait! I'm mostly excited for the food though! Not that I don't love spanish food I'm just ready for something different. Here all the restaurants basically sell the same type of food...tapas and sandwiches with cheese and ham or paella. There isn't much variety. Anyways I am ready for some pizza and wine (yep thats for you mom). Its going to be me and Nickie and then our friend Gracie thats from Colorado College. It'll be fun. Next weekend were going to Valencia I think. We haven't booked the train yet but were going to. I've heard its beautiful. Then the following weekend were going to Paris and the weekend after that the Salzburg group comes then its Halloween and then I think were off to London. With all this traveling time is going to start flying by! Which is going to be a good thing because these past few weeks have felt very long...I love Barcelona but you can only do so much here! I'm ready to get out into Europe! Anyways I have been neglecting writing a very long e-mail to Jamie so I am gonna get on that and I will write after Florence and definitely put up so pics!

So much to say!

Ok so I have a million things to write about so this going to be a long one! First of all I had my study trip this past weekend with my program to Girona and the Costa Brava. We were all seperated into 3 different groups and each group went to a different place on each day since theres like 300 people in my program. Anyways so I was group two with my new friend Alison from Colorado College and her friend Helen from school, anyway we went to this place called Jonquera first and went to see the Exile Museum or the Museu de Exilios, which is about the expulsion of Jews during the civil war of Spain, unfortunately my friends and I decided to go out the night before to this amazing bar called La Ovella Negra and had a little too much sangria. So since the whole museum was written in Catalan we decided to grab some cafe con leches instead... oops. But after getting some much needed caffeine our group leader informed us that we were heading to a little town called Coillure in France for lunch! I was so excited to visit my 3rd country in Europe! But this little town was the most picturesque beachside town ever. It was the definition of a postcard. We walked around for hours and stopped and grabbed some lunch, I got mussels and french fries (which were delicious) and we all split a bottle of wine (I mean we were in France, why not?). The poeple were so sweet and friendly the whole experience was just adorable. We also got to see the grave of the famous poet Antonio Machado, who I had never heard of but the graveyard was pretty cool. Afterward we headed into Girona where we would be staying the night and had an enormous feast of salmon and pasta for dinner.

The next morning we explored the city of Girona which is famous for its roman ruins and its jewish quarters We got a tour guide for the day and got to go in the Roman cathedral which was probably the coolest cathedral ive been in thus far. It was enormous and has the widest nave in all of europe. Girona was really cool cause it is a place with funny little stories and superstitions, like on the side of the cathedral there is a gargoyle called "witch of Girona" who is supposedly a woman who walked around cursing so much god made her into a gargolye so water would run through her mouth and clean it of its filthy words. After seeing some Arab baths which wasn't that interesting and just kind of gross Alison, Helen and I grabbed some sangria and delicious tapas for lunch. Girona also has really well perserved remains of the Roman city wall so we got to walk on top of the city walls and soak up the beautiful view of the city. After a long day of walking we headed back to the hotel for another yummy dinner of caprese salad, curry chicken and a baked apple with rice pudding ( a traditional Catalan dish) for desert, needless to say I had some amazing food this trip. Afterward Helen, Alison and some other girls from Santa Clara and me went out on the town in Girona which was definitely more low key then what I have experienced in Barcelona. We went to this cute little local Irish Pub where there were wasted Irish men watching a futbol game singing Amazing Grace and Simon and Garfunkel, it was hilarious, but we were all exhausted so we didnt stay out late.

The following day we headed into Figueres to see the Salvador Dali Museum or La Teatre-Museu Dali. This was by far the coolest part of the trip. I really didnt know much about Dali just that he was famous for his melty clocks paintings but I definitely know more now. He was a freaking genius. He used an old theater for his museum and designed the entire thing the way he wanted it. It was insane, everything was soo weird and so random. Right when you walk in theres this absurd exhibition of the play on the Spanish words Car and Naval..so carnival, I can't even explain it. Although everything was really weird no one could deny his talent. The works he accomplished in his lifetime is seriously mind blowing. I could have spent days there, I loved it. After the museum we headed to this tiny midevil town called Besalu which is famous for the Roman bridge that takes you into the city. I need to figure out how to put pictures on this thing because it was indescribably beautiful and overwhelmingly charming. I took about a hundred pictures..I'm going to attempt to put some up! Anyways, after that we headed to Cadaques which was the place where Dali grew up and lived. We didnt go into his house but I can imagine that its probably just as weird as the museum was. Afterward, we spent a few hours wandering around Cadaques, this cute little beachside town and then boarded the bus to finally head home. We were the last bus to arrive at 9:30 at night and as I told my mom I have seriously never experienced the weather that I did that night. This is surprising given that I from Tacoma but I have never seen it rain that hard...ever, and naturally I got to walk to the metro with my rolly suitcase in a complete torrential downpour...it was actually kind of hilarious how hard it was raining. Anyway aside from that I would say the trip was a definite success and I got to meet a lot of people which was good!

This week has been all sorts of exiciting. I only had 3 days of school because this weekend is La Merce which is Barcelona's biggest festival celebrating their patron Saint. Since its a four day weekend a lot of kids are going out of town but Nickie, Gina, Kelly and I decided to stay here and enjoy the festival! I'll definitely update afterward, I've heard its pretty crazy!! Today for class I had to go to the Musue d'la Cituat and see the old Roman ruins of the city. The museum is located in the Barrio Gotico which is where the orginal Roman city was and it is by far the best part of the city, I could get lost there for days. But the museum was pretty cool, we did an audio tour and learned all about Roman Barcelona. They perserved and renovated this entire section of the old Roman city ruins and have it undergound in the museum, I wish I could have taken pictures because this stuff was old!! Its weird that Barcelona is a young city by European standards but was created in 10 bc..I mean really. Anyways afterward Kim and I got churros con chocolate for the first time and I really wish I hadn't gotten it because now I am definitely hooked. The chocolate here is seriously amazing.

But now for the most exciting news..I booked my Salzburg flight! YAY!!!!! I am going the 25th of November to the 29th so I get to have Thanksgiving with the besties in Austria! It pains me how much I miss them. I get to see them on October 23rd though cause they are coming to Barcelona which is going to be absolutely amazing! I can't even express how excited I am!! Ok so I think I've pretty much got this all up to date..here are some pics from my trip:

Helen, me and Alison at the Irish Pub in Girona
One of the weird random exhibits at the Dali Museum!
Besalu! (How beautiful huh?)
The Cathedral of Girona
Coillure, France

Back to School, Back to School!

So I just finished my 3rd official day of classes..heres what my schedule looks like:

Monday and Wednesday --> 9:00 am Barcelona: The Cosmopolitan City

        10:45 am Spanish Intermediate II

Tuesday and Thursday--> 10:45 am History of Contemporary Europe

3:45 pm Introduction to the European Union

5:30 pm Democracy in Western Europe

Yeah my Tuesday and Thursday are rough. Here they don't have any classes between 12:15 and 3:45 (except for some random Spanish classes). So I have this huge three and a half hour break between classes on some days. Luckily I'm done at 12:15 on Monday and Wednesday's which is really nice. I think I'm going to really like m classes. I have the same teacher for my EU class and my Democracy class, he seems really laid back which is nice because those were the two classes I was worried most about. He's from Turkey and has a very thick accent. I think that my history class is going to be extremely boring, the teacher doesn't seem to much into discussion but loves really boring lectures. My spanish class is good. I started that the 4th day I got to Barcelona. However, our teacher only speaks in spanish, which is ok for me because I think I tested into a lower spanish than I should have but all of the other students seem a little lost. She barely understands any English at all which is hard when your trying to understand a difficult concept and you keep getting it explained to you in the same language you don't understand. But I think we will all get used to it. One thing I did not expect in being here is exactly how much I would be using my spanish. I hear it soo much throughout the day from my Senora, from my teachers, from people in stores and randoms on the streets. Its good but a little overwhelming at times.

Today Nickie, Gina and I went to on a search to find this cookie shop that Gina had seen by the Picasso Museum and this couple heard us speaking english and asked us for directions! It was exciting because were actually able to answer their questions like people who actually live in Barcelona. We found out later we gave them the wrong directions but it was cool that they came to us! ;). I also found out when the Salzburg kids are coming to visit..October 23rd! I am seriously counting down the days but this definitely means I need to get to work on finding the good places to eat and get cheap drinks (their used to 1 euro beers and shots, we definitely don't have that here). I am so excited to see them and hear all about everything! These every once in awhile e-mail's and skype sessions are not doing the trick! I think about them every day and miss them soo much!

This weekend all of our program is heading to Girona and Costa Brava. Unfortunately it's supposed to rain on and off all weekend which kind of sucks but it should still be a good time. I don't really know anyone thats in my group except for one girl thats in my Spanish class so at least it will force me to make friends which is definitely a good thing! Since Nickie was sick we haven't really gone out at all or really made an effort to get out there but tonight we are officially going out on the town and tomorrow were going over to Lizzie and Gillian's apartment to make dinner and go out afterward. I have some high hopes for this week! I'll update when I get back from Costa Brava. Missing my little one so much! You too Mom and Dad!

Castelldefel y Sitges= Heaven

So yesterday started out pretty terribly, I woke up thinking me, Nickie, Gina, Kelly, Jill and her roomate Kim were all going to go to Castelldefels together, but I woke up to a text from Jill that she was sick and Nickie wasn't feeling well enough to go, which meant not only that we didn't get to enjoy their company but that the cost of the hotel would go up as well. And on top of all this my host mom informed me it was going to rain this whole weekend. So I went into the whole thing with a horrible attitude almost on the verge of tears AGAIN because it felt like nothing had been going right. Starting first with the fact that I accidently booked a hotel outside of Sitges but 10 minutes away by train in Castelldefels which would make going out in Sitges pretty much impossible since the train only runs till midnight. However, things started to get so much better the second we got to the train station. The train ended up costing way less than we thought it would, only 1.30 euro. Then we got off at Castelldefels and took a 5 euro taxi ride to the cutest little hotel ever. We werent sure they would let us cancel one of our rooms since there were only 4 of us instead of 6, but they were soo nice and let us stay in only 1 room so we each only had to pay 14 euro! 

After we checked in and put our stuff into the room we walked about a half a mile through the town to the beach. But first we stopped at a little local restaurant and all shared a picture of Sangria. Castelldefels is the cutest little beach town!! The beach was nice and quiet and I got to put my feet in the Mediterranean for the first time. It seriously felt like bath water, it was soo warm. So we all got settled on the beach and instantly fell asleep in the sun. It was such a nice relaxing day. After the beach we showered off all the sand and headed into town for dinner. We walked down this long boardwalk on the beach and I finally got the mexican food id been craving!! It definitely wasnt the mexican food i was used to but it'll hold me over for a little while. Kim and I each got the cutest little margarita's and afterward we walked through this cute little downtown area with tons of restaurants and a little arcade area and some shopping. We all stopped and got some gelato which Gina said I would have to try at a better place she knows of in Barcelona, but I thought it was pretty good. Afterward we all went back to the hotel and all 4 of us slept sideways on two twin beds, (the things you do to save money in Europe). The next morning we got up and took the train into Sitges.

Sitges is definitely bigger then Catelldefels but still just as cute. There were tons of areas to go shopping but a lot of it was for men, I guess Sitges is known for its Gay scene. We walked around all day and went in a ton of shops and took in the beach side view. I got some post cards and bought Nickie a little magnet cause thats what she has been collecting throughout Europe to make her feel better. At around 3 we were all exhausted and took the train back home. So all in all the trip ended up being soo much better then I thought it was gonna be. Nothing went wrong and that definitely lifted my spirits and put me in such a good mood when we got back to Barcelona that Kim and I went for a little run at this area right next to our house where everyone rides bikes and jogs. It was really cool and it felt good to run a little bit. My mom told me i need to start exercising so I don't get sick. Anyways Nickie and I are gonna watch a movie tonight! Missing all my delta girls sooo much...hope Jungle Jam was a blast and good luck with En Fuego!!!!

Besos!

Swine Flu

So Nickie came down with some sort of illness the other day. She had a fever and all sorts of problems. We thought she would be ok so we were gonna see if she got better in one day and then go to the doctor today if she still wasnt feeling well. But then Angela decided itd be better if she saw the doctor yesterday and when she came back she informed that shed been diagnosed with the Swine flu....just kidding but she did have some sort of flu that lots of Americans have been getting since we got here. Its called gastrointitis or something like that and its from traveling and eating weird food and stuff. Anyways she had to miss a couple days of spanish class so i had to use the metro on my own which was a little scary but pretty fun! I went shopping yesterday with Gina and Kelly (two girls from highschool) and we walked all around La Rambla area and I got a cheap dress and some shorts I desperately needed. When I got back I tired to put some minutes onto my cell phone cause I ran out so i went to orange store (my cell phone company) near my house and for some reason theres always a ton of people in there. So i waited and 20 minutes later finally i was next but this lady came in and sat down next to me and when the guy was ready to help the next person she cut right in front of me and took my turn! it was like i wasnt even there...it was so weird. I know its not that big of a deal but its one huge difference ive noticed here, that people just arent as polite and dont really care about strangers or other people. Its really weird and difficult when your an american who really relies on their help.

Anyways tomorrow we are going to Sitges to get some beach time in before the weather changes. I hope Nickie should be totally fine to go. Classes finally start on Monday. I feel like I have waaay too much time on my hands and need to get into a routine or im gonna start going crazy. Itll also be nice to finally make some friends. I love Nickie and Jill but I really want to start branching out..i feel like a freshman again and its not a good feeling! Anyways I'm staying in again tonight but im for sure going out again on Saturday. I need to get over this homesick thing. Angela says that its really intense for the first two weeks and then it gets much better. I already am completely in love with the city i just need people to share it with!

Nickie and I are trying to plan our trips but having never done this kind of thing before its been really difficult! We know where we want to go its just how to get there and where to stay and what to do and when to go. Our program doesnt really help us at all which is really frusterating. They have option field trips but I dont want to be toured around really and their kind of expensive. Sop hopefully we will figure it out, its  pretty expensive so i probably wont be going a ton of places. Anyways Im gonna go watch a movie with my sicky roomie and I'll update after sitges!!!

Back on the Upside

After one really rough Sunday, I am back to my happy self. We were out till 5:30 on Saturday night and had kind of a weird night, but we slept until 3:00 the next day and pretty much laid around all day which I've decided is something I cannot do. Right now I feel like what's best for me is to stay busy and go out in the city. Whenever I stay still I get overwhelmed with missing my friends and family and all of the conveniences of being home. I saw how all of my friends in Salzy are having so much fun together and I just miss them all so much, even though I know its good for me to get out there on my own and I will never ever regret deciding to come to Barcelona. But everyone says that the first week is really difficult and they were definitely right. Today has given me hope! For IES we were supposed to go on a scavenger hunt throughout the city with our Spanish class which is like our homeroom. I think its a way to get to know the city and your classmates as well. But when we got the list it was seriously insane how much they wanted us to do so after the first stop the majority of us decided to get drinks a little bar and get to know each other better and they are all amazing! Everyone was so friendly and open and really wanted to get to know each other. We made plans to go out together tonight to a little place called Chupitos where shots are one Euro each (don't worry mom I won't go crazy). But I guess its a huge deal here so were going to check it out! I finally feel like I have some friends, Nickie and Jill are amazing and all I just wanted to feel apart of the group!

On Friday Nickie, Jill, me and buch of other girls who live near Jill from our program went out together. We went a little early because we wanted to find a little local place to get some drinks beforehand. After wandering around forever in the coolest area ever that was right by the beach we found a little place and stayed there for a good 2 hours until it was 2:30 and time to go to Opium Mar which is this insane club on the beach. It was seriously out of a movie. There were dancers up on platforms in crazy dresses and blasting techno music with strobe lights. I was not expecting that at all! It was fun but not something I'm going to want to do every weekend because its hard to keep track of people and its really loud, you definitely have to be in the right kind of mood. But it fulfills every definition of what people have told me about Barcelona. Anyways thats what's new with me! I'll update soon! 

Besos

When in Rome

Tonight is the first night I am officially going out. Last night I was going to go to a club with everyone but unfortunately the food here in Barcelona caught up with me and I was down for the count. I still feel a little woozy but am not so bad that I can't go out tonight. Its so weird because we aren't supposed to be at the club until 2:00 am, that is really late. But as my saying has been for this whole trip, "When in Rome" or I guess.. "When in Barcelona." We just got done with a delicious yet exhausting dinner. Angela has a rule where at dinner we all sit down together and listen to her speak Spanish so that we learn more. Its easier for Nickie to understand but by the end of them I am absolutely exhausted because it takes soo much concentration to understand what she's saying. So afterward I lie down and blog for awhile to recover :). She says that every night were going to have different Spanish food so that we can really get into the culture which I am going to love. It is definitely worth being so stressed out with the Spanish because she is an amazing cook! Nickie and I try not to eat as much during the day so we can truly enjoy dinner..tonight we had a dish called Pollo Tinieador, its a traditional Andulician dish that is delicious, we had some gazpacho as well.

Today after orientation Nickie, Gina and Kelly and I went to grab some hot chocolate which is something I have really wanted to do. Spain is very well known for their chocolate. We all got choclata suiza con nata. Its really good but very rich and dense. The chocolate here is genuine and they don't add a lot of sugar or milk so its pretty bitter. It definitely takes some getting used to but I can appreciate it. 

I caught up with Lauren's blog today and I heard from LJ and it sounds like their having an amazing time already! I miss them soo much and it feels so weird to be going through an experience like this without them and Jackie. But hopefully I will visit them very soon. I feel like a part of me is missing! But Nickie is the perfect stand in...we've been having a good time together. Tomorrow were thinking of spending the day at the beach, I'm not exactly sure how thats going to work out if were aren't going to the club until 2 but we will see!! Anyways I will definitely let everyone know tomorrow that I am alive, I'm a little worried myself. Missing everyone so much. Muchos besos y tienen una buena noche!

Day numero tres

Hola! Right now I'm sitting in Nickie's room waiting for my Senora Angela to cook us dinner. Today has been sooo busy. I feel like I haven't stopped walking since before I got to Portugal. It's definitely different than the U.S. in that way, everyone walks everywhere or uses the metro which Nickie and I have gotten pretty good at. We bought an unlimited month pass so we can use the metro as many times as we want. Which is really nice because where we go to school is a good 15 minute train ride. We underestimated the time this morning and were a little late to our orientation, which ended up being fine cause the whole thing was just to go over what we've already been told a zillion times, don't bring guests home, watch out for pick pockets and no hard alcohol where your staying. But we can have the normal amount thats accepted locally of wine and beer, so naturally Nickie and I went out today and bought a couple bottles of wine which was pretty fun. After orientation we went shopping in Las Ramblas and then we went grocery shopping at this amazing store near our house. Its located underneath this shopping mall and it has all these different types of shops like a japanese food place, a butcher, a place for cheese and italian food. Its seriously the coolest place ever. We also met up with our RA, Vincence, who showed us around our area and how to  find things. He works for this place that gives him a 40% discount at a really popular store in Europe called Mango so he said he was gonna take us all shopping which is amazing..I'm beginning to feel like I definitely didn't bring enough clothes.

Last night was our first night going out. We had a long of sightseeing with my family, we went to La Sagrada Familia, which is a church designed by Gaudi that is absolutely breathtaking. Its still under construction and wont be finished until 2030. Its seriously enormous. Afterward we went to Parc Guel which is a park also designed by Gaudi. It was cool but it was like 110 degrees out with about 100% humidity. We were all drenched in sweat. So we grabbed some lunch and Nickie and I took the metro home. After a 2 hour nap, the whole family came to meet Angela. We had lots of Sangria and snacks and then headed out to dinner at this amazing restaurant called El Pintor, which was this ritzy little French restaurant. I had salmon with a cream sauce and some apples on top. It was sooo good. Afterward Nickie and I met up with Jill, my best friend from high school who ended up being in a homestay really close to mine, and headed out to a bar called Pipperments. There were tons of Americans there from abroad programs who all seemed to know eachother. For awhile we all just stood there really awkwardly, but then Morgan and Michael met up with us and it actually ended up being a good time! Tonight were going to club with everyone so hopefully that will be better. Anyway, were about to eat dinner so I'll blog soon! Miss everyone!

Estoy en Barcelona!

I just arrived in Barcelona last night after a week long vacation in Portugal. Portugal was amazing! We stayed the first two nights in Lisbon where we just hung around in the city and visited a castle and a palace. At night we went out to dinner in the barrio alto where there are tons of little bars and places to eat and people just get drinks and wander the streets, it was really quaint! The first night we went to a fancy restaurant and I accidently ordered an entire fish, which is an experience I don't want to have again. Then we headed to Evora which is this tiny little walled city and we stayed in a converted convent that was really old. We got a little time by the pool and then spent some time in the city which had some old Roman ruins and lots of old churches. We only stayed there one night, so afterward we headed to the region of Algarve to the town of Albufiera which is a resort area for the British, so basically everyone had an accent. We went to Old Town where its basically one giant party, similar to New Orleans I would imagine. There were tons of people, tons of food and tons of bars. Me, Molly and Mike ordered a couple drinks that came out with a lit sparkler. After some much needed beach time and relaxation we headed to the "End of the World" in Sangres which is the most easstern tip of Europe and where it was thought the world actually ended. We then drove up the coast and back into Lisbon where the following day we would be flying out to Barcelona! So here I am sitting at my desk in my little room of my Senora's, Angela Simon's, little flat. Nickie's room is right next door. Angela is absolutely amazing, she only speaks spanish but her daughter, Melanie who is 33, is home from Madrid cause of a back injury for a month and helps us translate, even though Nickie is pretty much fluent. So, so far so good!! It's really weird that my family is just going to be leaving me here in this foreign country in two days but I'm getting prepared for it. Nickie and I are going to dinner with them tonight so I'm going to get a little nap in before we take the metro to the Plaza de Catalunya where the hotel is! I'll blog again once I get more settled!

Adios para Barcelona!

The Night Before

It is currently 11:01 pm, exactly :59 minutes before the day I leave and I'm sitting in my computer room with my cat on my lap. I'm completely exhausted, partly because she kept me awake last night, but mostly because I have been so anxious and nervous and excited and tense for the past 48 hours. Packing probably contributed to the anxiety but mostly the fact that the moment I've been preparing for for 9 months now is finally here! Eeeeee! I can't wait to get there and get all settled in my homestay with Nickie (the roomate) after having a nice, relaxing vacation with the family in Portugal. Its going to be such an adventure that I can't believe is finally here! See you in Espana!