Go on, Get Happy

I have to say that getting really sick is a quick way to a slight depression. I don't even feel like I should be that sick. But every time I go to eat something, I feel exhausted and even worse.  What? Food can't make me feel better?! It's like saying, well I can't think of anything right now, but something that is mind blowing and not even possible.  And no offense Spain, but your food here is not what I would consider "comfort food."  I went to the store to try to find a can of chicken noodle soup, surely that would be something I could eat. Nope, not in stores. What? My mistake was going with my natural instincts & weakness & getting Nutella. Whoops. Don't worry I paid for that one later. So, ya, ya, enough of this self pity, what's the point?  Well, after about 5 days of this sulking & just feeling down, I've decided to end it. Maybe, I can will myself into feeling better. So anyways, here is my remedy for feeling a little bit better about the day.

Step 1: Music. Emphasis on Fleetwood Mac, Pat Benetar, aka, Classic Rock, with some Lifehouse & The Script thrown in. No offense J-Biebs, but your music is just not gonna do it today.

Step 2: Instead of talking to myself, talk to someone else? Not really convinced anyone besides my mom reads this, but hey Mom!  Decided if I talk about happy times, I will feel happier ya know?

Step 3: Pinterest Inspirational Quotes. Emphasis on quotes only, every recipe I see has the opposite reaction. I was going to pick a quote to put on here, but can't make up my mind, so you can just check out my board yourself. Favorite Sayings

Step 4: Jimmy Kimmel videos. Check out these I find just hilarious.  Lie Detective. This one really gets me. Silverstoning.  And the cutest kids ever. You Sneaky Mom!  My poor kids someday are in for some pranks. And now I've just gotten sidetracked by YouTube, but hey I feel a little better.

Step 5: Jenna Marble YouTube videos. All of them have inappropriate words, but hey still funny.

Step 6: GLEE! And any other video I have on my iPod (Getting expensive :S). 

Step 7: Browse pictures of my amazing friends & family. I'm so blessed to have them.

Step 8: Should be number 1, but I'm human, so I get selfish sometimes & have been wallowing in my sadness of sickness. Count your blessings!!! Especially since Thanksgiving is coming up. Goodness, the many things I have to be thankful for are infinite!! Amazing family (a tad loco en la cabeza, eh?), my amazing boyfriend (who I get to see in 2 days, beyond excited, I think that's why time is passing so slowly), my amazing friends (both old & true, and new), my amazing support system (church family, community, just everyone who has believed in me), my list goes on and on. Thank you everyone for all of the love.

Wow. Now I feel much better <3

The Hangover: Moroccan Edition

Well, what a whirlwind the past month has been. I will post a separate blog about my amazing Mom and her visit here with me, which I have been meaning to do a lot more of (blogging).  However, the day my mom left to go home is also the day I departed for a crazy whirlwind week in Morocco that included many, many, hours on a bus, a camel ride through the Moroccan desert, and apparently the consumption of some food that leaves your stomach in a horrible, sad, state. I will save you all of the lovely details, and most would say it shouldn't be mentioned at all.  But let's just say, it's a big part of the experience, and if you happen to take a trip to Morocco it is a part of the experience you won't forget.  So I have been hit with the Moroccan Hangover as some call it, and have not been able to each much more than a few bites of bread or pasta for the past several days.  I didn't drink any of the Moroccan water, or eat any food that hadn't been cooked, so I have no idea why I feel so awful. But the doctor gave me some medicine, and hopefully I will be on the track to recovery asap! :)

Also, I've spent my day watching "Rock of Ages" an awesome, some may say cheesy, musical including 80s music. Rocking out to 80's music is one heck of a way to make you feel better. Also, as soon as I get back to the USA, I'm having an 80's themed party, and everyone is invited!

Mind Wide Open... A Weekend in Barcelona

What a crazy, busy, fun, adventurous, unexpected weekend I had!  Barcelona was fantastic and I spent this past weekend wandering around this vibrant city with my eyes wide open, literally.  As I reflect on all that I saw and did this weekend, I think I learned one important lesson.  The best kind of expectations, are no expectations.  It is best to go with an open mind and open eyes and let the city reveal itself to you, without having any preconceived notions.
 
I booked my flight to Barcelona on a bit of a whim.  It wasn't a city that was on my "I have to go there" lists, but I had a free weekend, the tickets were cheap, and I heard a lot of other students were going, and thought to myself, "Why not?"  I had no reasons not to and so Friday morning I arrived in Barcelona.

I had not done much research as to what the city had to offer, I knew of the Sagrada de Familia, and thought what the heck, I'll see what happens.  My roommate usually does enough investigating for the both of us and has an itinerary in mind, and so I say, I'm along for the ride and ready for whatever Barcelona has in store.  We wandered along as we pleased and got some good advice from some friends about purchasing a two day pass for the tourist bus that goes all along the city.  Normally, we don't like to be classified as "tourists" but it turned out to be the best way to see Barcelona's best.

Day 1


Sagrada de Familia: What a sight! This is such an interesting building, I could stand there for hours and not notice each detail of it.  The old part combined with the new and the ongoing construction make for an added curiosity, wondering what the final product will look like.  There are so many ornate figures, fruits, and words all over the building.  It is a little scary looking at first, but you cannot help but stand and look in awe of it.  The lines were too long to view the inside, but the outside was spectacular.  I stood there looking at all of the surrounding people, bustling about, and one thing came to my mind, "If you build it, they will come."  Yes, yes they will.

Siesta Time!!! Always important to stay rested. Some people always say, get out there, you can sleep when you're dead.  Yes, but you can't tour the city or have any fun when you are sick. So sleep for me, is always a number one priority.  And so far, I have not gotten sick. Knock on wood.





 

Fuente Mugica: The Magic Fountain!! At night, this giant fountain puts on an incredible show of lights, and truly magical colors.  It was pouring rain during the show, good thing I had my umbrella!



 Dinner Time: We scoured Las Ramblas for a reasonably priced and delicious dinner.  Many places were closed due to the holiday in Spain (The day that Christopher Columbus returned, I think). We did manage to find a place with lasagna and delicious sangria!

Out & About: I met up with some friends for a birthday and went to a specialty shot bar, Chupitos.  A popular one was one lit on fire. I didn't stay out late, because I knew I would have a long day, and I managed to snag a taxi all by myself! 

Day 2

Sagrada de Familia to Bus Turistica: We purchased our tourist bus ticket and boarded the Blue Line to discover what the northern part of Barcelona had to offer. 

Park Guell:  This gorgoues park designed by famous architect Gaudi was full of whimsical buildings, colorful mosaics, and beautiful greenery.  It had a spectacular view of Barcelona and you can see the colorful mosaic theme on everything in the souvenir shops all throughout Barcelona.

 Bus Tour:  We then returned to the tour bus that took us throughout the northern part of Barcelona.  It was a great way to see so many of the sights in limited amount of time we have.  We got to see the Barcelona Futbol stadium which is the biggest in all of Europe.

Lunch: It was about 4pm by the time we decided to have lunch.  We ended up in Plaza Catalunya and decided that The Hard Rock Cafe sounded amazing.  Many people may criticism eating American food while in a place like Barcelona.  However, I think that Basque food is way better than Spanish food, and I'd like to see anyone born in raised in farm country go 2 months without a decent hamburger.  This girl has gotta have some beef!


Las Ramblas Walk & Market:  After lunch we walked down the famous street of La Rambla, enjoying the many different sights and vendors along the way.  We stopped in at a giant market that had endless fruit, vegetables, meat, sweets, bread, eggs; anything you could want or think of, it was in there.

Chocolate Museum!!! From the La Rambla we walked to the Museo Xocolate. They gave you a bar of chocolate as your ticket, and it was full of the history of chocolate, and sculptures of chocolate.  If you know anything about me, then you know, I loved this place! And afterwards, we stopped in for some hot chocolate and churros. Great way to end the day, so we returned to the hostel to get some much needed rest for the next day in Barcelona!

Day 3

I got breakfast from a nearby bakery and met some wonderful people. The men at the bakery kept saying, Qué guapa! Beautiful beautiful! Probably just because they don't see many tall blondes walking around, but it is quite flattering ;) They had some pretty delicious fruit muffins and fresh baked chocolate crossiants. Yum! We had a big day planned out, and headed to the Cathedral to watch a dance they do every Sunday around noon.  However, I was not feeling very good at all for some reason, and was not up for walking around much at all.  So after seeing the people dance in front of the Cathedral, I hopped onto the bus tour.  I didn't want to miss out on everything Barcelona had to offer just because I wasn't feeling well!






Montjuic Funicular:  I opted out of many of the bus stops, but knew that I wanted to take the Funicular up to the top of Montjuic.  It was definitely worth it! You could see every part of Barcelona from the castle at the top. From the Sagrada, to the beach, to the ports, you were able to see all of the views of Barcelona!

 

 Le'Aquarium:  After a small sandwich for lunch, I was beginning to feel a bit better and wanted to do something fun.  I decided it would be great to go to the Aquarium to get a look at the different types of creatures under the sea! I loved the colorful fishies and the big sharks! 







Porto Olimpio: The next bus stop for me was the Port Olympia.  I saw many different boats and fun bars.  It was definitely a different feel than the rest of Barcelona.  I walked on the beach for a little bit, and dipped my toes in the water! It was pretty cold!

I made my last stop from the bus near the Santa Maria del Mar, a beautiful church that I stumbled upon while walking.  I was planning on going to the Picasso Museum, but the line was so long I opted out.  I instead went to a small museum about the prehistoric times in Spain. Then I wandered around walking, stopped in for a napolitana here, souvenirs there.  I had dinner on La Rambla in a nice restaurant, chicken and potatoes, and a glass of wine.  It was a wonderful way to cap off my weekend in Barcelona.

The view from our hostel

I left Barcelona with a great feeling, it was so much better than I could've imagined.  There were so many great things to see and do, and a great diversity of activities for anyone. I went in with no expectations about the sights, and was definitely pleasantly surprised.  The important thing to remember is to always keep your eyes and your mind wide open to all the new experiences that life has to offer.

Look out, he'll getcha.

 

The Basque Language: Euskera

Before arriving in Bilbao, I knew that the Basque country of Spain was unique.  A culture of people who are proud of their unique qualities and characteristics found only in the Basque country.  One vital part of this culture is the Basque language.  Before I got here, I thought oh sure, it's just a different dialect or a couple words are different, like pop or soda, dinner or supper.  Boy, was I wrong.  Turns out Basque is completely different and has no connections to any other European languages.  The good news is, everyone here speaks Spanish, and the signs are written in both Spanish and Basque, but let me just give you a few examples of just how complicated it would ever be to learn Basque, or EUSKERA (ay-oo-scare-uh).  Now it is not easy to remember any Basque words, but one that will always come in handy is AUPA (oh-pa).  This is a common salutation or just can be said anytime.  It is kinda like saying "Cheers" or "Blessings."  Either way, it means good things.  I have also been able to remember how to say hello, CAIXO (kai-show), and the word for bathrooms, KOMUNAK (coe-moo-knock).  Usually, you don't ever need to speak Basque, but it is so interesting to see the words.  Euskera is definitely not similar to Spanish in any way. For example, Buenos días in Spanish, Good morning in English, or EGUNON in Euskera.  Buenos tardes in Spanish, Good afternoon in English, or ARRATSALDE ON in Basque. I go to the Universidad de Deusto, also known as DEUSTOUKO UNIBERSITATEA.  If you are lost and want to know, where is it?, ¿Dónde está?, or NON DAGO? You might need to remember which street, calle, or KALEA, you are on.  If someone tells you BAI, they mean yes, Sí, not bye.  Or EZ is no.  Instead of saying thanks, Gracías, you can say, ESKEMK ASKO or MILA ESKER.  But don't forget to say please, por favor, and MESEDEZ.  If it's someone's birthday, be sure to wish them Felíz cumpleaños, or ZORIONAK.  And if all of this becomes too complicated, just tell them AGUR, Adíos, and goodbye!! 

The Mullet

Well, I was Skyping with my mom and she continued to tell me, "You need to blog, you need to blog." And my mom also once told me to, "Listen to your mother."  So I suppose I should definitely be better at blogging.  It is difficult sometimes to prioritize either sleeping or blogging when putting off homework.  Sometimes I do not feel in a writing "mood" but if I let that stop me, then I may never blog.  So anyways, I have been here in Bilbao for about a month now and so I have begun to notice many different things about the people and the way things are.  Of course these are just a personal observation and may not be anything exciting, but for a small town girl some of the things are quite entertaining.  One of the most apparent things I have noticed while here is teenage/college boys and their hair styles: Two words are key here when describing the hair styles of Spanish/Basque boys around here, mullet and rat tail, okay I lied three words, also important, dread lock.  Yes, it seems like all of the worst hair trends experienced in the United States have become very popular here.  First, the mullet.  I have seen it on more than several occasions here, mostly at the university or when walking around shopping.  It seems very surprising to see it so often here.  Then the rat tail, is actually a sign of rebellion and independence in this area, so it is a popular accessory around here.  This is where the dread locks come in as well.  The rat tail, is usually one long, thick, unwashed dread lock, that hangs down from their either short, or mulleted hair cut.  It is quite a sight.  These actually seem normal compared to the half shaved heads in the front and full pony tail in the back.  Or then there is the shaved head in the front and a cluster or spike-like dreads sticking out from the back.  Let's just say there have been several occasions where I walk by someone, and have a double take.  It is always important to know who is business in the front and party in the back.     

Vino, vino, vino

Some grapes I found in a vineyard in la rioja. Love the colors!

The ISA group who I spend my time with. A great group of friends, in Pamplona!

Inside where they store all the barrels of wine. They never ended.

Sampling the vino. Es muy bien!

Just a couple photos from our excursion to Pamplona and Logrono for now.  We toured Pamplona, where the running of the bulls takes place, on Saturday.  After spending the night sampling tapas, we spent Sunday having a tour of a bodega (winery) near Logrono.  La rioja, is the specific region of Spain where the wine is produced.  It was an amazing tour, capped off with a sampling of wine, accompanied with bread, churizo, and cheese. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon!

A Day in the Life...

I haven't been feeling all too inspired to write lately, so my apologies on not having a new post recently.  I will, hopefully, post some recounts of my trips to Lake Como, Italy, and my experiences of the past weekend (kayaking, hiking, etc.), but I'm not real interested in thinking that much right now.  So instead, I decided I'd post about something much easier to think about, mainly, what I do on a regular day here.  I have to admit it is a bit weird having been here for about three weeks already.  I realize I have quickly fallen into a routine of things, which helps pass the time.  So anyways, I have class Monday through Thursday, starting at 10:00am, except on Thursdays I start at 9:00am.  Each day, I wake up, make my bed, get ready for class, etc.  Getting dressed usually takes a little more thought, because students around here dress what I would consider "nice" for class.  The good news is my mom only let me pack three t-shirts, so I have no choice but to wear what others might call "normal" clothes.  It is definitely a change from my usual shorts and t-shirt, but I suppose a change for the best.  Breakfast is two pieces of toast, with butter and jam (either apricot or strawberry, whatever our host mom buys), sometimes Special K with milk (also, the milk here doesn't have to be refrigerated before opening, because it is processed a different way, so that's a bit strange), sometimes some fruit (pears or apples), and typically I mix up my choice of beverages, just to keep it interesting.  Either water, juice, or my "hot chocolate" I mix up.  It is just milk, cocoa, and sugar heated up in the microwave, but lately it is too hot in the morning to drink it without making my face feel like I'm sitting in a sauna.  My walk to the university takes about 15 minutes if I'm on time, 10 minutes if I'm in a hurry.  I try to leave earlier so I don't have to walk too fast, otherwise I show up to class looking like a melting ice cube.  I live in a pretty great neighborhood, with a school not too far away, so I see lots of adorable kids in their school uniforms walking to school.  It is a nice walk, next to the river, past many different shops, and the Guggenheim.  There are usually people running, riding bikes, and walking their dogs, so a very pleasant walk.  Then I start class with Spanish, either composition or conversation.  My professor is hilarious and it usually makes the 2 or 3 hours go by very quickly.  There is always a 20 minute break between 10:50-11:10am.  This is usually a great time to hit up the cafe (they have napolitanas/croissants filled with chocolate, and fresh squeezed orange juice for 2.55 euros, my favorite combination) or the vending machines (chocolate croissants for 1 euro or a Coca Cola for 1 euro).  These places are usually packed with students though, so sometimes it's easier to stay put in the classroom (also a good way to save money).  I find that the most amusing vending machine is the one that dispenses small plastic cups of coffee, whichever way you like it.  I don't drink coffee, which is a good thing, because the line for that is usually 10 people long.  People here really love their cafe con leche (coffee with milk).  For lunch on Mondays and Tuesdays, my host mom usually makes me a "bocadillo"(sandwich/a baguette with cheese and meat) and a piece of fruit because I don't have enough time to walk back to the house.  Then I finish my classes with International Business and International Marketing until 4 or 5:30pm.  On Wednesday and Thursday I finish class at noon and come home for lunch.  After classes I usually come home and hang out for a bit or go hang out with some amigas.  It is fun to go sit at a restaurant and have a pincho (small sandwiches or little snack like foods) and talk before dinner.  Dinner isn't usually until around 9:30pm, so a snack before then is usually necessary.  But after dinner and a shower, I try to start my homework because I probably haven't finished it (oops).  Then eventually, usually around midnight, I will finally get to sleep.  I've found telling myself to go to bed earlier doesn't help because you can usually always have a siesta the next day if you are lacking sleep (siestas are awesome).  So anyways, sorry if this post is too long or dull, I'm not feeling very poetic today, but thought I had better give some sort of update.  I will hopefully post something more interesting next time and some pictures.  Tomorrow I am going to try my hand at surf lessons and this weekend we have an excursion to Pamplona (where the running of the bulls takes place) and Logrono (to visit a winery).  So I promise my next post will have pictures and more excitement!!