Sevilla...Que guay!

So, as you can tell by my title, I have been learning loads of Spanish and have really been enjoying myself over here. Things have finally settled down a little bit and i'm really glad we've started getting into a rutine. Before I start my summary of this weeks events I'd like to thank everyone for reading my blog! It really means a lot. Sorry if my posts are so long sometimes. Its just that I have so much to write about.

This week has been great getting to know my family better! I really think my family is the reason that I am able to feel so comfortable in Spain. My madre does everything for us and is always making sure we have everytihng we need. Also, Laura seriously cannot get any cuter. Everyday after she gets home from school she comes into my room and gets on my computer to listen to American music. Also, she is great at helping my on my extremely dificult grammatical homework. She always says "que facil!" (how easy!). But for me it is soo hard!. Me and annie also went and played soccer with Laura last Saturday. She is really really good. She's only 11 years old and has the best ball skills that I have seen out of a young girl. Our pick up futbol game ended up being so much fun because 3 of her neighbors who are like 18 ended up coming out and playing with us. It was so much fun! I also love how much our family includes us in everything! Yesterday was David's 17th birthday. Their whole family came over at like 9 and we all ate dinner at 10. I got to meet everyone in their family and also watch Sevilla play a close match with Real Madrid. It was so much fun! One thing that I did want to mention to all of you who have learned the Spanish version of Happy Birthday. You were taught wrong! Both Annie and I were prepared to sing along with "feliz cumpleanos a ti..." but it did not go like that at all!

I have also visited two really neat places that are in Sevilla. Although this trip was expensive. I definately think its worth it. I get to go on so many free trips and get to see so many places for free! Anyways, on Sunday I went with a group to Alcazar which is the oldest building in Europe that is still in use. Nowadays, whenever the king and queen of Spain come to Andalucia (Sevilla's region), they stay in the Alcazar. I fell in love with the intricate designs inside, but I'd have to say my favorite part was the outside garden, which is HUGE and has a gorgeous water fountain! Everything was so pretty!

This past week I also visited el Catedral y la Giralda. El Catedral is the third largest Cathedral in the world and so far, is the most amazing place I have ever seen. The insanely tall ceiling and gorgeous golden carvings literally took my breath away. Pictures cannot even do it justice. I absolutely fell in love with it. I pass el catedral everyday and always note how pretty it is on the outside, but the inside is 10x better. It was unreal how pretty it was.

  
This week has also been great for getting to know more of the city. I haven't had to use my map once yet! (However I still do keep it in my purse just in case!) One of the main reasons that I feel more comfortable walking around the city is because of our "homework" assignments. For example, one of our assignments required us to go to a market and write a paper about it. This market had all kinds of fruit, veggies, RAW meat that was a still intact leg..like a whole cow leg (eww), fish with heads still intact (ew) and even bunnies and birds with fur still on(even grosser). Although the whole experience was gross, it was really cool getting to see how every day spanaids function and to join them in their way of life!

 
Another way I have been learning about the city is through my intercambio. Basically, an intercambio is someone from Sevilla that I'll be paired up with all semester. Half the time we hang out we speak ingles and half the time we speak spanish. I met my intercambio today. His name is Javier and has short hair with one skinny long braid (sorry grandma, looks like I wont be taking this one home!). But in all seriousness he is really nice and knows the city so well! We hung out for like 2 hours just walking around the city and talked Spanish the whole time (he told me he was too scared to talk english yet lol).

Other than that, I don't have much to tell you about what has been going on. I started my 3 hour a day intensive class that will last until next friday. It's a great class because since I'm speaking Spanish everyday, I can really take what we're learning and put it into context.

Ok, one last thing! Stay with me, I'm almost finished! I just wanted to tell you about the 2 hardest parts of my trip so far! So as some of you may know, Spanairds have different routines. They don't go to school or work until 10a.m., then come back home for lunch from 2-5 (during which everything is closed), and then their afternoon begins from 6-9 until people go home to eat dinner around 10. Seriously it has been a constant battle of hunger. I had been losing the battle because i would eat breakfast at 930 and not eat lunch until 330. However, today I finally won the battle and bought 20 dollars worth of cereal, m&m's, granola bars, and things  i can stuff in my purse during class. Lastly, the battle that I have not won is the coldness battle. At night (and none of this is an exaggeration) I go to sleep with leggings, yoga pants, sweatpants, a tank top, tshirt, sweatshirt, northface, and underarmour gloves. I STILL freeze. There is nothing I can do to win this battle, and it is part of their culture not having any heat, but i think that is one thing that i'll never be able to get used to!

Well, it looks like I lied. This is a really long post. Maybe I'll try and write them sooner so they're not so long. I'm going to Granada this weekend so will make a post only about that! Have a great weekend everyone!

Hasta Luego,

Lauren

Mi Primera Semana en Sevilla

      Hello everyone! My mom has already been asking when I'm going to post my next blog, so I figured I'd better start now, because it is going to take me a long time to tell you all about my adventures so far. Sorry these last few posts have been so long, but there is so much to talk about! I figured I'd break this post up into 2 sections. The first one, I'll talk about all of the fun things I have been doing in Spain, such as sight seeing and meeting mi familia. Luego, I'll talk about all of the differences I've noticed in Spain compared to the U.S. I think it's really funny to see all of the differences in culture and way of life.
      My Week: Well, once I got to the hotel Monday morning at 2a.m., I was able to finally get some sleep (only like 3 hours because I took a shower then we had to wake up early for breakfast the next day). The hotels were sooo nice! Here are pictures of our bathroom y bano.



mi companero de cuarto, Melissa from california

 On tuesday, we went and took a tour of the city. We ate tapas for lunch (at 230pm!) and they were sooo good! Basically this whole week has been sort of like BGR. For those of you not familiar with this, basically we have had guias (guides) and have been in small groups. These guides have taken us everywhere and done all ofthe activities with us. I'll post some picutres from our short tour of the city..i'm sure more are on their way!

That night, we went and had more tapas and then went to a flamenco show! Its really funny because with every single meal we have alchohol. The first day, our guia Laua (pronounced lowra ..the ow like ouch!) ordered everyone tinta verano. This has become my fave drink. It is basically like Sangria. It is a mix of redwine with a fizzy lemonade. I have ordered it at all of my dinners. Also, another comment on the dining out. Everyone eats outside. Because the weather is so nice (70 and sunny) all of the restaraunts have tables to eat outside. Even at night when it gets chilly, they have umbrellas with heaters attached where you can stay warm. After dinner (which was at 9), we went to the flamenco show. It was really neat. I wouldnt go to it every week, but it is definitely something one must do while in Sevilla. The show started out with just a guitar player and a singer who sung for like 15 min, then a woman flamenco dancer came on and danced to the music. After she left, they guitarist and singer played together again for another 15 min. Then, the male flamenco dancer came on. He was probably my favorite and not just because he was really guapo, but because his dancing was so powerful and emotional, you could kind of almost feel it. It was really cool. I'll post a picture of the dancers, but it has kind of bad quality because of the lighting in the room!

Wednesday was the big day! I was soo nervous to meet mi familia, but it turned out that i didnt have anything to worry about because they are absolutely the most amazing famlia ever. I actually am sitting with their daughter Laura...She's juts sitting on my lap listening to music with me. She LOVES american music, especially rhianna y eminem! lol..but shes adorable and she comes into my room to hang out all the time. Plus, she watches disney channel (in espanol) which for those of you who don't me i LOVE hannah montana and all those great shows too! Laura is also a HUGE soccer fan... We are going to play soccer today around 730 and then tomorrow we're probs going to a Sevilla Futbol game because they live 5 min walking distance. I get to walk past it everyday in hopes i see a player...you know how i am with athletes! The other night I came home around 1130 after eating SNAIL (really good!) and the entire family was watching the Betis (other Sevilla futbol club) and Barca game (pronounce Barsa). Well according to them, betis is usually horrible but they ended up beating Barca! it was really fun to watch! everyone got so into it! And instead of saying oooo! They say OISH! Anyways mi famlia is absolutely amazing. Celia (pronouned saylia) is so nice and is always making sure i'm doing good..Also, i think she knows we get hungry duringthe day so she always gives me muffins for during the day. And isn't like most senoras who only give you breakfast, lunch dinner. Like today after lunch she gave us yogurt and a piece of chocalate. She is just so caring and i really feel comfotable in the house. Plus she is always telling me i speak well (even though i'm pretty sure i dont lol) She also has a 16 year old son who is a world wide professional dancer. He came in second in the world championship...He LOVES men soccer players too haha..we have a lot in common lets just say...Anyways here is a picture of Laura, mi favorita, y mi and annies room (ps annie is my roommate and is the BEST EVER!) .

So Thursday was also a really good day. We all met at la plaza de espana y divided into groups then went on a scavenger hunt around the city...it was good because it helped me get to know the city much better. The only thing that kinda stinks is that I am the only one from our group that lives en el barrio : Nervion. Everyone else lives en el barrios: Centro, Los Remedios, o Triana, which are all in the oposite direction. This means that I have to walk like 40 min by myself everyday. The reason I live in Nervion is because Nervion is where the business group lives andthey got to Sevilla a few days later. Annie just arrived today, so now i'll have someone to walk with!

Friday (today). Today we went to Italica, which is about a 30 min bus ride from downtown Sevilla. Basically Italica was the first Roman city in Spain and is really old and has ancient ruins. It was pretty cool getting to hear all of the history and stuff, but i mean once you've seen a ruin, you've seen them all, right? lol. Other than that, we got back to Sevilla around 130 and then I went back home and had lunch around 3. Annie arrived today and it was so good getting to have someone to speak English to! it's very tiring speaking spanish and listening to spanish the entire time! but well worth it! Soon I won't be so tired!

Ok! So that was my first week summary! Now onto the differences! Let's hope I can remember them all! And these are in no order!
Transportation: so I seriously think Sevilla is the healthiest city I've ever been to! There is a big sidewalk and right next to it a green paved path for bikes, which takes you through the entire city. Everyone is always walking/riding bikes. Ive seen men in suits, women with babies, and older people riding bikes all throughout the city. Its just really cool. Sevilla also has this thing called Sevici (bici is bike) where you can pay 5 euro a week to have this card which lets you rent a bike from any of the bike stations in Sevilla (which there are a bajillion), then you can ride it around and park it at any of the other bike stations in Sevilla. Its a pretty cool system. Also, there are a ton of horses. (Not like people ride them, but the police men are usually on them in the Centro because the streets are so narrow). Is it bad that I am sooo tempted to go up and pet one? They're so cute! O! And then one thing that i despise! TAXIS! First off, my friend and i each had to pay 25 euro for a 15 min car ride from the airport to our hotel the first night. we rode in a MERCEDES BENZ! what the heck? i swear every taxi is a mercedes or bmw. And the other night when I took a taxi home it cost me 10 euro for a short drive...ERG.
Lazer Sounding crosswalks: More about the streets. So first off, I still have not gotten used to how well the Spanaids follow pedestrian rules. Like no matter what, if there is a crosswalk, they will stop. Usually, even in my college town if you are standing by the crosswalk, no one stops, NO ONE!. Here, you just keep on walking because EVERYONE stops! At intersections when it's time for you to walk, there is a green guy that walks and I swear it makes this lazer shooting noise that makes me want to laugh everyime. Like pow pow pow pow!
Skinny Roads:  Ok, so the Centro de Sevilla is sooo confusing. Like seriously, my friends and i get lost every single day. Basically there are 2 main roads that lead into it, then after that there is a skinny skinny skinny street that branches off to more and more and more skinny streets. I have no idea how people actually no where they are going. It is the most confusing place of my life! today we tried to get to the CIEE center for study abroad students and got lost for an hour before we finally found it.
Orange Trees: I thought i mentioned this, but looked and i don't think i did. Anyways, Sevilla is really well known for their orange trees and the city has a ton. Just like in Indiana there are oaks and such everywhere you look, well here there are orange trees!

Things to drink:  Ok so i think that this is really weird. First off, whenever you go to eat tapas or anything you either get wine or beer. You usually have to ask for water. It's never like a combination of both. When you do get water, it always comes in bottles. They put empty glasses in front of you, then a big glass container of water. Many of us Americans have commented on how little water Sevillians drink. The first few days until I moved into my familys house I was always so thirsty. At the house, I've never been offered anything but coffee for breakfast, or water for lunch or dinner. The water, once again is served in a glass container. I don't mind water, but once again my american friends and I were talking that its weird that we haven't seen any type of juice here!
Napkins: I know this is a weird thing to comment on, but even the napkins are different. They feel like tissue paper! I don't know about you but tissue paper is very uncomfortable for me to wipe my mouth with!
PDA (public display of affection for those of you who dont know:)) Ok, so in Spain, it's super super uncommon to have guests over. Like no one has sleepovers with their friends or even just to watch a movie. So, because of this, I'm assuming, boyfriends and girlfriends have no place to show their affection in private. They can be seen at busstops, cafes, the middle of the sidewalk, you name it, just making out like they'll never see each other again. I still want to yell out, "get a room!" but here I really don't think anyone notices at all!
Forms of Greeting: ok one last thing! (shew!) So this can be used as an embarrasing story. So the other night I came home and Celia was there with her boyfriend donLuis. Well, i've never met him before so we do our introductions and go to "greet" each other. Well our leaders kept tellnig us you always do the kisses on the cheek. Well this was a couple of days ago, and I've only used it once when I met Celia. Plus, he was a boy, so i didn't know if you did it with men to. Anyways, i stick out my hand and he kind of looked at me like huh? and then i laughed and we did the two kisses thing, then I had to explain in Spanish that's our way of greeting. :)

Welp, there you have it! As much as I can put so you can experience this great viaje conmigo. I speak spanish all the time. No one here speaks English, mi familia doesn't know english, so it's really tiring, but I hear after the first two weeks of exhaustion you catch on and it becomes old hat! Hope everyone is doing great in that lovely snow you all got:)

Hasta Luego,

lauren

El Viaje

Hi everyone! Here is my post that I wrote in Madrid's airport! I was there for 16/17 hours, so i had a lot of time on my hands :) I will post whats been going on since I've gotten to sevilla in a few days once i have more time! Hope all is excelente en Los Estados Unidos!

1/16/11  Monday 5pm Madrid time (11am US)

WOW! So I have been up for 28 hours as of now. Our flight was cancelled in Madrid due to fog and we don’t get on the next flight until 11:25pm. I probably won’t sleep until then just because I want to be able to go to sleep once I get to Sevilla. This means folks, for those of you who haven’t been doing the math in your head, I will have been up for (saying I get to bed by 230-3am at the earliest) 38hours! I’m so mentally and physically exhausted right now but am already having a really good time. I’ll start from the beginning of my trip and then catch you up with what I’m doing now.

So, I randomly got up at 7 am on Sunday because once I realized what day it was I couldn’t go back to sleep. Kinda like Christmas at our house. Alaina would wake up at 4am and we’d be ready to open presents by 430. Anyways, back to my story. So I woke up with butterflies but wasn’t as terrified as I thought I would be. Mom was being a nester and seriously reorganized our impeccably clean kitchen closet 4 times, begged us to let her make breakfast and literally was running circles around the house. Other than that, I couldn’t tell she wasn’t freaking out lol. We got to CVG around 1030. I have to tell amy that the little “get your own ticket thing” is a lot harder than you said! Haha my dad and I had the hardest time figuring it out, but the worker lady was really helpful and we ended up doing just fine. One let down was that I thought that mom and dad would be able to come back to the gate with me to wait for the plane that was coming around 1pm. However, since I wasn’t a minor anymore they couldn’t. So, I had to say my goodbyes before security check in. That was hard, so lets not talk about it! Anyways I had no idea what to do during security, and I must have looked extra suspicious checking out what other ppl were doing because instead of letting me walk through the thin metal detectors like everyone else, they made me come off to the side and go through this huge one and I had to put my feet in a wide stance and my hands above my head…Good thing I’m not a terrorist.

Anyways, the flight to JFK was fine and once I got to JFK I met up with a girl from Purdue and we met some other girls traveling over as well. This is the flight that I was able to get upgraded to first class, so of course I have to tell you all about it! Well before I met up with my Purdue friend, I went to the  Admirals Club (aka VIP). To get there, it’s like the secret room that you have to get to by secret elevator. Well, after asking like 3 people, I found it! Even after I was in the right place, I didn’t think I was. I thought I had walked into a secret Airport hotel.  You walk into this gorgeous marble floored, mahogany lobby area where there are 2 sweet little ladies ready to check you in. Once you’re in, you can go to any of the lounges where they have huge, plush leather chairs, tables with free computer use, and large tvs. I skipped the plush lounging area and headed straight to the bar. I had one free complimentary drink and wanted to get good use out of it. When I asked the bartender for a cranberry and vodka, he looked at me like I was maybe 15 years old (typical) but made it up quickly and got me my very strong drink. After that, I ended up going back down to meet with my friend and soon we were boarding. However,  I didn’t have to wait to board since business class boarded first. As soon as I walked in, the stewardess asked to take my coat and helped me get all situated in my seat. The seat was huge! I was able to sit cross legged and took off my shoes (everyone else did it too, I just followed their lead, promise my feet didn’t stink too bad momma). For awhile I thought I was going to be the only one, but soon a man came and sat by me. However, it wasn’t like we were squished together, we had a big arm rest in between us which was great. Also, I’m really glad that I sat next to him, because he had obviously done this before. I secretly (but probably not so secretly) followed his lead on where to get the tray and where to find the hospitality kit and such. The flight to Madrid was made so much easier because of my flight arrangements! I had my own tv in front of me that I could watch movies, tv shows, etc. I ended up watching Despicable Me and Iron Man 2. It was also nice because you got to lounge back your chair all the way and still see the TV. It was so relaxing! The 4 course meal was also amazing. I had shrimp, salmon, filet, bread rolls and a butterscotch sundae. Yay!

 I do have an EMBARRASSING MOMENT from the flight that I’m putting in all caps so if ppl just want the juicy stuff they can look for only the caps lol. Well, it was getting close to dinner time and the stewardess had placed our fancy trays in front of us. I figured the next thing she was bringing out were the knives and forks. It sure did look like it because she handed me something metallic looking with something white (I assumed a napkin) at the bottom. Well it turned out it was a hot towel and I grabbed the hot metallic prongs that she was holding onto the very hot towel. I kind of pulled my hand back with a look of shock. Then she said do you want a hot towel? Okkkk now I got it, so I said sure, but I wasn’t really sure what to do with it, so I just kind of juggled this scalding towel in my hands until the passenger sitting by me started wiping his face. I eventually wiped my face with it, but by the time I did the towel was cold!

                Once we got into Madrid at 6am, I waited for my friend and we trekked off to customs. It was so funny because we met up with all of the other students during customs check in. We literally ran into 30 American students kind of standing right outside of the line formation blocking everyone that was trying to get into the line. No one really knew what to do or where to go. Our group was very loud, obnoxious, and I think the guards thought we were stupid. Now I know how the American people got labeled as this! Luckily our flight wasn’t until 1150, because we literally were so lost in this airport. There were about 10 of us who didn’t have boarding passes for the next flight so we had to find a ticket printer. However, the airport was literally deserted and we didn’t see anyone to ask. Once we did find someone, our Spanish was put to the test. Between the group of us we were able to kind of get an answer of where to go to get our ticket. However, we still stood around for like 10 more minutes because we were scared that she had misunderstood us/or we had misunderstood her. Luckily, the communication channels worked and we were able to find the main area. However, the automatic printers didn’t work so we had to go to customer service. The guy that waited on me was very kind but spoke very fast compared to what I’m used to with my Spanish TAs at Purdue. Out of the whole sentence I heard the last part of :50. So I said yes that’s my planes time to Seville. Well he then goes on to tell me that I wasn’t scheduled to fly on there and couldn’t find me. It turns out he asked me if I was getting on the next flight at 850, not 1150. Shew! Once we got that figured out, things were great.

                 After all of the tickets were figured out, we met up with like 40 Americans all just kind of staring at the flight board and looking for their flight. Some of them had a flight at 830 and others had to wait longer. We ended up finding a café and got a drink and then waited for our gate number to show up. However, it became 1050 and it still had not been shown. By this time we were starting to get worried because there was no cancelled/delayed status next to the Seville flight. The guy that we continually were asking at the information kiosks kept telling us to wait and that the flight might be late. Finally, someone asked him at 1145 and he said, o well it’s cancelled. Then it was literally a mad dash upstairs to the main Iberica customer service to get in line. We ended up waiting in line for 4 hours (I’m now writing this at 830 pm and people are still in line, 9 hours later).  Although the flight cancellation stinks, its been really fun hanging out with all of the girls and I can already see a few that I’ll really like hanging out with!

                K, last paragraph for one last REALLY EMBARRASSING STORY. Well after we waited in line for 4 hours we were starving. We hadn’t had a meal since breakfast at 5am and it was 4pm. I went to just get a drink because I was dying of thirst. There was a line for that as well and the cashier was just trying to get people in and out. Well, I am my mother’s daughter and hate to think I’ve been ripped off, even in a foreign country. My drink was 2.38 Euro and I gave the man a 5. However, I only got change back. Hmm, I thought…that’s weird, I’m pretty sure I should get 2 euro back. I was so taken aback by the fact that I didn’t get the right amount back that I just kind of stood there. My initial reaction was to blurt out “hey, you owe me two dollars”, but it takes awhile to translate things in my head, and never correctly either. I ended up saying “te doy el dinero incorrect”. Basically saying “I gave you the wrong amount”. I knew right as soon as I said it I was wrong, so then I just blurted out in English that I gave him a 5 and needed 2 dollars back. He opened up the drawer, showed me the five and then showed me the 1 euro COINS that he gave me! UGHHHHH I was so embarrassed and just said ah lo siento and walked away! Hahah. I’m sure that’s not the last time something like that will happen so you guys will be treated to many more entertaining stories, no worries J

                *And now I am writing in my homestay! Iwill tell you all about this amazing city as soon as I get a chance to J

A Dedication...

So since I leave in less than 4 days, I have been trying to make the most of my time left. I visited my friends at Purdue this past weekend, and visited my Grandma today. After visiting her, I decided that I am going to dedicate my trip and experience to the smartest and most amazing woman I know, my Grandma. We like to say that Grandma Betty was a woman before her time. She was one of the first women in Indiana to recieve her masters and then came back to Lawrenceburg and established the YES home, the Dearborn Adult center, and served on the school board for many years. I have always looked up to her and love hearing her advice. Today when she was talking to me she kept telling me to jump at every opportunity offered to me and not to hold back at all while over in Spain. My grandma may by 96, but she still knows what she's talking about. Because she is so great, I've decided to follow her advice and do it in her honor :)

Anyways, I'd like to make a few last comments/suggestions for my friends on the first floor back up at Purdue:)
Amy: There is a lot I could say to you, but i just have one statement. You best be sending me some popcorn in spain, because you know I'll be eating lots of it :).
Liz C: please don't forget to let me know if Sam begins to use his Razor Scooter again. This is vital information that I need to be aware of. Also, keep me updated on the status of the sign above the parking garage and the metal things you wont walk across ;)
Abby: I expect a recorded album and a song dedicated to me by the time I come home :) Plus, you should keep watching weird shows and lemme know if any are worth watching.
Brittany: You better txt that person back more than just once an hour. Also, you better enjoy your time at Greyhouse. I'll have spies watching you if not!
Kaity: you're not on the first floor but you're just the best so I have to at least give you a shout out!
Kathie: keep me updated on your sitch and i'm going to miss going to stc with you :)
Kristina: (Don't listen to amy, I'm sure your puppy is adorbs!)
Lisa: Imma be holding you to your promsie for this summer! Sea-Doo time again! yaya!
Ok I think that's it for now! This time next week I'll be living in Espana!

Hasta Luego,

Lauren

The Countdown Begins

Thanks to my former roommate, Abby W (hey ab!) I have been convinced to write a blog about all of my adventures in Europe and Spain for this coming semester. When I told my mom I was going to start blogging tonight, she asked why I was starting early and not waiting until I got over there. Well, once again I'm taking some of Abby's advice and letting you guys get some insight into the entire trip, including the before during and after reflections.
I don't have much to write about for the "before reflection", but I just thought I would keep everyone updated on my feelings and preparations for the trip. First off, I am soo soo soo excited to go! Everytime I think about Spain I get all these excited little butterflies in my stomach. In fact, I am so excited that I started packing last night. Yes, that is 12 days before the trip, but I just am too excited to postpone my preparations any longer. When I was planning for the trip throughout this past semester, I was always so excited but it never really hit me that I was actually going to be in a foreign country away from all of my friends and family for a whole semester. I kept telling myself that the nerves would come once it got closer. Luckily,  I am only nervous about 3 things. (1) Packing. I am stressing out that I won't be able to fit all of my clothes/shoes/etc for 5 entire months into 2 small suitcases. (2) Changing flights. I haven't flown since my 8th grade class field trip when we flew to NYC. Now I have to be a big girl and make 2 flight changes in NYC and Madrid. I'm scared that I'm not going to know where to go and I'm not going to be able to get me and my luggage to the right places. (3) I am nervous about the language barrier. I am scared that I won't be able to reach my goal of becoming fluent.... Also, the good thing about those 3 problems I may have is that everyone has gone through them. Especially my last fear of the language barrier. I keep telling myself that if anyone can do it, I can too!
So there you go. You now have had access to all of my feelings about the trip and will be exposed to many more throughout the semester. Before I go, I'd like to throw out a thanks to Jared and Katie for getting me the first class flight from NYC to Madrid :) As promised, I will take detailed notes and pictures from the plane ride and will post some of them later this month!

Hasta Luego,

Lauren