I can't believe it's over...

So I'm currently sitting looking at my empty armoire and freaking out a little bit. This has been where I've lived, slept, cried, laughed, done homework, hung out with people, made friends, and grown over the last three and a half months. How do I just say goodbye to a place that's changed my life so much? How is it possible that I actually am not ready to leave yet?

I've decided that it's not going to be terribly difficult to say goodbye to the city of Granada itself, but it will be very difficult to say goodbye to everything that I associate with this place, like all of my friends and memories. I know I'll still have both of those things, but it just won't be the same back in Chicago and Champaign. I think I'm going to feel, at least for a little while, like I'm missing part of myself. Because how do you go from seeing people every day to not seeing them at all? And furthermore, how do you go from sharing the same experiences and the same hardships back to normal life?

I think Steve put it really well. He said, "while I'm not ready to leave Granada yet, if everyone else went home and I was here by myself, I don't think it would be worth it to stay." Granada, for me, is the people I've met, the friends I've made, and the memories I'll hold on to for a long time. Some of my favorite memories are:

-Walking around looking for/avoiding zombies in the Alpujarras with Steve
-Batan
-The last day we had in Rome - perfect weather, we saw beautiful things, and I was just on top of the world
-Walking around Barcelona with Melissa and having a really good conversation with her
-The bike tour through Tuscany
-Salsa lessons
-Short-sheeting Steve's bed in Florence
-Devon's birthday/Camborio
-Farewell dinner/Granada Diez
-Just being able to relax
-Getting to walk around in Paris with Brett and talk
-The wind storm in Algeceiras (haha...)
-Hanging out in the biblioteca
-Halloween
-Thanksgiving dinner

There are a few things that I'm not going to miss, however, such as:
-No central heating
-Crappy Internet
-Nonexistent customer service
-Cigarette smoke EVERYWHERE

Don't get me wrong, I am very excited to go home and see my parents, Paul, Stratford House, and the Banambra (in that order), but leaving is still sad and hard to handle. I want to go home for Christmas because I am so excited about giving everyone their presents (and I hope nothing breaks while I am traveling, because I would be so incredibly upset, especially the liquids...) and I am so excited (strangely enough) to see all of my aunts and uncles and cousins and just enjoy a good, old-fashioned Christmas with them.

I am definitely not excited for the next day and a half. We have to take a bus to Malaga from 7p-9p, then a train from the bus station to the airport from 1015-1045 (or something like that), and then hanging out ALL night in the Malaga airport, checking in at 4 in the morning, taking a flight from Malaga to Paris from 705a-930a, having a layover in Paris, then taking a nine and a half hour flight from Paris to Chicago from 115p (Paris time) to 340p (Chicago time). AND I'm really congested, so it's probably going to hurt to fly. I decided that my nose is protesting the insane amount of cigarette smoke that I've been around the last three and a half months by choosing to not let me breath anymore. Darn cigarette smoke... It probably also doesn't help that my hair stays wet for several hours due to it being too cold in the apartment for the water to evaporate off of my head.

I am definitely a different person leaving here than I was coming here. I am so much more relaxed, I trust the Lord infinitely more, and I know and really understand that people are so much more important than school could ever be and it's okay to take breaks from studying and hang out with people, and I know that the Lord has got complete and total control over my life, and He knows what He's doing, and I can trust that and not be afraid. I think I am a lot more liberal as a person, more outgoing, more human, but I love the Lord so much more and I trust Him so much more, and even though those two things seem contradictory, I can't imagine myself growing in any other way. I am a liberal Christian, and I love it. I don't know that I've been happier with myself as a person, ever, so that has to be something good.

Well folks, I made it. See you on the flip side.
Dos besos...

In a world where children get penetrated, broken, and eaten...

I am DONE with finals!!! Whoo hoo!! It is a wonderful feeling, let me tell you.

I just wanted to tell a story about our culture presentations today. We had to give expositions on our volunteer work (or our groupings with Spaniards over this past semester). So, during our expositions, one guy was trying to say that he introduced himself to these little kids but accidentally said the verb for "insert or penetrate" and our professor's eyes got all wide and she was like, "no! no! that's not the right verb!" And then one guy was trying to say that he broke up a fight between two boys but ended up saying that he broke them. And then another guy said he met some kids and he ate Chinese food with them, but the way he said it was like, "I met some kids that I ate with Chinese food," like he ate the kids and the Chinese food at the same time. It was fabulous. We had such a good time in that class today.

It's weird to think that I'm going home in only four days. But... right now I'm going out with some friends so I'll have to update later (once again...)
Dos besos!!!

Internet at the Piso = not such a good thing

I don't have too much time to update because I should be studying for finals but I just wanted to let you all know that I'm still here, still doing well, and actually not ready to come home yet. Isn't that ridiculous?

Anyways, I mostly just want to tell everyone to go look at my pictures, even though they aren't all labeled yet (I'll do it when I'm done with finals, I promise). And I'll update my life when I'm done with finals, too. But... yeah.
Dos besos!

Uhh... November When??/Boot Fever/"Bond" in Spanish is still Bond

Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's already December! November seriously FLEW by ridiculously fast, and now I only have thirteen days left in Spain! Where did the time go?? It probably got sucked into my trips to Paris, Barcelona, and Madrid, and my four exams, two presentations, and a paper. Being busy sure makes time fly!

So this weekend was SO busy. On Thursday, everyone in our program got all gussied up and we went to this really nice Spanish restaurant for a "traditional Thanksgiving dinner." I ended up walking around in heels half an hour previous to this dinner due to someone mistakenly telling me they were at a bar on one street, when they were actually at a bar on another street, so my feet were not very happy with me when we got to the restaurant. Anyways, they got the food right (pumpkin soup, turkey, stuffing (sort of), cranberry sauce (literally sauce, not like the jellied stuff), and mashed potatoes) but their portion sizes were a little off (as in way smaller than we're used to). We all just had to face it - nothing beats Thanksgiving at home, where you eat until you go into a literal food coma and then all of your uncles fall asleep "watching the football game." It was a good time, though, and we all ended up hanging out until like three or four in the morning, which was fantastic. It's always good when different groups of friends within the program hang out because we all get along really well; it's just generally too difficult to plan something for all 45 of us.

Friday, Melissa and I celebrated a traditional Black Friday - we shopped... all day. We met up about noon (so five in the morning in Chicago, prime Black Friday shopping time) and were shopping until about seven. I know; me, shopping for seven hours. Pretty crazy, right? We did take probably a two and a half hour break in the middle for lunch (and then waiting for the stores to open up again after siesta), but we were pretty much shopping for the rest of the time. We both ended up getting lots of wonderful things (for ourselves and then LOTS of Christmas presents - I finished shopping for my mom, dad, and sister). After that, Steve met up with us for churros con chocolate and pretty much as soon as he met up with us, he took our bags (and there were a lot of them) and carried them the entire time we were with him. What a gentleman! After we got churros, Melissa headed home but Steve and I roamed around in Corte Ingles for like an hour and a half. We looked at all of the board games and electronics and sports stuff. I didn't end up getting home until 930, so I was out of the house for a full nine and a half hours that day! Now THAT'S one heck of a Black Friday. (It was nice that no one else was celebrating with us, because American Black Friday shoppers are actually kind of scary)

I did get a pair of boots while shopping and I LOVE them. I seriously, love, love, LOVE them and I spent a good portion of yesterday trying on different outfits while wearing them. And now I really want a pair of brown boots so that I can wear boots with my brown clothes as well. I have quite seriously caught boot fever.

Saturday, I did homework all. day. long. It was quite brutal, but I was preparing for my finals, since I have my first one on Thursday (again, WHERE did the time go??). Then I met up with Steve, Brad, and Andrew to go see a movie. We decided to see the new James Bond movie but we had about an hour before it was going to start so we just walked around the mall for a while. We happened upon this strange gaming place and they had this thing that was sort of like a batting cage, except that it had four guns, two on each side, so you were shooting these soft balls at each other. So, of course, the boys were intrigued, so we all went in and it was actually quite a blast. I did get hit quite a few times, but I got a couple of good hits in as well.

So then the movie: it was in Spanish. That's right, I watched my first James Bond movie in Spanish. I got really caught up in the little details of the movie, so it took me a couple of days to decide what I thought of the movie, but in the end I decided I liked it. I did feel like it was just James Bond going to a whole bunch of different countries and killing a whole bunch of people. But apparently that's Bond, so... yeah. Definitely quite the experience.

In any case, I think this is a sufficiently overly-long update,, so until next time,
DOS BESOS!!

Madrid!! and... The End is Near.

So I just got home from my last traveling extravaganza, visiting my sister in Madrid, and it was lovely!

We did a self-led walking tour on Friday and saw the Plaza de Espana, the Temple of Debod (SOO amazing!! It's the only piece of Egyptian architecture (or one of the only ones) that can be found outside of Egypt (that wasn't stolen... *cough* Paris *cough*)), Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol (with the plaque commemorating the middle of Spain), Puerta de Alcala, Parque del Retiro, and Palacio de Cristales.

Then on Saturday we went to the Prado Museum and saw religious paintings, and portraits of royalty, and Greek/Roman mythology, and then more religious works, and more religious works, and more portraits, and MORE religious works. By the end, I was like, "dear goodness, how many pictures with the same theme can you have in ONE building??" But then we went to the Reina Sofia and that was really cool, although I liked the second floor better than the fourth floor (the permanent collection is divided up into these two floors, with art from the early 1900's to the avant-garde movement on the second floor, and then more contemporary art on the fourth floor (read: modern art)) but I REALLY liked the second floor so it made up for it. (I got to see Picasso's Guernica... :)!!!!)

On Sunday we went to the Rastro, which is basically like this giant flea market, but it was wonderful! I bought lots of presents for other people and for myself, and had a really good time with my sister. It did get SUPER busy, though, like so busy that we could barely walk down the aisles. It was kind of insane. I was sick for the duration of the trip (darn sinus infection), but it didn't hinder anything we wanted to do, which was nice.

I'm really glad I went to Madrid because I really enjoyed getting to see my sister, but Barcelona is still my favorite city in Spain that I visited (sorry other Spanish cities...)

In other news, I only have twenty days left in Spain. Holy cow. I'm going to be home and get to see all of my friends and family within the month. I'm incredibly excited, but actually kind of feeling bittersweet about the whole thing. I mean, yes, I'm SO ready to get home and have all of the comforts of home (love of family, friends, Pauly, central heating, Internet...), but it's just going to be weird to go home and not be in this place that I've finally really gotten used to. There's still a bunch of stuff that I want to do before I go, so I'm going to have to make sure I fit it all in!

In all honesty, though, if I don't burst of excitement within the next twenty days at the thought of getting to see my novio very soon, I might just burst when I do see him. So, if you see me and I'm looking a little jumbled, it's because I exploded and had to put myself back together again.
Just thought I'd warn you all.
: )

Dear goodness...

I am listening to Christmas music already...
I have found that it makes for excellent background music when I am studying, or avoiding studying, as I'm doing right now. It's just so pretty!!
It also reminds me of home and warm fires crackling in the fireplace, and hot cocoa with marshmellows, and being at my Grandma's house for Christmas, and being so excited to give my family and friends everything I've bought for them here.

Barca!!!

So... Barcelona is officially my favorite city in Spain that I've visited so far.

It really was just wonderful. We had gorgeous weather (low 60's the entire weekend) and there is just SO MUCH to do there!! We visited Las Ramblas (a famous street with lots of shops that runs into the Mediterranean), the beach (they're actually fake and the sand gets brought up from Egypt every few years), the statue of Christopher Columbus "pointing to the sea", the Plaza Real (built by the Bacard family - yes, when you thought Bacardi rum, you were thinking correctly), the old palace for Ferdinand and Isabel, Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Casa Mila La Pedrera and Casa Batllo (but didn't go into either of these, just saw them from the outside), the Picasso museum (this was wonderful, and I decided that I like early Picasso a LOT and I really don't appreciate later Picasso very much), and lots of other random places.

We also signed up for a cooking class where we learned how to make sangria and paella. The sangria was absolutely fantastic!! I'm super excited to get that recipe and try it when I get home - it's supposed to be better if you let it sit overnight first so I'll definitely have to do that. The paella was decent, definitely not as good as when my senora's dad makes it. It did have prawns in it (read: shrimp with a head, eyes, antennae, skin, and feet) but I braved the storm and peeled and ate them, and actually thought they were quite delicious!

The only really bad thing about Barcelona is that the people who run the gift shops are all REALLY pushy. We'd go into a store and if we spent even more than a couple moments looking at something, they'd come up to us and tell us how much it was. AND they followed REALLY closely behind us ALL the time, and it really made me not want to buy anything from them, so I really didn't.

I absolutely LOVED the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell (see my Picasa album for pictures!!). I'd seen it all in pictures before and it was just thrilling to get to see it in person and take my OWN pictures of the places! I really wanted to go inside Casa Batllo as well but it was 16,50 euro to get in, which was WAY too expensive... I was just so excited to see all of Gaudi's stuff, since I'd done a presentation on him in high school. It was fabulous!

So... yeah, Barcelona is pretty amazing as far as Spanish cities are concerned, and if given the opportunity, I'd go back in a heartbeat (because there was still stuff that we didn't get to see because we didn't have enough time).

I've got one more trip to Madrid to see Megan this upcoming weekend, and then I am done traveling. While I'm sad that I'm not going to get to see EVERYTHING that I want to see here in Europe, I think, on the whole, I made good decisions about my travel destinations and I enjoyed my time in them. Additionally, my feet have been yelling at me this last week and a half to STOP WALKING EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME! Goodness, they are tired. I think it's some sort of combination of all the traveling I've done and just plain walking everywhere, but my feet are looking forward to a break, a day where they don't have to be constantly walking.

Also, I can't believe that I'll be home in four weeks! It's such a weird thought for me, because for a lot of this trip, I thought it would never end, but now, the end is FAST approaching and I can't believe how quickly it seems to have gone (quickly and not at the same time). I mean, I'm visiting my sister this weekend, and then it's Thanksgiving, and then almost right after that I'll have finals, and then I'm going home. It's like, bam! bam! bam! all going at once.

I feel like a rock that has been traveling over this giant hill for the time that I've been here, at least since the halfway point. Right after the halfway point, I felt like things were still moving decently slowly, but now I'm rolling and picking up speed now that I'm halfway down the hill. Such an odd thought to be almost done with such a life-changing semester...