Well it's now been a week since I've been back. Saying goodbye was quick and rushed because Liz and I got flowers for mamacita but by the time they were done and we were heading home, we didn't have much time. So we hurried back, gave them to her, took a picture, and they helped us bring our suitcases down and say goodbye.
The trip home was a very long 28 hours with some experiences along the way. The bus to Madrid wasn't that bad - going almost anywhere in Spain is fine because of the beautiful mountain scenery. We get to Madrid and went to tackle the metro with all our luggage. My shoulders were killing me because my suitcases where one rolling one and a duffle bag, plus my backpack as my carryon. Kathleen and Liz had two rolling suitcases which made getting through the metro interesting. But we made it to the airport and hung around the food area. Then we got our tickets and were soon off to Frankfurt. Our plane arrived late, cutting our hour layover to about half an hour so we ran through everything and to our gate to have them print our boarding passes. Well unfortunately they only printed Liz's going to Canada and not the one to Chicago too but they said it would be fine. Turns out it wasn't fine. We got to the desk and they said check-in had been closed for 30 minutes and there was nothing they could do to get her boarding pass and onto the plane. Kathleen and I had ours so we could either go without her or stay with her and go on the next plane to Chicago. We were short on time too, especially after trying to figure out anything that could be done for Liz. We had to make a quick decision to go or stay and we went for it. When we got through we didn't feel right at all leaving her and tried to go back but weren't allowed to. We felt horrible all the way to Chicago and kept on going over things. So when we got to Chicago, I wasn't as excited as I would have been if Liz had been with us. We got our luggage (thankfully because that was a mess in itself too) and called our families to find out where to meet them. When I saw my mom and sister I forgot about everything that had happened and my excitement came back. I wanted to run but didn't want to leave my luggage, but Kathleen told me to go for it so I did.
Being back those first few days was just so.. weird. Even though things were the same, it all seemed so different/strange/comfortable at the same time. Now Spain seems so far away and like a dream almost.
Adjusting back wasn't too bad. The first couple days I went to bed around 10 and got up at 6 or 7 but now it's gotten more normal. I'm back to the usual American times of eating and enjoying controlling what I eat although I miss some of the home-cooked mamacita meals. I'm avoiding bread and spaghetti for a while though.
It was great to hang out with my friends all last weekend. We went to graduation parties and hung out before and after. Even though some of the things we were talking about just seemed so.. not what I was used to talking about.. I just felt comfortable being there and being me. Went to lunch with Lizzie, Emily, Ryan, and Jared one day and Kathleen and Nicole the next. Hung out with Kory and Harrison yesterday. Foods and places I've been to are reeses, El Porton, my cereal, oatmeal, oreo balls, veggie and fruit pizza, (other grad food), IHOP (blueberry pancakes!), pretzel and coconut m&ms, Moe's, Quiznos, hot dogs and shells/cheese, tofurkey sandwich.. etc. But no worries.. I've been workout out too on the treadmill, the wii fit, weights, and crunches. I stayed the same weight! Actually I lost a couple pounds and my BMI went down a tiny bit too. :)
I've had lots to do and things to figure out. I even have to use my planner for it all. I had my easy math test, meeting with my nursing advisor, hair cut tomorrow, student health services the next two weeks for physical, labs, TB, etc for the nursing program, I need to get certified in CPR sometime, fitted for uniforms, etc. I applied at a couple BroMenn jobs but I doubt I'll get them so next week I'll probably look into heritage and see about going back there. I'm not going to be too picky.. I just need a job like asap. Ohhh the busy American lifestyle.. how I didn't really miss it.
I finally got everything put away in my room today.
Alright well.. seeing as how my adventures in Europe are finished for now, it's back to my other journal.
Adios!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The End.
The rest of our trip this weekend was great. The sun continued to shine and it was beautiful.
Our second day in Ireland, we met up with a friend of mine studying in Ireland. We went for lunch and had some nice Irish food then headed to see some cathedrals/crypts and a museum. Then we went to a pub and enjoyed some Bulmers. It's an Irish cider and a great substitute for people to don't drink beer. We were asked to leave the pub after Sadie tried sneaking in some store-bought Bulmers to drink there.. haha didn't work out so well but they were nice about it. So we headed to the park and botelloned until we ran out and really had to pee. We fixed both those problems. We headed back to the park to wait for Sadie's friend (an Irish man) to get done with his meeting nearby but after waiting a while we tried to find where the meeting was. Then Sadie really had to pee and headed to the park to do so but asked a guard along the way where she could use a bathroom but when she passed with a police man, Nicole got super worried and followed them. Really all that happened was he took her into a building that people aren't supposed to go in and let her use the bathroom. Hah. Anyways we met up with her friend and the people in the meeting went to the bar we got kicked out of so we headed to dinner and he met up with us there later. We ate some Chinese food - I got tofu and vegetables which was good although it didn't compare to home. Afterwards botelloned some more and went to a few pubs. Nicole and I headed back to our hostel around 1 or 2 because we had to be up for going on a tour.
We'd wanted to do the Wicklow mountain tour buuut they were full. So instead we took a celtic tour to historical places a little outside of Dublin. It was nice and learning about the history was interesting. We were a little worried about getting back in time to head to the airport, especially when he extended our amount of time we could stay at the last place. But we got back, got our stuff, grabbed some food, and got to the airport no problem and with time to spare. Then we were off to Scotland!
The people's accents there are thicker so it was hard to understand at first but I got used to it and didn't have too bad a time afterwards. Our hostel was nice enough - I'm almost positive it used to be a dorm building - but Glasgow in general is kind of a shady area. We didn't have any problems though.
On Sunday morning we went to Edinburgh and went to the castle and a camera obscura show with all kinds of optical illusions on the way. It was a fun day and the whole trip, we were just doing whatever we wanted without a pre-set plan which was actually a lot of fun. We were supposed to meet Nicole's uncle and family in Edinburgh but luckily we went to use the internet and he was on because he wanted to meet up in Glasgow instead. So we headed back and met them at our hostel. It was her uncle, aunt, and 2 cousins. They were so nice and easy to keep a conversation with. They took us out to an Italian restaurant where they got past and we got pizza then we all got dessert. I hope when they visit family in Chicago that I can come visit too! They walked with us back to the hostel and we went our separate ways. Then Nicole and I just walked around the city for a while before heading back, using the internet, watching some TV, and heading to bed.
The next day we went to see the cathedral, an art museum, walked around town, got our stuff, ate lunch at subway, and headed to the station. We got to the airport kind of early but that was fine because we played some card games, colored, read, etc. Then eventually we were on our last Ryanair flight back to Malaga. However.. the only time Ryanair has ever been late is the one time it actually mattered since we needed to go straight from the airport to the bus station. We hurried through the airport and took a taxi to the bus station. Although we were a decent amount late, thankfully our bus was still there. Unfortunately.. it was full but he still let us on.. we just had to sit on the steps leading to the bathroom and the side door.. for 1.5 hours. Oh well.. it could have been worse. Another bus wouldn't have left for Granada until 1 in the morning.
I would like to say I've been doing nothing but enjoying and relaxing during my last days in Granada but I've been packing and working on my math homework.. with some relaxing, sure.
Tuesday night we all went to eat out at a pizza place for our last get-together in Granada. We were all really full afterwards so we decided to just head our separate ways and took some pictures before doing so. Megan and Nicole left yesterday for Madrid and they flight home around noon today.
Kathleen, Liz, and I have been doing last-minute souvenir shopping and getting everything packed. Tomorrow we're meeting at 5 to take a taxi or two to the bus station and heading to Madrid at 6. We'll get there around 11 or so and either take the metro or taxi to the airport where we'll wait until our 6:20 flight HOME! I really hope we make it through everything alright, especially with such short layovers.
I can't believe it's finally here. Studying abroad has been the best thing ever. I've grown a lot, learned a ton, made amazing friends, gone beautiful and interesting places, and have just had a blast. I know I had my low points but that doesn't mean I didn't appreciate where I was and what I was doing.
Alright well my next update will be from my own room back in the good ol' town of Normal in the USA! :)
Our second day in Ireland, we met up with a friend of mine studying in Ireland. We went for lunch and had some nice Irish food then headed to see some cathedrals/crypts and a museum. Then we went to a pub and enjoyed some Bulmers. It's an Irish cider and a great substitute for people to don't drink beer. We were asked to leave the pub after Sadie tried sneaking in some store-bought Bulmers to drink there.. haha didn't work out so well but they were nice about it. So we headed to the park and botelloned until we ran out and really had to pee. We fixed both those problems. We headed back to the park to wait for Sadie's friend (an Irish man) to get done with his meeting nearby but after waiting a while we tried to find where the meeting was. Then Sadie really had to pee and headed to the park to do so but asked a guard along the way where she could use a bathroom but when she passed with a police man, Nicole got super worried and followed them. Really all that happened was he took her into a building that people aren't supposed to go in and let her use the bathroom. Hah. Anyways we met up with her friend and the people in the meeting went to the bar we got kicked out of so we headed to dinner and he met up with us there later. We ate some Chinese food - I got tofu and vegetables which was good although it didn't compare to home. Afterwards botelloned some more and went to a few pubs. Nicole and I headed back to our hostel around 1 or 2 because we had to be up for going on a tour.
We'd wanted to do the Wicklow mountain tour buuut they were full. So instead we took a celtic tour to historical places a little outside of Dublin. It was nice and learning about the history was interesting. We were a little worried about getting back in time to head to the airport, especially when he extended our amount of time we could stay at the last place. But we got back, got our stuff, grabbed some food, and got to the airport no problem and with time to spare. Then we were off to Scotland!
The people's accents there are thicker so it was hard to understand at first but I got used to it and didn't have too bad a time afterwards. Our hostel was nice enough - I'm almost positive it used to be a dorm building - but Glasgow in general is kind of a shady area. We didn't have any problems though.
On Sunday morning we went to Edinburgh and went to the castle and a camera obscura show with all kinds of optical illusions on the way. It was a fun day and the whole trip, we were just doing whatever we wanted without a pre-set plan which was actually a lot of fun. We were supposed to meet Nicole's uncle and family in Edinburgh but luckily we went to use the internet and he was on because he wanted to meet up in Glasgow instead. So we headed back and met them at our hostel. It was her uncle, aunt, and 2 cousins. They were so nice and easy to keep a conversation with. They took us out to an Italian restaurant where they got past and we got pizza then we all got dessert. I hope when they visit family in Chicago that I can come visit too! They walked with us back to the hostel and we went our separate ways. Then Nicole and I just walked around the city for a while before heading back, using the internet, watching some TV, and heading to bed.
The next day we went to see the cathedral, an art museum, walked around town, got our stuff, ate lunch at subway, and headed to the station. We got to the airport kind of early but that was fine because we played some card games, colored, read, etc. Then eventually we were on our last Ryanair flight back to Malaga. However.. the only time Ryanair has ever been late is the one time it actually mattered since we needed to go straight from the airport to the bus station. We hurried through the airport and took a taxi to the bus station. Although we were a decent amount late, thankfully our bus was still there. Unfortunately.. it was full but he still let us on.. we just had to sit on the steps leading to the bathroom and the side door.. for 1.5 hours. Oh well.. it could have been worse. Another bus wouldn't have left for Granada until 1 in the morning.
I would like to say I've been doing nothing but enjoying and relaxing during my last days in Granada but I've been packing and working on my math homework.. with some relaxing, sure.
Tuesday night we all went to eat out at a pizza place for our last get-together in Granada. We were all really full afterwards so we decided to just head our separate ways and took some pictures before doing so. Megan and Nicole left yesterday for Madrid and they flight home around noon today.
Kathleen, Liz, and I have been doing last-minute souvenir shopping and getting everything packed. Tomorrow we're meeting at 5 to take a taxi or two to the bus station and heading to Madrid at 6. We'll get there around 11 or so and either take the metro or taxi to the airport where we'll wait until our 6:20 flight HOME! I really hope we make it through everything alright, especially with such short layovers.
I can't believe it's finally here. Studying abroad has been the best thing ever. I've grown a lot, learned a ton, made amazing friends, gone beautiful and interesting places, and have just had a blast. I know I had my low points but that doesn't mean I didn't appreciate where I was and what I was doing.
Alright well my next update will be from my own room back in the good ol' town of Normal in the USA! :)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Dublin!
Even though I was nervous up until the day we left for our flight to be cancelled due to the volcano, here we are in Ireland. So far I absolutely love it! I don't know if it's just because people in Spain aren't nice but everyone here seems to be really friendly and helpful. Last night we got in about 12:30 their time and made our way to our hostel with the help of our bus drivers and another guy going to the same place. People were already asleep in our room so we quickly got ready for bed and crawled into our top bunks. I didn't sleep that well but I feel exhausted now so hopefully tonight will be better.
We enjoyed our free breakfast and then headed out to wander around until the free walking tour. The tour was from 11-3:30 and it was interesting to hear the history behind everything and get shown around. We were starving by the end and stopped by Subway which was connected with a snack shop where I found crispy M&Ms!! So naturally I got 3 large bags of them since I've been looking for them eeeveryywhere! Anyways so then we went to the train station and headed to Howth. We fed fish to some seals, walked along the water and down a dock to sit for a little while. The sun was shining, it was beautiful, and it was relaxing. We went back to sit by the seals for a little while then grabbed something to eat. Then we took the train back to the city and came to this internet cafe.
Tomorrow we're meeting up with my friend Sadie for lunch and hanging out afterwards. On Saturday we're thinking about doing a guided tour around the mountains where Braveheart and P.S. I love You were filmed. Then we fly out to Scotland.
So school is officially over and I'm a junior! The rest of my finals were easy enough and I hope I didn't make too many silly mistakes or anything. It was kind of a rough week because Monday my online stats class started. Well the program for doing assignments isn't compatible with macs and I don't have the discs with me to use the programs that allow you to run Windows. I tried a bunch of things to make different programs work but no luck. Finally I downloaded it on Liz's computer and worked my butt off to get all the assignments done that needed to be until I get back to Granada. Freaking pain in the ass. When I get back home I'll download it using the parallels and hopefully not have any problems.
Speaking of which I have a week from tomorrow until I'm on a plane back to the states! I can't believe it's so close but I'm excited!
Well hopefully I get some good sleep tonight and am alive, awake, alert, and enthusiastic for tomorrow. I hope our random roommates don't come back too drunk from their night out and keep us all up. I'm so not going to miss staying in hostels.
Hasta luego!
We enjoyed our free breakfast and then headed out to wander around until the free walking tour. The tour was from 11-3:30 and it was interesting to hear the history behind everything and get shown around. We were starving by the end and stopped by Subway which was connected with a snack shop where I found crispy M&Ms!! So naturally I got 3 large bags of them since I've been looking for them eeeveryywhere! Anyways so then we went to the train station and headed to Howth. We fed fish to some seals, walked along the water and down a dock to sit for a little while. The sun was shining, it was beautiful, and it was relaxing. We went back to sit by the seals for a little while then grabbed something to eat. Then we took the train back to the city and came to this internet cafe.
Tomorrow we're meeting up with my friend Sadie for lunch and hanging out afterwards. On Saturday we're thinking about doing a guided tour around the mountains where Braveheart and P.S. I love You were filmed. Then we fly out to Scotland.
So school is officially over and I'm a junior! The rest of my finals were easy enough and I hope I didn't make too many silly mistakes or anything. It was kind of a rough week because Monday my online stats class started. Well the program for doing assignments isn't compatible with macs and I don't have the discs with me to use the programs that allow you to run Windows. I tried a bunch of things to make different programs work but no luck. Finally I downloaded it on Liz's computer and worked my butt off to get all the assignments done that needed to be until I get back to Granada. Freaking pain in the ass. When I get back home I'll download it using the parallels and hopefully not have any problems.
Speaking of which I have a week from tomorrow until I'm on a plane back to the states! I can't believe it's so close but I'm excited!
Well hopefully I get some good sleep tonight and am alive, awake, alert, and enthusiastic for tomorrow. I hope our random roommates don't come back too drunk from their night out and keep us all up. I'm so not going to miss staying in hostels.
Hasta luego!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Last weekend in Granada
So since I won't be here next weekend, I went to the goodbye party at the church last night and went to the noon service today. The party was fun - we just played a bunch of random games that were sometimes hard to understand the directions to buuut oh well. Afterwards we had pizza which was awesome because I had been crazing pizza all week long. I've also had a huuuge chocolate craving this weekend which is why I went to corte ingles and got some dark chocolate and white chocolate with blueberries. Yes that's right.. I don't know what change but I LOVE dark chocolate now. Anywho - They're both healthier chocolate than normal though (the kind of people on diets) so that makes it okay.. right?? Right okay so anyways. Umm I wore my dress to church this morning and I'm planning on wearing it a day this week too since it's finally nice and warm again. I even went to the park to study/catch some sun earlier.
I have my grammar test tomorrow and poe on Wednesday then we leave for Ireland! We're planning on doing one of the bus tours to get around so that'll be nice and not as stressful. We just need to book our hostels..
This week is going to be interesting with everyone leaving on random days. I mean I suppose it won't really affect me because I usually don't see much of the rest of the group outside of class and going out but.. still. Facebook statuses of everyone leaving and then when they get home.. it'll be weird! As the time draws closer, the sad side of leaving Granada is coming a little more especially as I've been having the "last time" for some things. But I suppose I'm lucky in the fact that I'm not that attached to anything or anyone here. There will be things and people to miss, that's for sure - but nothing really serious.
My online math class starts tomorrow.. ugh. Buuut I think it's a work at your own pace, just have things done by the end of the week type of thing. So if we have homework to start on I'm going to try and do as much as I can Tuesday when I don't have any finals so I don't have to do that much in Ireland. I'm sure I'll still have some to do but Nicole has an online class too so we both need to set time aside.
Anyways other than that there isn't really anything new. I'm gonna go get ready for a run and then head out! Hopefully it's cooled down a little but probably not a lot. And those white pollen things falling everywhere are so annoying when running. I need to run off the pizza and chocolate though.
I have my grammar test tomorrow and poe on Wednesday then we leave for Ireland! We're planning on doing one of the bus tours to get around so that'll be nice and not as stressful. We just need to book our hostels..
This week is going to be interesting with everyone leaving on random days. I mean I suppose it won't really affect me because I usually don't see much of the rest of the group outside of class and going out but.. still. Facebook statuses of everyone leaving and then when they get home.. it'll be weird! As the time draws closer, the sad side of leaving Granada is coming a little more especially as I've been having the "last time" for some things. But I suppose I'm lucky in the fact that I'm not that attached to anything or anyone here. There will be things and people to miss, that's for sure - but nothing really serious.
My online math class starts tomorrow.. ugh. Buuut I think it's a work at your own pace, just have things done by the end of the week type of thing. So if we have homework to start on I'm going to try and do as much as I can Tuesday when I don't have any finals so I don't have to do that much in Ireland. I'm sure I'll still have some to do but Nicole has an online class too so we both need to set time aside.
Anyways other than that there isn't really anything new. I'm gonna go get ready for a run and then head out! Hopefully it's cooled down a little but probably not a lot. And those white pollen things falling everywhere are so annoying when running. I need to run off the pizza and chocolate though.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Finals
Thank goodness this week is over. I spent a lot of time studying, very little time sleeping, and a lot of concentration on my finals. I had art at 8:30 and literature at 11:30. I felt that they both went really well - for art there was an artist that I didn't know and a couple other details I wasn't sure about here and there but I'm not worried about it - for literature I wrote down everything I remembered which was a lot so I felt the final went well, I just hope that in the class overall I got an A. I should I think but I didn't participate much in class. On Monday I have my grammar final and Wednesday is POE but they should be a lot easier. I'll study this weekend but not lose sleep over it.
On Wednesday I went to my last bible study and we only stayed through the celebration part. Kelsey got the Bone scholarship which is a huge deal so we surprised her with a cake and card. Last night I went out and although I'd mostly gone out to be able to go to Camborio one last time, it ended up that Camborio was closed for a private party. However I still had fun - we went to the Irish bar and a lot of ISU people were there for open bar. I wasn't drinking but still had a good time just hanging around, talking, and watching other people get drunk. Eventually most of us went to the Cuban bar to dance but the music kind of sucked so Megan, Liz, Dulce, and I headed home. We got back around 3 which is early but I was fine with that because I was super tired all day. I slept really well last night while I was sleeping but that was only about 5 or 6 hours.
This morning I went to the school to get my refund from the trip to Alpujarras I didn't go to, studied a little then walked around shopping without buying anything. We're going to buy our bus tickets for Madrid today and Nicole and I will get ours for Malaga. The ash cloud situation is getting better so we're hoping there won't be any problems with our flights. So we'll leave Wednesday night and be in Ireland until Saturday afternoon then fly to Scotland and come back Monday evening. We'll be in Granada a few days then off to Madrid and then HOME. Exactly 2 weeks from today I'll be on a plane back to the states.
Alright well hopefully these next 2 weeks will be filled with adventures of all kinds and keep on hoping that all flights go according to plan! :)
On Wednesday I went to my last bible study and we only stayed through the celebration part. Kelsey got the Bone scholarship which is a huge deal so we surprised her with a cake and card. Last night I went out and although I'd mostly gone out to be able to go to Camborio one last time, it ended up that Camborio was closed for a private party. However I still had fun - we went to the Irish bar and a lot of ISU people were there for open bar. I wasn't drinking but still had a good time just hanging around, talking, and watching other people get drunk. Eventually most of us went to the Cuban bar to dance but the music kind of sucked so Megan, Liz, Dulce, and I headed home. We got back around 3 which is early but I was fine with that because I was super tired all day. I slept really well last night while I was sleeping but that was only about 5 or 6 hours.
This morning I went to the school to get my refund from the trip to Alpujarras I didn't go to, studied a little then walked around shopping without buying anything. We're going to buy our bus tickets for Madrid today and Nicole and I will get ours for Malaga. The ash cloud situation is getting better so we're hoping there won't be any problems with our flights. So we'll leave Wednesday night and be in Ireland until Saturday afternoon then fly to Scotland and come back Monday evening. We'll be in Granada a few days then off to Madrid and then HOME. Exactly 2 weeks from today I'll be on a plane back to the states.
Alright well hopefully these next 2 weeks will be filled with adventures of all kinds and keep on hoping that all flights go according to plan! :)
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Nerja
Well Nicole and I were supposed to go to Alpujarras yesterday but when we went to confirm with the school that we still wanted to go, I went and everything was fun but when she went they told her it was full and she would just have to fill out a form to get her money back. Therefore, after some thinking I decided that I wouldn't go either and she, Kathleen, and I went to Nerja instead which is a beach a couple hours away.
When we got there, we ran into some people from the CLM and waited with them for the bus that would take us to the caves. The caves were huuuge and really cool to have a look at. Afterwards we took the bus back and then headed to the beach! It was absolutely beautiful there and we found ourselves a nice little semi-secluded spot off to the side of the area with a lot of people. We stood in the water a couple times and Nicole and I went in even though it was freezing cold. Then while we were all laying there we had quite the experience..
At one point, Nicole was like "Guys.. where is my bag??" and I was like oh geeze not again (because of Barcelona) but she found it sitting on a rock near us with her 5 euro missing. Luckily she only had 5 euro and the guy didn't talk her camera, bus ticket, or just the whole bag in general. She felt stupid and wondered how she couldn't have noticed someone taking her bag since she was laying there playing sudoku. Well some 10-15 minutes down the road, Kathleen feels something tugging on her bag which she was laying her head on. We thought maybe it had to do with her umbrellas (she had two up protecting her from the sun) or that she was just paranoid because of what happened to Nicole.. we didn't know. A couple minutes later she screams "Fucking bastard!" after another tug at her bag (this time her arms were through it and she was laying her head on it) and we found a long wire hooked to the zipper of the bag. She saw someone but Nicole and I didn't. Nicole went looking around the rocks behind us but didn't find anything. We warned the family near us who also found an even longer wire but they didn't seem as concerned. So we sat there a while talking about how we couldn't believe what just happened. Nicole and Kathleen were so pissed. When we were heading out, we went back around the rocks to see if we could find him. We saw him and when he saw Kathleen, he sprinted up some nearby stairs and then kept poking his head out from the rocks. We ran into a couple going up and told them to be careful. We found out they had 500 euro stolen from them the day before and all of us went up to where we saw the guy but he must have left somehow. By that time, we needed to head back to catch our bus back to Granada.
So yeah.. that was our adventure for the day.
When we got back to Granada, I came home and ate a banana + peanut butter (yum!) and the rest of my last symphony bar. Then I took a shower and by then Liz had gotten home from the beach she went to. At 9:30 we met up with the girls and went to eat Chinese food. Afterwards we went to the 24 hour store where they got drinks/snacks. Nicole and Kathleen went home to watch a movie, Liz and Megan went out, and I came home. I would have gone out too if it was everyone but not just Liz and Megan.
Speaking of.. we all went out Thursday night. We botelloned at their usual spot and had two guys there talking to us but it was just kinda funny because we all made fake names and tried telling them we were from France and didn't know English. We went to the africano bar where Liz made friends with a group of Spanish boys who told us they could get us into capital for free. Kathleen didn't want to go at all because she hates the music there but Nicole had never been and the other girls wanted to go so eventually we headed over. However, Kathleen still didn't want to go and after an incident with some guys and Nicole, she got pissed and started to head back. Nicole and I followed while Megan waited for Liz to finish talking to the nice Spanish guys. Well Kathleen was ticked for everything that had happened and Megan got mad at her then this huge fight (not physical) broke out between Megan and Kathleen. Megan was fed up and headed home but had to come back to get her keys from Kathleen. They stood there yelling at each other for a while. Eventually Megan headed home and Liz was talking it out with Kathleen and trying to calm her down. I was upset with Liz for multiple reasons and got a little emotional so I went a little ways ahead of them and Nicole came to talk to me. She and I stood around talking until Liz and Kathleen noticed we were ready to head home so we all left.
We were really worried that Kathleen and Megan weren't going to be friends because they were both insistent that they didn't want to be around each other for the rest of our time here but I guess they ran into each other later the next day and wondered why they were fighting/mad at each other. Now they're fine and things are back to where they were.
Liz and I aren't doing so great though. Not that anything bad is happening but rather nothing. We talked about it yesterday and agree that we are just kind of fed up with each other over little things that have resulted from us living together for so long - ex: sleeping schedules, going out or not, being on time or not, etc. Then every little thing just drives us crazy. But that won't really be fixed until we're back in the states and living in our separate places. But then we'll be able to be friends without driving each other crazy. We just have to wait it out.
Anyways. Finals start this week and next week. I have art and literature on Thursday, grammar next Monday, and oral/writing on Wedneday. My online math class starts next Monday.
I know the volcano in Iceland has had some new ash come out and cancel some flights in the UK so I'm getting worried about my Ireland/Scotland trip. Even if we can get there what if something happens and we can't get back? We only have a few days after that trip before we leave to go home. I just pray that things work out one way or another.
Alright well that's about it and it's almost lunch time anyways. :)
When we got there, we ran into some people from the CLM and waited with them for the bus that would take us to the caves. The caves were huuuge and really cool to have a look at. Afterwards we took the bus back and then headed to the beach! It was absolutely beautiful there and we found ourselves a nice little semi-secluded spot off to the side of the area with a lot of people. We stood in the water a couple times and Nicole and I went in even though it was freezing cold. Then while we were all laying there we had quite the experience..
At one point, Nicole was like "Guys.. where is my bag??" and I was like oh geeze not again (because of Barcelona) but she found it sitting on a rock near us with her 5 euro missing. Luckily she only had 5 euro and the guy didn't talk her camera, bus ticket, or just the whole bag in general. She felt stupid and wondered how she couldn't have noticed someone taking her bag since she was laying there playing sudoku. Well some 10-15 minutes down the road, Kathleen feels something tugging on her bag which she was laying her head on. We thought maybe it had to do with her umbrellas (she had two up protecting her from the sun) or that she was just paranoid because of what happened to Nicole.. we didn't know. A couple minutes later she screams "Fucking bastard!" after another tug at her bag (this time her arms were through it and she was laying her head on it) and we found a long wire hooked to the zipper of the bag. She saw someone but Nicole and I didn't. Nicole went looking around the rocks behind us but didn't find anything. We warned the family near us who also found an even longer wire but they didn't seem as concerned. So we sat there a while talking about how we couldn't believe what just happened. Nicole and Kathleen were so pissed. When we were heading out, we went back around the rocks to see if we could find him. We saw him and when he saw Kathleen, he sprinted up some nearby stairs and then kept poking his head out from the rocks. We ran into a couple going up and told them to be careful. We found out they had 500 euro stolen from them the day before and all of us went up to where we saw the guy but he must have left somehow. By that time, we needed to head back to catch our bus back to Granada.
So yeah.. that was our adventure for the day.
When we got back to Granada, I came home and ate a banana + peanut butter (yum!) and the rest of my last symphony bar. Then I took a shower and by then Liz had gotten home from the beach she went to. At 9:30 we met up with the girls and went to eat Chinese food. Afterwards we went to the 24 hour store where they got drinks/snacks. Nicole and Kathleen went home to watch a movie, Liz and Megan went out, and I came home. I would have gone out too if it was everyone but not just Liz and Megan.
Speaking of.. we all went out Thursday night. We botelloned at their usual spot and had two guys there talking to us but it was just kinda funny because we all made fake names and tried telling them we were from France and didn't know English. We went to the africano bar where Liz made friends with a group of Spanish boys who told us they could get us into capital for free. Kathleen didn't want to go at all because she hates the music there but Nicole had never been and the other girls wanted to go so eventually we headed over. However, Kathleen still didn't want to go and after an incident with some guys and Nicole, she got pissed and started to head back. Nicole and I followed while Megan waited for Liz to finish talking to the nice Spanish guys. Well Kathleen was ticked for everything that had happened and Megan got mad at her then this huge fight (not physical) broke out between Megan and Kathleen. Megan was fed up and headed home but had to come back to get her keys from Kathleen. They stood there yelling at each other for a while. Eventually Megan headed home and Liz was talking it out with Kathleen and trying to calm her down. I was upset with Liz for multiple reasons and got a little emotional so I went a little ways ahead of them and Nicole came to talk to me. She and I stood around talking until Liz and Kathleen noticed we were ready to head home so we all left.
We were really worried that Kathleen and Megan weren't going to be friends because they were both insistent that they didn't want to be around each other for the rest of our time here but I guess they ran into each other later the next day and wondered why they were fighting/mad at each other. Now they're fine and things are back to where they were.
Liz and I aren't doing so great though. Not that anything bad is happening but rather nothing. We talked about it yesterday and agree that we are just kind of fed up with each other over little things that have resulted from us living together for so long - ex: sleeping schedules, going out or not, being on time or not, etc. Then every little thing just drives us crazy. But that won't really be fixed until we're back in the states and living in our separate places. But then we'll be able to be friends without driving each other crazy. We just have to wait it out.
Anyways. Finals start this week and next week. I have art and literature on Thursday, grammar next Monday, and oral/writing on Wedneday. My online math class starts next Monday.
I know the volcano in Iceland has had some new ash come out and cancel some flights in the UK so I'm getting worried about my Ireland/Scotland trip. Even if we can get there what if something happens and we can't get back? We only have a few days after that trip before we leave to go home. I just pray that things work out one way or another.
Alright well that's about it and it's almost lunch time anyways. :)
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Barcelona!
The first night hanging out in the airport wasn't exactly what I'd call fun but with the girls there spending the night in an airport isn't half bad. I tried sleeping on various occasions but once I would get tired enough, my body would hurt from the hard floor or I'd get cold. So I mostly stayed up and read my spanish HP book. We stayed in 2 locations because once people started coming in the morning, we were going to be in the way of the lines so we moved over by the cafeteria. It would've been nice to get the seats to sleep on but when we'd gotten there, they were mostly taken already.
In the morning we all got up and headed over to catch the bus to Barcelona. Once we got there, we found the metro and figured out how to get to where I hostel was. The hostel was great! There was a guest kitchen (which I used for getting tea, coffee, and making my cereal that I bought. There was a common room with DVDs to watch or just regular TV. There were computers there to use. Yeah.. we loved it.
Anyways so once we dropped our stuff off, we headed to Park Guell to walk around and see all the Gaudi stuff. That was really cool. The stuff is so strange but that's what makes it interesting. Afterwards we hopped back on the metro to Casa Batllo after stopping by McDs for lunch. We just took pictures of the outside then headed to Casa Mila and went inside. Afterwards we headed to Las Ramblas and walked around while waiting for the time when the cathedral would be free. There were a lot of flower and animal shops set up and people dressed up trying to get money. We found a large plaza and ran into some kids from Granada. They came with us to the Cathedral. After looking around and talking a while, we went our separate ways. We stopped by a grocery store where I got my cereal and Liz and Megan got sandwich stuff to make their dinner. We went on a search for Subway for the rest of us because I'd seen someone with a sub. After asking a couple people, we found it and I enjoyed a veggie patty sub and yogurt. When we were done, it was time to head over to catch the fountain show since until May it's from 7-9 at night. It was alright but since it wasn't dark out and there were people standing in front of us, it wasn't as great as the second night. Afterwards we headed back to the hostel since we had to get up early the next day. Well we stayed up for a while watching a movie on the TV and a guy made free sangria. I instead made myself some manzanilla (echinacea) tea and went to bed early. I've gotten the cold that Liz had although it's not as bad thus far.
The next day we headed over to the Sagrada familia which was neat to see but the inside wasn't much because of the construction going on. Then we went to the Colombus statue to see it and take a look at the water. We sat there for a little while before heading to the subway we'd eaten at the day before. Again I had a veggie patty sub but my favorite cookie this time - yum! Here is where we found out that Nicole had lost her wallet though. She went to pay and didn't have it. We're still not sure exactly how/when it happened. So then we headed over to the police station to file a report. That took a couple hours but luckily she didn't have her passport in there or anything. She had about 70 euros though, her keys for Granada, license, and credit cards. She called her mom though to cancel everything and I don't think there were any charges on the cards. Anyways.. then we went to where the fountain is because we were going to see the Olympic park but made a stop at the top of the stairs where we ended up staying for the next few hours, laying/sleeping in the sun to the sound of guitarists playing for money. We then all decided that we were rather find something to eat instead of going to the park so we found some Chinese food. Then we stopped by a store so they could get botellon supplies and I got some apples for the next day. It was raining a little but we still went to see the fountain show - since it was May it was from 9-11 which was a lot better. We stayed for a while then headed back. I took a shower and got ready for bed.. I wasn't feeling that great. My dinner didn't agree that well with me for some reason and just from having a cold.. just wanted to go to sleep. I didn't sleep that well though.
That next morning we headed over to the Picasso museum because since it was the first Sunday of the month, it was free. That was cool. It was great to go to Barcelona now because we just learned about Gaudi and Picasso in our art class so we got to see a lot of those things. Afterwards we found the chocolate museum and enjoyed our chocolate bar that was our entrance ticket. Then we yet again headed back to our lovely Subway. I got a veggie sub (with everything but jalepenos) and peach ice tea. We did a little bit of souvenir shopping and then headed back to get our stuff. We waited around a little bit before getting on the metro to head to the bus station. We were a little rushed and Nicole had to get a new ticket but luckily we all made it onto the bus. Once we got to our gate at the airport, the girls got McDs while I finished up crackers and other apple.
We made it back to Granada and headed home. Mamacita still made us dinner even though it was past nine and asked us all about our trip. :) It was mother's day in Spain so we felt bad that we hadn't gotten her anything but we did give her a hug/besos and said happy mother's day.
Yesterday was a holiday here - dia de la cruz (day of the cross). I had my grammar class but not POE. The school was giving out free beer and having a magic show but I didn't know when so I went to corte ingles to get some things including PEANUT BUTTER. Sometime after lunch I headed out to take pictures of some crosses around Granada and watch some of the kids dancing - lots of girls wear flamenco dresses and many are part of dance groups. Walked around some with Liz and Megan but then headed home. I did a short work out because it was difficult to run without coughing plus I was hungry. Mamacita was out and about with her friend so we were on our own for dinner. Therefore I had a power bar and some nuts.
I need to start studying for finals because those start next week. I'm assuming that time will start to fly by because I'll be staying busy with finals then traveling. Before I know it I'll be on my way home. I'm ready for it. I feel like my time here in Spain has been well-spent and thoroughly enjoyed but it's time for it to come to an end and for me to start the next section of my life - a.k.a. nursing school.
Alright well.. until next time. :)
In the morning we all got up and headed over to catch the bus to Barcelona. Once we got there, we found the metro and figured out how to get to where I hostel was. The hostel was great! There was a guest kitchen (which I used for getting tea, coffee, and making my cereal that I bought. There was a common room with DVDs to watch or just regular TV. There were computers there to use. Yeah.. we loved it.
Anyways so once we dropped our stuff off, we headed to Park Guell to walk around and see all the Gaudi stuff. That was really cool. The stuff is so strange but that's what makes it interesting. Afterwards we hopped back on the metro to Casa Batllo after stopping by McDs for lunch. We just took pictures of the outside then headed to Casa Mila and went inside. Afterwards we headed to Las Ramblas and walked around while waiting for the time when the cathedral would be free. There were a lot of flower and animal shops set up and people dressed up trying to get money. We found a large plaza and ran into some kids from Granada. They came with us to the Cathedral. After looking around and talking a while, we went our separate ways. We stopped by a grocery store where I got my cereal and Liz and Megan got sandwich stuff to make their dinner. We went on a search for Subway for the rest of us because I'd seen someone with a sub. After asking a couple people, we found it and I enjoyed a veggie patty sub and yogurt. When we were done, it was time to head over to catch the fountain show since until May it's from 7-9 at night. It was alright but since it wasn't dark out and there were people standing in front of us, it wasn't as great as the second night. Afterwards we headed back to the hostel since we had to get up early the next day. Well we stayed up for a while watching a movie on the TV and a guy made free sangria. I instead made myself some manzanilla (echinacea) tea and went to bed early. I've gotten the cold that Liz had although it's not as bad thus far.
The next day we headed over to the Sagrada familia which was neat to see but the inside wasn't much because of the construction going on. Then we went to the Colombus statue to see it and take a look at the water. We sat there for a little while before heading to the subway we'd eaten at the day before. Again I had a veggie patty sub but my favorite cookie this time - yum! Here is where we found out that Nicole had lost her wallet though. She went to pay and didn't have it. We're still not sure exactly how/when it happened. So then we headed over to the police station to file a report. That took a couple hours but luckily she didn't have her passport in there or anything. She had about 70 euros though, her keys for Granada, license, and credit cards. She called her mom though to cancel everything and I don't think there were any charges on the cards. Anyways.. then we went to where the fountain is because we were going to see the Olympic park but made a stop at the top of the stairs where we ended up staying for the next few hours, laying/sleeping in the sun to the sound of guitarists playing for money. We then all decided that we were rather find something to eat instead of going to the park so we found some Chinese food. Then we stopped by a store so they could get botellon supplies and I got some apples for the next day. It was raining a little but we still went to see the fountain show - since it was May it was from 9-11 which was a lot better. We stayed for a while then headed back. I took a shower and got ready for bed.. I wasn't feeling that great. My dinner didn't agree that well with me for some reason and just from having a cold.. just wanted to go to sleep. I didn't sleep that well though.
That next morning we headed over to the Picasso museum because since it was the first Sunday of the month, it was free. That was cool. It was great to go to Barcelona now because we just learned about Gaudi and Picasso in our art class so we got to see a lot of those things. Afterwards we found the chocolate museum and enjoyed our chocolate bar that was our entrance ticket. Then we yet again headed back to our lovely Subway. I got a veggie sub (with everything but jalepenos) and peach ice tea. We did a little bit of souvenir shopping and then headed back to get our stuff. We waited around a little bit before getting on the metro to head to the bus station. We were a little rushed and Nicole had to get a new ticket but luckily we all made it onto the bus. Once we got to our gate at the airport, the girls got McDs while I finished up crackers and other apple.
We made it back to Granada and headed home. Mamacita still made us dinner even though it was past nine and asked us all about our trip. :) It was mother's day in Spain so we felt bad that we hadn't gotten her anything but we did give her a hug/besos and said happy mother's day.
Yesterday was a holiday here - dia de la cruz (day of the cross). I had my grammar class but not POE. The school was giving out free beer and having a magic show but I didn't know when so I went to corte ingles to get some things including PEANUT BUTTER. Sometime after lunch I headed out to take pictures of some crosses around Granada and watch some of the kids dancing - lots of girls wear flamenco dresses and many are part of dance groups. Walked around some with Liz and Megan but then headed home. I did a short work out because it was difficult to run without coughing plus I was hungry. Mamacita was out and about with her friend so we were on our own for dinner. Therefore I had a power bar and some nuts.
I need to start studying for finals because those start next week. I'm assuming that time will start to fly by because I'll be staying busy with finals then traveling. Before I know it I'll be on my way home. I'm ready for it. I feel like my time here in Spain has been well-spent and thoroughly enjoyed but it's time for it to come to an end and for me to start the next section of my life - a.k.a. nursing school.
Alright well.. until next time. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
