no puedo creerlo. (I cannot believe it)
I am sick.
I had tons of plans for my last days in Spain and now all of them have been cancelled. I cannot leave the couch. I cannot eat. I cannot drink. I cannot talk. Its horrible. (trust me, i cant just not eat becuase it hurts, but my stomach is also a little off.. i wont go into details.)
But, on the bright side i know that the people here care about me. I know for sure that even at my worst these people who i call my family and friends are still there for me. My mom brought me to the doctor, she was there to make sure i was alright after they gave me a shot in my butt (yes, in my butt...i guess they prefer that you cant sit, over the fact that you cant move your arm...?) My host dad was constentally checking on me making sure i didnt need anything, or if i did, he would help me get it. The friends of my host parents, and my uncles and aunts were in the house today, and often came in to keep me company, talk to me, and ensure that i will be better before I have to leave on thursday.
And. I left my phone upstairs the whole day along side my ipod and didnt use the internet, so when i finally looked at everything i had 23 missed calls from my friends asking if i had died, and the ones who knew i was sick, were telling me to get better. I haad 31 facebook notifications and 15 tuenti notifications. Most messages from friends telling me to get better quick so i can leave the house and hang out with them. I love my friends :( I dont want to leave yet :(
Tomorrow I plan on packing (cause I have yet to even begin thinking about that..okay..until now..) and my friends are coming over in the night to watch a movie (something less active, because i cant be all crazy, for fear of getting sick again). then wednesday I hope to be able to do at least SOMETHING with my friends before i go, but i dont even know what. my host mom doesnt want me going out too much and tiring myself out. :( well I will see.
I hope I get better before I have to return home. Im sure my flight will be miserable if im still sick. Are you even allowed to go on a plane sick? hmm...
see you all soon.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
You don’t take a photograph, you make it. - Ansel Adams
Hey. So. I just took this picture yesterday, and put it all together today and it came out wonderful.
This is in the port in malaga. I took it with my photography class during a lesson on Panoramic photography.
To check out more pictures I took at el Torcal the other day, and other pictures I have taken visit: My Photography Page
This is in the port in malaga. I took it with my photography class during a lesson on Panoramic photography.
To check out more pictures I took at el Torcal the other day, and other pictures I have taken visit: My Photography Page
Friday, June 15, 2012
“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”
Today was my last official day of school, more or less. I mean I still technicaly have classes this coming week, but they are tests and retakes that I do not need to take, so therefore, I do not have to go. I have to go on tuesday morning to take a dancing test for PE, dancing the salsa with my friend, but that hardly counts.
I looked back to my blog from September after my first day of school (here is my post from my first day of school.), and this is what I wrote, "I think that my first day of school here in Spain has easily been the most difficult and worst day of my life so far."
Even though that day was absolutly terrible, not knowing anyone, not knowing anything, not even being able to communicate effectively, I look back and I learned so much. I look back and I see those kids that helped me that first day, who are now my good friends. The kids who once treated me as the new froreigner, have now accepted me as one of their own, and all who tell me they do not want me to leave.
I have a million offers to stay in peoples houses, hide in peoples closets, etc. so I won´t have to leave, as if the issue was a place to stay. I do not want to leave yet, either. At all. Not even a part of me wants to go home. But even that isnt quite it. Because it isnt really home that I dont want to go to, its here that i dont want to leave. I want them to form together, and be one. Or maybe...just maybe stay a little longer. But I am not ready to leave in the least bit. I have 12 days. And now that school is out, that means ill be out everyday all day.
The last couple weeks I have been going out a ton. To the beach etc. and to that crew regatta for my friend. To save time uploading, you can check out my pictures on my facebook photography page: http://www.facebook.com/AllysonMcCarthyPhotography
Miss everyone! Not sure how many posts I will do from now until I go, becuase today is literally my last day where i have free time and not being smuggled around by all my friends. (I have a genuine fear of being kidnapped by my friends the night before I leave for madrid, they are going to kidnap me so i dont leave...i know they are plotting...)
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. -- Alfred North Whitehead
Today I decided to give my host family my thank you gift. I saw that everyone, my mom, my dad, pablo, maria, and theresa were all eating dinner together tonight, and I decided to seize the chance to thank them. I had planned in my head to give them this huge speech about how grateful I am, and how amazing they are, and how i truly could not have had as an amazing year this past year without them.
They have done so much for me and I will be forever grateful. I know that they care about me as a part of the family, one of their own. I know that they would do anything for me if need be. I have come to trust in the Romeros, and they have become a part of me that I will never let go. I know I will return and honestly, I am in denial about leaving in the first place. ( i have had absent minded plots made up in my head about the many different ways i could "accidently miss the bus" to madrid, so then id have to stay longer).
But anyway, so i had this huge speech all planned out in my head. I ran upstairs to get the painting I had bought back before i even came, and i came back downstairs, looked at all of them, said "This is for you guys to say thanks, becuase you have been an amazing host family and.." and I had to stop mid sentence, throw the painting into my host dads hands and sit before I broke into tears. I cant believe i only have 15 days left. I cannot believe it.
I am also going to be baking cookies this weekend with mariely and anca to give to some teachers and other important people in my life who have made my year in spain so much easier and enjoyable. I am dreading saying goodbye to them...
Also, I have bought a spanish flag for all my friends at school to sign, and I had a few of my friends sign it today. I took the flag out to put it in my other bag and I read some of their messages, and again, i started crying. I still have 2 weeks til i actually leave and im already losing it. I dont even want to know what actually leaving is like....
I would also like to send a quick thank you to all those people out there that supported me before I came, be it financially or morally. I really appreciate all that everyone has done for me, and I could not have made this year so special by myself. I am really grateful for everything that I have. I look back on my short 17 years of life, and I cant even believe the luck and fortune I have. I have supporting friends and family (in both America and Spain) and a life I could never have dreamed about. I cannot wait to see what the future has waiting for me.
Thank You.
They have done so much for me and I will be forever grateful. I know that they care about me as a part of the family, one of their own. I know that they would do anything for me if need be. I have come to trust in the Romeros, and they have become a part of me that I will never let go. I know I will return and honestly, I am in denial about leaving in the first place. ( i have had absent minded plots made up in my head about the many different ways i could "accidently miss the bus" to madrid, so then id have to stay longer).
But anyway, so i had this huge speech all planned out in my head. I ran upstairs to get the painting I had bought back before i even came, and i came back downstairs, looked at all of them, said "This is for you guys to say thanks, becuase you have been an amazing host family and.." and I had to stop mid sentence, throw the painting into my host dads hands and sit before I broke into tears. I cant believe i only have 15 days left. I cannot believe it.
I am also going to be baking cookies this weekend with mariely and anca to give to some teachers and other important people in my life who have made my year in spain so much easier and enjoyable. I am dreading saying goodbye to them...
Also, I have bought a spanish flag for all my friends at school to sign, and I had a few of my friends sign it today. I took the flag out to put it in my other bag and I read some of their messages, and again, i started crying. I still have 2 weeks til i actually leave and im already losing it. I dont even want to know what actually leaving is like....
I would also like to send a quick thank you to all those people out there that supported me before I came, be it financially or morally. I really appreciate all that everyone has done for me, and I could not have made this year so special by myself. I am really grateful for everything that I have. I look back on my short 17 years of life, and I cant even believe the luck and fortune I have. I have supporting friends and family (in both America and Spain) and a life I could never have dreamed about. I cannot wait to see what the future has waiting for me.
Thank You.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. Walt Disney
I don´t remember the exact moment I decided I wanted to study abroad. For a lot of my life I have been passionate about traveling. I went to visit my cousins in Indiana, I went to visit my friend in Michigan, I went to camp in Georgia, and I went to Peru. I sought out oppurtunities to travel. I did not wait for my parents to want to travel somewhere, becuase he knows when that may be. I took my dream into my own hands and began.
I decided to come to Spain for the upmost reason of learning Spanish. And that I have accomplished. I have worked all year with the assitance of my host family, my friends, and my teachers. I am often told, "wow, your spanish is really good" by most people I meet, and you cannot even imagine the pride I feel.
I also decided to come to Spain as opposed to south america is so that the possibilty of travel to other countries within my year would be a higher possibility. Although I did not make it to many other countries, I am satisfied with my trip to Switzerland. I have accepted the fact that AFS is not a program for "travel" but a program for education. They send you to a country for you to spend the year in that country and learn about the culture of that country, not every country surrounding it.
The last reason I decided to study abroad was to meet new people, learn about new cultures, and to do something different with my life. I know that the best way to learn is to learn by experience. As I wrote in my last post, I have grown so much and the world through my eyes has now changed. As one of my AFS leaders told me, I now have concern for more than just my own country. My best friends here in spain have family, and are from France and Romania. I have a boy in my group from Turkey, and a girl from Slovakia. I have other friends here with family in Argentina. When I watch the news and I hear about a natural disaster, or violence somewhere in the world, it means a lot more to me becuase I may have friends there.
When I told people I was going to Spain for a year the too most common reactions were that they either didnt believe me, or they simply asked "why?". Studying abroud in high school in America is not that common. In my opinion, the majority of people in America have this idea that everyone needs to go to school all 12 years, get good grades, then to college, then graduate and get a job. If you dont follow this basic outline, or step out of the saftey zone and do something different, people are convinced it wont work. Or they think it will mess everything up. When I told people I am going abroad a lot of people were worried I was making a mistake. A lot of people were worried that this would mess up my high school transcript, or that colleges won´t like me. One think that i have learned after all this, is the best way to be the best you can be is to go outside your comfort zone.
"A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion."
Chinese Proverb
I decided to come to Spain for the upmost reason of learning Spanish. And that I have accomplished. I have worked all year with the assitance of my host family, my friends, and my teachers. I am often told, "wow, your spanish is really good" by most people I meet, and you cannot even imagine the pride I feel.
I also decided to come to Spain as opposed to south america is so that the possibilty of travel to other countries within my year would be a higher possibility. Although I did not make it to many other countries, I am satisfied with my trip to Switzerland. I have accepted the fact that AFS is not a program for "travel" but a program for education. They send you to a country for you to spend the year in that country and learn about the culture of that country, not every country surrounding it.
The last reason I decided to study abroad was to meet new people, learn about new cultures, and to do something different with my life. I know that the best way to learn is to learn by experience. As I wrote in my last post, I have grown so much and the world through my eyes has now changed. As one of my AFS leaders told me, I now have concern for more than just my own country. My best friends here in spain have family, and are from France and Romania. I have a boy in my group from Turkey, and a girl from Slovakia. I have other friends here with family in Argentina. When I watch the news and I hear about a natural disaster, or violence somewhere in the world, it means a lot more to me becuase I may have friends there.
When I told people I was going to Spain for a year the too most common reactions were that they either didnt believe me, or they simply asked "why?". Studying abroud in high school in America is not that common. In my opinion, the majority of people in America have this idea that everyone needs to go to school all 12 years, get good grades, then to college, then graduate and get a job. If you dont follow this basic outline, or step out of the saftey zone and do something different, people are convinced it wont work. Or they think it will mess everything up. When I told people I am going abroad a lot of people were worried I was making a mistake. A lot of people were worried that this would mess up my high school transcript, or that colleges won´t like me. One think that i have learned after all this, is the best way to be the best you can be is to go outside your comfort zone.
"A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion."
Chinese Proverb
Coming to Spain has been one of the best desicions I have ever made in my whole life so far. I have made friends for a lifetime, and learned more than I could have ever imagined. Thank you to all those who helped me reach my goal. The first steps of a young dream :)
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. -Winston Churchill
Four tiny weeks left. But as the quote says, this is only the beginning. While i have been here I have opened so many doors for myself. I have allowed myself to dream even bigger (yeah, can you believe that? me dreaming bigger..). I now think to myself that seriously anything is possible. I now truly believe, that if I want to do something with my life, someway, somehow it is possible. So, although this may be the end to my exchange year in spain, I have so much more life ahead of me to do bigger things, and travel more, and meet more people. This is only the beginning.
I was walking home the other night from my photography class and I was thinking. I have learned so much. Not in school, or even in that sense at all (becuase, well, school just isnt really that important right now for me). But I have learned how to do a ton of things that will be useful for my whole life, things you simply can´t learn in school.
I have mentioned a lot of them throughout the year, as they gradually became a strong skill set. Like my ability to take basically all forms of transportation, how to get around a place I have never been, how to make friends of complete strangers, how to adapt to a whole new lifestyle, etc.
But I realized too, that, man, I am bilingual. I went to visit a friend of mine who is here on a trip with kids from argentina, brazil, ecuador, canada, etc. I got to where he was staying and I started speaking with people from south america in Spanish. It may sound like one of those things like, oh, duh, if they are from south america you´d obviously speak with them in spanish. But it really just hit me how easy it was. I didnt even think. I told them all about how I got a little lost getting there, and how I love Malaga, and everything, without even thinking about how to form my sentences, or having to ask them to repeat (okay...a few times i had no idea what they were saying, but they had a different accent than im used to, and used different words that we dont use in spain). It is just incredible being able to speak with so many more people. And I could tell immediatly, that even though the south american kids could speak in english, they were so relieved when I spoke spanish. They immediatly opened up and talked with me like an old friend, becuase I could speak their language. It is just absolutly incredible.
This past weekend we had an orientation in Torremolinos for AFS. It is our last orientation with the kids from Andalucia before we go to Madrid for the final orientation with everyone, then go back home. We met with the kids who are in Andalucia who are going abroad next year (most are coming to America). It was real neat to meet them and remember how excited we all were around this time last year. We gave them tips about studying abroad, and things to always remember. We also told them all about america and things that we reccomend you do. Along with that we went to the beach, and played tons of fun games. We played this one game called "besos" or "kisses" where each of the guys has a number, and each of the girls has a letter. The kid in the middle calls out a letter and a number, and if the kid in the center is a girl, the boy that was called has to try and kiss the girl in the center before the girl that was called kisses him. Or, if the kid in the middle is a boy, the girl that was called has to try and kiss the boy in the middle before the boy that was called kisses her. It was hilarious. Oh, by the way, its all kisses on the cheeks, obviously.
I also have been to the beach like everyday, so im getting really tan:)
here are some pictures ive been neglecting to put up cause they take too long to load:
Side note, MARIELY is coming to visit me this summer in August :) I cant wait. I am kind of more excited for her to come than I am to go home in the first place...
I was walking home the other night from my photography class and I was thinking. I have learned so much. Not in school, or even in that sense at all (becuase, well, school just isnt really that important right now for me). But I have learned how to do a ton of things that will be useful for my whole life, things you simply can´t learn in school.
I have mentioned a lot of them throughout the year, as they gradually became a strong skill set. Like my ability to take basically all forms of transportation, how to get around a place I have never been, how to make friends of complete strangers, how to adapt to a whole new lifestyle, etc.
But I realized too, that, man, I am bilingual. I went to visit a friend of mine who is here on a trip with kids from argentina, brazil, ecuador, canada, etc. I got to where he was staying and I started speaking with people from south america in Spanish. It may sound like one of those things like, oh, duh, if they are from south america you´d obviously speak with them in spanish. But it really just hit me how easy it was. I didnt even think. I told them all about how I got a little lost getting there, and how I love Malaga, and everything, without even thinking about how to form my sentences, or having to ask them to repeat (okay...a few times i had no idea what they were saying, but they had a different accent than im used to, and used different words that we dont use in spain). It is just incredible being able to speak with so many more people. And I could tell immediatly, that even though the south american kids could speak in english, they were so relieved when I spoke spanish. They immediatly opened up and talked with me like an old friend, becuase I could speak their language. It is just absolutly incredible.
This past weekend we had an orientation in Torremolinos for AFS. It is our last orientation with the kids from Andalucia before we go to Madrid for the final orientation with everyone, then go back home. We met with the kids who are in Andalucia who are going abroad next year (most are coming to America). It was real neat to meet them and remember how excited we all were around this time last year. We gave them tips about studying abroad, and things to always remember. We also told them all about america and things that we reccomend you do. Along with that we went to the beach, and played tons of fun games. We played this one game called "besos" or "kisses" where each of the guys has a number, and each of the girls has a letter. The kid in the middle calls out a letter and a number, and if the kid in the center is a girl, the boy that was called has to try and kiss the girl in the center before the girl that was called kisses him. Or, if the kid in the middle is a boy, the girl that was called has to try and kiss the boy in the middle before the boy that was called kisses her. It was hilarious. Oh, by the way, its all kisses on the cheeks, obviously.
I also have been to the beach like everyday, so im getting really tan:)
here are some pictures ive been neglecting to put up cause they take too long to load:
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| Some friends from school |
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| Mariely and me <3 ^^ best friend here |
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| Franco, Anca, and me ^^my other best friends |
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| Pablo Roldan, Franco and me <3 |
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| Kids in my class: Almudena, kate, pabloR, franco, keto, anca and me. |
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| Mariely and Fernando^^ more good friends |
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| at the beachh |
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| mariely and fer |
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| fer.... |
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| mariely and me |
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| mariely and fer |
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| a cool shot i got of kate |
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| another cool shot of kate |
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| My american friends from AFS: Mikeala, me, and Alex |
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| Alex and me (she lives in NY, soooo ill def see her back in america) |
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| me and afs kids: Alex, San (from turkey), julian, noelle, ivana , and Solomon |
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| more AFS |
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| Kids from Andalucia going abroad with AFS next year, and the current students from elsewhere currently in Andalucia<3 |
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| maria, Kate, her host mom Sarah, me and Danai (Julian´s host brother) |
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| Danai, me and Julian |
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| Me, Julian, and Kate |
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| Me at the beach with Mariely |
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| mariely and I made tortelini |
Side note, MARIELY is coming to visit me this summer in August :) I cant wait. I am kind of more excited for her to come than I am to go home in the first place...
Saturday, May 19, 2012
“There’s no next time. It’s now or never.” – Celestine Chua
AH. I can´t even fathom how long I have been here, and how little time I have left. 6 weeks and I will be home. I will have to say good bye to my host family and all of my friends here, until I come back and see them again (which who knows when that may be).
I still have school, all the way until the 22 of June, which I am super upset about, becuase then that means that I will only have around 5 days of summer vacation in spain before I come home. Oh well. I take what I can get.
On Wednesday I had a practice day for my photography class. We went out to a beach at 9pm and took pictures until 2am. My pictures came out amazing...but needless to say I was exhausted in school the next day. (and I had a science test...)
School is getting less and less serious. Yesterday we the school took half the day to make "Paella", that classic spanish dish with the yellow rice. Each grade made their own batch of paella and we ate it for lunch, then everyone left early from school to go to the beach. I spent my afternoon at the beach with Mariely, Anca, Kate and Anca´s sister. The waves were HUGE for some reason, like as big as they are in rhode island when we go to misquamicut. They are never that big, but for some reason they were that way yesterday.
Afterward I went to Mariely´s house where we ate a some french dish for dinner and later walked her dogs for about two hours...until like 1am. Gotta love spain.
Today I am not sure what I am going to do, but I do know tomorrow my friends are all coming over to work on our philosophy project that we have hardly started that is due like this week...
I still have school, all the way until the 22 of June, which I am super upset about, becuase then that means that I will only have around 5 days of summer vacation in spain before I come home. Oh well. I take what I can get.
On Wednesday I had a practice day for my photography class. We went out to a beach at 9pm and took pictures until 2am. My pictures came out amazing...but needless to say I was exhausted in school the next day. (and I had a science test...)
School is getting less and less serious. Yesterday we the school took half the day to make "Paella", that classic spanish dish with the yellow rice. Each grade made their own batch of paella and we ate it for lunch, then everyone left early from school to go to the beach. I spent my afternoon at the beach with Mariely, Anca, Kate and Anca´s sister. The waves were HUGE for some reason, like as big as they are in rhode island when we go to misquamicut. They are never that big, but for some reason they were that way yesterday.
Afterward I went to Mariely´s house where we ate a some french dish for dinner and later walked her dogs for about two hours...until like 1am. Gotta love spain.
Today I am not sure what I am going to do, but I do know tomorrow my friends are all coming over to work on our philosophy project that we have hardly started that is due like this week...
Thursday, May 10, 2012
"Happiness is a summer breeze, sand between your toes, and your best friend by your side."
Its warming up here in Málaga, reaching 80 degrees by 11am. School is becoming like it always does in May and June, when you just want out so you can go to the beach. I am already more tan than I was when I came here last September, when I get home half you guys probably wont even recognize me because my skin will be so dark. Just kidding, my skin doesnt have that capability.
Life is good. Nothing to exciting is happening. I went to fuegirola a couple weekends ago for an international food fair, that was cool. And I went to visit a friend of mine in Almuñecar with Kate last weekend. We had a blast. It was cloudy and rainy on saturday, but on Sunday it was beautiful, so we went in the pool.
I do not have school today because of a strike at my school, so my friends and I are going to the beach with Mariely and Anca. So hasta luego! Time to go to the beach :)
Life is good. Nothing to exciting is happening. I went to fuegirola a couple weekends ago for an international food fair, that was cool. And I went to visit a friend of mine in Almuñecar with Kate last weekend. We had a blast. It was cloudy and rainy on saturday, but on Sunday it was beautiful, so we went in the pool.
I do not have school today because of a strike at my school, so my friends and I are going to the beach with Mariely and Anca. So hasta luego! Time to go to the beach :)
Sunday, April 29, 2012
“There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish; The thing is to do as much as you can in the time that you have” - Charles Dickens
In exactly two months from today, on June 29th I will be boarding a plane from Madrid, Spain to New York. By nightfall, exactly two months from now, I will be reunited with my family in America. I cannot lie and say I am not excited. I cannot wait to see everyone again, and do things like I did before I came to spain, and eat pancakes and waffles and french toast. But, there are a lot of things here that have now become second nature and the foods that have now become normal, and the people I am used to seeing everyday, that I will have to say goodbye to in two short months.
Last night I had a dream about going home. In my dream I boarded the plane and I got home and my family picked me up at the airport and I hugged all of them and was so happy to see them. In the dream we drove home, and at my house all my friends were waiting. I hugged all of them and everything seemed so normal. Until I came to the realization that the friends I was hugging were my friends from spain, and the house we were in was actually my house here in Spain. Needless to say, I woke up really confused.
As you can see I am torn. I now have two completely separate lives, with a different family, a different language, different values, etc. When Annika was in Spain, she often talked about how she only came to spain for three months mostly becuase her school wouldnt allow her come for the year, but also becuase she already has two lives and she couldnt bear to be split into a third. She already cannot decide which place is better, America or Switzerland. Some days she swears she will live in Switzerland, and others she is convinced she will go live in America. At first, I didn´t fully understand how the choice could be so hard. Shouldn´t it be where your family is? But now I realize, your family doesn´t just consist of your direct mom and dad, it consists of all the people who have made you who you are, and all the people that have influenced you. It isn´t jsut family that matters, although that plays a huge role, it´s all of the aspects in your life that matter.
I know for certain I will come back to visit the Romeros. They will forever be my second family and I cannot imagine leaving them. Pablo has become my little brother, just as Maria and Theresa have become friends, and the older sisters I never had in America.
I know for sure that the Romeros and my family will always have a deeper connection than most other families with exchanges because the Romeros took me for the year, and my family took their son, Fede for the year. I am sure that Fede is having an incredible time in my town and with my family, just as I am with his. This connection garuntees that our families will always be interconnected by not just one link, but by two.
My goal from now until June 29th is to flat out enjoy myself. After this blog post I am going to do my best to not think about going home, and enjoy just living in the now, and living in SPAIN. I have not done everything I had hoped to do before I came, but I have seen and been to places I never expected I would have gone while here (namely, Switzerland). This year has been an epic journey that has changed me only for the better.
As Kate had said in her blog post, when I get home and everyone asks me how my year was, I am not sure how easy my answer will be. I will probably just respond with "amazing". But this year has been so much more than that. It has been a true adventure, with highs and lows to the extremes. I had days where all I wanted was to just go home. I had days where I couldn´t even imagine going home. Life is crazy. And my life is still just beginning.
On a random side note, awhile back I had been looking at colleges and programs. After going to Switzerland and taking with Annika a bit, and talking with Kate A LOT since she got here, my path has sort of changed. I still want to get an international major of some sort, maybe focus on public affairs, and politcal science. Last time I posted I wanted to learn more european languages, but since going to Switzerland I realized, most of the people in europe speak english. So if I really wanted to learn a language that would benefit me, I should learn a language that is spoken in a lot of places yet, places that don´t widely speak english, or places that the culture is engrained into the language, so even if they spoke english, it wouldnt be the same experience. After a lot of research. I have decided, since I already know spanish, and I absolutly love South America, I want to learn Portuguese. it will be easy, and Brazil has a very intense but beautiful culture, and they are also rising in the business world, becoming an important world power. I also, next to portuguese I want to learn Arabic. Although Arabic is challenging, I think it will be a well worth it language. In this era the Middle East is growing as an important area of the world (they always have been, but now more than ever), and history began in the middle east. The culture goes back to the beginning of all civilizations, and the countries are absolutly gorgeous (albeit dangerous, but I am sure I will manage). I have a lot of other ideas rolling around in my head, but nothing too definite. Here is my new list of top colleges I ahve considered (I am not limited myself to the east cost any more...and I have decided to maybe try a little harder, and aim for colleges more at my level of academic ability, instead of aiming low) loosely ranked from favorite to least favorite:
1. Ohio University
2. Temple University (PA)
3. Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec Province, Canada)
4. Evergreen State College (WA)
5. University of Utah
6. Michigan State University
7. University of Alberta (Alberta Province, Canada)
8. Syracuse University (NY)
9. Fordham University (NY)
10. University of British Colombia (British Colombia, Canada)
11. Smith College (MA)
12. New York University
Last night I had a dream about going home. In my dream I boarded the plane and I got home and my family picked me up at the airport and I hugged all of them and was so happy to see them. In the dream we drove home, and at my house all my friends were waiting. I hugged all of them and everything seemed so normal. Until I came to the realization that the friends I was hugging were my friends from spain, and the house we were in was actually my house here in Spain. Needless to say, I woke up really confused.
As you can see I am torn. I now have two completely separate lives, with a different family, a different language, different values, etc. When Annika was in Spain, she often talked about how she only came to spain for three months mostly becuase her school wouldnt allow her come for the year, but also becuase she already has two lives and she couldnt bear to be split into a third. She already cannot decide which place is better, America or Switzerland. Some days she swears she will live in Switzerland, and others she is convinced she will go live in America. At first, I didn´t fully understand how the choice could be so hard. Shouldn´t it be where your family is? But now I realize, your family doesn´t just consist of your direct mom and dad, it consists of all the people who have made you who you are, and all the people that have influenced you. It isn´t jsut family that matters, although that plays a huge role, it´s all of the aspects in your life that matter.
I know for certain I will come back to visit the Romeros. They will forever be my second family and I cannot imagine leaving them. Pablo has become my little brother, just as Maria and Theresa have become friends, and the older sisters I never had in America.
I know for sure that the Romeros and my family will always have a deeper connection than most other families with exchanges because the Romeros took me for the year, and my family took their son, Fede for the year. I am sure that Fede is having an incredible time in my town and with my family, just as I am with his. This connection garuntees that our families will always be interconnected by not just one link, but by two.
My goal from now until June 29th is to flat out enjoy myself. After this blog post I am going to do my best to not think about going home, and enjoy just living in the now, and living in SPAIN. I have not done everything I had hoped to do before I came, but I have seen and been to places I never expected I would have gone while here (namely, Switzerland). This year has been an epic journey that has changed me only for the better.
As Kate had said in her blog post, when I get home and everyone asks me how my year was, I am not sure how easy my answer will be. I will probably just respond with "amazing". But this year has been so much more than that. It has been a true adventure, with highs and lows to the extremes. I had days where all I wanted was to just go home. I had days where I couldn´t even imagine going home. Life is crazy. And my life is still just beginning.
On a random side note, awhile back I had been looking at colleges and programs. After going to Switzerland and taking with Annika a bit, and talking with Kate A LOT since she got here, my path has sort of changed. I still want to get an international major of some sort, maybe focus on public affairs, and politcal science. Last time I posted I wanted to learn more european languages, but since going to Switzerland I realized, most of the people in europe speak english. So if I really wanted to learn a language that would benefit me, I should learn a language that is spoken in a lot of places yet, places that don´t widely speak english, or places that the culture is engrained into the language, so even if they spoke english, it wouldnt be the same experience. After a lot of research. I have decided, since I already know spanish, and I absolutly love South America, I want to learn Portuguese. it will be easy, and Brazil has a very intense but beautiful culture, and they are also rising in the business world, becoming an important world power. I also, next to portuguese I want to learn Arabic. Although Arabic is challenging, I think it will be a well worth it language. In this era the Middle East is growing as an important area of the world (they always have been, but now more than ever), and history began in the middle east. The culture goes back to the beginning of all civilizations, and the countries are absolutly gorgeous (albeit dangerous, but I am sure I will manage). I have a lot of other ideas rolling around in my head, but nothing too definite. Here is my new list of top colleges I ahve considered (I am not limited myself to the east cost any more...and I have decided to maybe try a little harder, and aim for colleges more at my level of academic ability, instead of aiming low) loosely ranked from favorite to least favorite:
1. Ohio University
2. Temple University (PA)
3. Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec Province, Canada)
4. Evergreen State College (WA)
5. University of Utah
6. Michigan State University
7. University of Alberta (Alberta Province, Canada)
8. Syracuse University (NY)
9. Fordham University (NY)
10. University of British Colombia (British Colombia, Canada)
11. Smith College (MA)
12. New York University
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Wow. What a crazy last two weeks. I actually have beem dreading writing this blog post, because I really don´t know how to some up my life up to this point. I went to switzerland, and then came home and saw some Semana Santa processions, then Lyla came and we went to Granada together. I caught a cold, I think from doing things non stop and not sleeping much. But I am getting better.
So, SWITZERLAND. It was absolutely amazing. I got to the Malaga airport really early, so I just sat around. My flight also got a little delayed, so I had to wait even longer. I walked around, bought a book to read, then just waited. After reading nearly half the book I was finally able to board the plane.
When I got to Zurich I just followed the signs through the airport to the baggage claim to get my bag. The baggage claim area has this wall made of glass, so you can see the people who are waiting to pick up the other people on your plane. I look through it, and there was ANNIKA! I waved at her across the room like a big fool, but I didn´t even care, and then my bag took forever to come, of course. I stood there waiting for a good 10 mins, being tortured by the fact that I could see annika, but I couldnt actually go to her yet.
We stayed in Zurich for the afternoon and Annika showed me around the city. It was absolutly beautiful, and very european.
Later, we took the train to her house in Dudingen. here are some pictures I took in Zurich:
On Saturday, we took the train into Bern. Little did I know, but Bern is actually the capital of Switzerland. First we saw the Hunger Games, that new movie based on the books. I have been dying to see it, but it hasnt even come out yet in Spain, and when it does, itll be with lame spanish voiceovers. (which is not as good...). After, Annika showed me around Bern. I saw the swiss equivalent of the White House and I saw an incredible view of the mountains. It was beautiful. Later that night, we went home and made pizza with her brothers. Well, it was more like pizza soup...becuase for some reason the sauce overflowed..but it still tasted good in my opinion.
Pictures of Bern:
On Sunday morning Annika´s parents made me pancakes :) Although they are all swiss, they were all born in switzerland, they lived in america for 8 years, so they all act American. They also love to eat american food (which made me happy...). Later we all got into their van and drove out to do a hike and see some more mountains. Then we came home and Annika, her brother (Lukas) and I played a game of cards.
On Monday Annika had to go to school. So I slept in. I ate lunch with her mom and Lukas, then took the train (by myself!) to the city where Annika goes to school, Fribourg. I met her at the train station and we took a walk around her city. It was so cute and had a great view. Fribourg is actually really interesting because half the city speaks german, and half the city speaks french.
more pictures:
On Tuesday Annika had school until 6, so I went with her mom to a chocolate factory. I went to the Guiller Chocolate factory, learned all about the history of chocolate and ate wayyy too many free samples. Then we went to a cute little city near Dudingen, and after we drove up to a high point so I could see the mountains, again.
On Wednesday I went to school with annika to see what swiss school was like. It was a wierd combination of american school and spanish school. Like spanish school, the kids hardly listened to their teachers, however somehown manage to get good grades and do their homework, like in America. I got to meet her friends and do hip hop in her PE class. They also have a really long lunch break ( i think an hour and a half) so we went out and got chinese food. I didnt take any pictures at her school, or for the rest of the day, but thats okay. For dinner I went with Annika´s whole family to an italian resteraunt where we all got pizza.
On thursday I got up, and went to the train station. I got on the train and took the trains all the way to Zurich (by myself) and go off at the airport. I now feel confident traveling by myself by train, by bus, by airplane, etc. I made it there, got myself checked in, got my bag checked, found my way to the terminal, boarded the plan, got off the plane, found my way to my baggage claim, got my bag, found my host dad. And I did that all by myself. First time doing it completely solo. I am proud. And I didnt have to ask any questions (if i had a question, id not hesitate to ask, but I was able to do everything fine).
On Thursday night I went out with Katie and my host sister and her friends to see some semana santa processions, I did the same on friday night. Pictures:
On Saturday afternoon Lyla arrived, and then on Sunday, Kate, Lyla, her mom, and I all went to granada until Tuesday. Ill download those pictures later. We went to the Alhambra, and then walked around the little shops. kate and I then took the busses home.
So, SWITZERLAND. It was absolutely amazing. I got to the Malaga airport really early, so I just sat around. My flight also got a little delayed, so I had to wait even longer. I walked around, bought a book to read, then just waited. After reading nearly half the book I was finally able to board the plane.
When I got to Zurich I just followed the signs through the airport to the baggage claim to get my bag. The baggage claim area has this wall made of glass, so you can see the people who are waiting to pick up the other people on your plane. I look through it, and there was ANNIKA! I waved at her across the room like a big fool, but I didn´t even care, and then my bag took forever to come, of course. I stood there waiting for a good 10 mins, being tortured by the fact that I could see annika, but I couldnt actually go to her yet.
We stayed in Zurich for the afternoon and Annika showed me around the city. It was absolutly beautiful, and very european.
Later, we took the train to her house in Dudingen. here are some pictures I took in Zurich:
On Saturday, we took the train into Bern. Little did I know, but Bern is actually the capital of Switzerland. First we saw the Hunger Games, that new movie based on the books. I have been dying to see it, but it hasnt even come out yet in Spain, and when it does, itll be with lame spanish voiceovers. (which is not as good...). After, Annika showed me around Bern. I saw the swiss equivalent of the White House and I saw an incredible view of the mountains. It was beautiful. Later that night, we went home and made pizza with her brothers. Well, it was more like pizza soup...becuase for some reason the sauce overflowed..but it still tasted good in my opinion.
Pictures of Bern:
 |
| the swiss equivalent of the white house |
 |
| just some kids playing in the fountain |
On Sunday morning Annika´s parents made me pancakes :) Although they are all swiss, they were all born in switzerland, they lived in america for 8 years, so they all act American. They also love to eat american food (which made me happy...). Later we all got into their van and drove out to do a hike and see some more mountains. Then we came home and Annika, her brother (Lukas) and I played a game of cards.
On Monday Annika had to go to school. So I slept in. I ate lunch with her mom and Lukas, then took the train (by myself!) to the city where Annika goes to school, Fribourg. I met her at the train station and we took a walk around her city. It was so cute and had a great view. Fribourg is actually really interesting because half the city speaks german, and half the city speaks french.
more pictures:
On Tuesday Annika had school until 6, so I went with her mom to a chocolate factory. I went to the Guiller Chocolate factory, learned all about the history of chocolate and ate wayyy too many free samples. Then we went to a cute little city near Dudingen, and after we drove up to a high point so I could see the mountains, again.
On Wednesday I went to school with annika to see what swiss school was like. It was a wierd combination of american school and spanish school. Like spanish school, the kids hardly listened to their teachers, however somehown manage to get good grades and do their homework, like in America. I got to meet her friends and do hip hop in her PE class. They also have a really long lunch break ( i think an hour and a half) so we went out and got chinese food. I didnt take any pictures at her school, or for the rest of the day, but thats okay. For dinner I went with Annika´s whole family to an italian resteraunt where we all got pizza.
On thursday I got up, and went to the train station. I got on the train and took the trains all the way to Zurich (by myself) and go off at the airport. I now feel confident traveling by myself by train, by bus, by airplane, etc. I made it there, got myself checked in, got my bag checked, found my way to the terminal, boarded the plan, got off the plane, found my way to my baggage claim, got my bag, found my host dad. And I did that all by myself. First time doing it completely solo. I am proud. And I didnt have to ask any questions (if i had a question, id not hesitate to ask, but I was able to do everything fine).
On Thursday night I went out with Katie and my host sister and her friends to see some semana santa processions, I did the same on friday night. Pictures:
On Saturday afternoon Lyla arrived, and then on Sunday, Kate, Lyla, her mom, and I all went to granada until Tuesday. Ill download those pictures later. We went to the Alhambra, and then walked around the little shops. kate and I then took the busses home.
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