This was my "think of the positives and don't cry" exercise this morning... thought I'd share :)
Things I’ll miss about Spain:
- My host moms, my piso
- Susana and Magda
- My students
- My job
- Watching Spanish tv during lunch
- Tapas, two plate lunches
- Galletas (cookie/biscuit things)
- Café con leche
- The food in general
- Having Chels as my roommate
- Hearing my host moms fight
- Having my host moms talk about how pretty we are for 10 minutes before we go out on the weekends
- Hearing Spanish on the streets
- Not being almost hit by cars everyday :P
- When waiters are mean to you in restaurants :) (you don’t tip here!)
- Strolling by Cervantes house on the way downtown (aka Alcalá is historic)
- Having to calculate what time it is in my head before calling someone :)
- Not having my cell phone
- Being able to order wine with dinner!
- Using Celsius and military time (I’m good at it now!)
- Magazines in Spanish
- Dos besos!!!!!! (Spanish greeting)
Things I love about the US:
- Family and friends
- Bowling GREEN!!!!!!! :) aka best city on earth...Alcalá, you're a close 2nd.
- Peanut butter and ranch
- Chipotle and Jimmy Johns
- Cooking and eating at my house
- Being a vegetarian again
- Having space to do yoga
- My job (yes, SDK, I miss you)
- My fav websites like Pandora and Hulu (they don’t work here)
- Not having to use power adaptors
- My hair straightener
- All my other clothes and shoes
- No piropos! (annoying cat-calls)
- Not being stressed about communicating with people in stores
- People smiling at you on the street
- Being in the same time zone as people!
- My cell phone! (I know, I know, but I went 4 months without it!)
- Not having screaming children wake you up everyday
- Hugs from everyone!
But more than anything, I'm going to miss the Spanish lifestyle in general. They are rarely stressed, they know when to work, but they also know how to sit and talk over some coffee or wine for 3 hours, with no where to go, no where to be. "Fast food" doesnt exist here (the fastest food I've had here is a 30 minute breakfast at a café). They don't worry about unnecessary things, and spending time with family over lunch is SO important. They know how to balance work and pleasure. They just live and enjoy.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Spring break - part 1!
Hola todos,
Just wanted to say hey! from the Canary Islands. I've been here for 5 days with Rach and Katie, relaxing on our private patio, chilling by the pool at our hotel, and enjoying the sun at the beach. And eating, a lot. We have our own kitchen so our meals have been yummy and at times very creative when we started running out of supplies :)
Although the Canaries are a territory of Spain, they are very close to Africa, and we are right by the equator. So the sun is way hotter and I have been getting very burnt, despite all of my best efforts at shade and sunscreen. A lot of families and older couples from cold, northern Europe come here to vacation, there are a lot of British and German people here.
And the funny thing about vacationing in Europe is that.... everyone is topless. All the time. Rach and Katie and I joked about finding a nude beach until we realized... everywhere is a nude beach. No on here is even a little suprised about it, but, as Americans, it took us awhile to get used to it. It's still weird to see topless moms watching their 10 year old kids in the pool. Isn't that awkward for anyone?!? But, on the upside, it seems that everyone has a good body image in Europe, and the three of us felt much more comfortable in our bathing suits since everyone else wasn't wearing one, haha.
Tomorrow we're heading out to Valencia to enjoy the city, and maybe go to the beach again, if the weather is nice.
I will be back to the United States in 23 days! :) Seems so crazy that my adventures are almost over!
Un beso,
Ann
Just wanted to say hey! from the Canary Islands. I've been here for 5 days with Rach and Katie, relaxing on our private patio, chilling by the pool at our hotel, and enjoying the sun at the beach. And eating, a lot. We have our own kitchen so our meals have been yummy and at times very creative when we started running out of supplies :)
Although the Canaries are a territory of Spain, they are very close to Africa, and we are right by the equator. So the sun is way hotter and I have been getting very burnt, despite all of my best efforts at shade and sunscreen. A lot of families and older couples from cold, northern Europe come here to vacation, there are a lot of British and German people here.
And the funny thing about vacationing in Europe is that.... everyone is topless. All the time. Rach and Katie and I joked about finding a nude beach until we realized... everywhere is a nude beach. No on here is even a little suprised about it, but, as Americans, it took us awhile to get used to it. It's still weird to see topless moms watching their 10 year old kids in the pool. Isn't that awkward for anyone?!? But, on the upside, it seems that everyone has a good body image in Europe, and the three of us felt much more comfortable in our bathing suits since everyone else wasn't wearing one, haha.
Tomorrow we're heading out to Valencia to enjoy the city, and maybe go to the beach again, if the weather is nice.
I will be back to the United States in 23 days! :) Seems so crazy that my adventures are almost over!
Un beso,
Ann
Monday, April 4, 2011
Roma!
Soo. Rome. It’s still kind of surreal that I actually went there. It’s amazing that I got to travel there for the weekend, how blessed am I?!
I feel like words aren’t enough to describe the beauty, atmosphere, or adventures I discovered in Roma. And the Vatican City is absolutely breathtaking, pictures can’t do it justice. It is so full of history and beautiful art, if you ever have the opportunity to go, DO IT.
So 5 other lovely ladies and I started out bright and early Friday morning, ready for pasta, gelato, and any other Italian delights we might find. We arrived in Italy at about 1:00pm, only to discover that there was a transportation strike throughout the city (later we figured out why, public transportation is practically free, no one EVER checked your ticket, and tons of homeless people just chill on the buses and trains). There was over a 2 hour wait for the one bus that was running, so we decided to take a taxi to our hotel, and then from our hotel into the city (about a half an hour drive, and a 65€ cab fare!). And thus began the adventures…
I thought Italian bad driving was a stereotype. It’s not. We drove down the highway at least 90mph at all times, dodging cars, people, bikes, motorcycles, you name it. Just in case you wondered, there is no need to slow down when going around sharp turns or roundabouts. Ugh. We had no idea where he should drop us off, so we just said “The Colosseum” like good American tourists. He nonchalantly drops us off on the side of the road, while we stood there bug eyed, with our mouths open. Here, in the middle of a crazy, busy, cosmopolitan city, was the Colosseum. The construction of this beautiful and massive amphitheater was finished around 80AD, to give you an idea of how old this is. 80AD. Waaay older than our country. Whoa. Awe struck, we stopped at a ristorante (it means restaurant...one of the few Italian words I picked up along the way :). We got to eat some delicious food with the view of the Colosseum!
PIZZA :) 
Gelato!
We spent the day strolling around Rome, eating more pasta and pizza, enjoying gelato, touring the Colosseum, going to the Trevi Fountain, and soaking up the warm sunny weather. We also encountered some very interesting people… the homeless men on all the public transportation, the mean lady selling Colosseum tickets (we have our International student IDs and we tried to get a discount because we study in the European Union. She pretty much scoffed at me, asked my nationality, laughed when I said “American,” and said “12 Euros, please.” Rude.), the restaurant workers that compliment you and promise discounts and free appetizers if you eat in their restaurant, and, of course, the random entertaining groups of tourists from around the world.
The Colosseum 
The Trevi Fountain... amazing!!
The next day we went to the Vatican City, after a bit of a work trying to figure out HOW to get there. We asked this man, who told us to get on a certain bus. As it turns out, the bus just makes a loop, not even getting near the Vatican City. It was hard to know if some people just didn’t understand our English or Spanish or just wanted to see us fail at navigating the city. We finally reached the Vatican City, and Katie, Rachel and I paid for a tour, which was a great idea because then we knew everything we were looking at. Some of it I had learned about in Art History but it was a great reminder. We got to see some great Raphael frescos, Michelangelo’s Pieta, and of course the Sistine Chapel. There is just such a vast collection of beautiful buildings there, it really is incredible! Although we were very close to his house, we did not run into the Pope. Ah, well, maybe next time.
Our last day, Sunday, there was supposed to be another transportation strike and Katie, Rach, and I thought we might be stuck at our hotel, unable to pay a taxi to get into the city center. Thankfully, there was no strike so we could take the train. We spent the day outside again, enjoying the sun, the many gorgeous fountains, and outside cafes in Rome.
Although Rome is gorgeous and I loved it, the three of us were very ready to be home in Alcalá, back in a country where we can (sort of) speak the language. We knew we missed Spain when this lady at the train station came up to us, asked if we spoke English, then started babbling random questions to us in Italian. How do you even react to that? Just shake your head and repeat “no hablamos italiano” (which happens to be Spanish, but, hey, whatever works!)? Laugh hysterically? Well, we did both and she continued to talk to us in Italian for 5 more minutes. Landing in Barajas airport and hearing Spanish all around you in the greatest feeling in the world, after that.
We had an amazing, relaxing, beautiful trip to Italy, it was so worth all the money and time! Now, it’s back to the grind of school and work! But my lovely Miss Steph Becks is visiting me from England this week :)
Ciao!
Besos,
Ana
I feel like words aren’t enough to describe the beauty, atmosphere, or adventures I discovered in Roma. And the Vatican City is absolutely breathtaking, pictures can’t do it justice. It is so full of history and beautiful art, if you ever have the opportunity to go, DO IT.
So 5 other lovely ladies and I started out bright and early Friday morning, ready for pasta, gelato, and any other Italian delights we might find. We arrived in Italy at about 1:00pm, only to discover that there was a transportation strike throughout the city (later we figured out why, public transportation is practically free, no one EVER checked your ticket, and tons of homeless people just chill on the buses and trains). There was over a 2 hour wait for the one bus that was running, so we decided to take a taxi to our hotel, and then from our hotel into the city (about a half an hour drive, and a 65€ cab fare!). And thus began the adventures…
I thought Italian bad driving was a stereotype. It’s not. We drove down the highway at least 90mph at all times, dodging cars, people, bikes, motorcycles, you name it. Just in case you wondered, there is no need to slow down when going around sharp turns or roundabouts. Ugh. We had no idea where he should drop us off, so we just said “The Colosseum” like good American tourists. He nonchalantly drops us off on the side of the road, while we stood there bug eyed, with our mouths open. Here, in the middle of a crazy, busy, cosmopolitan city, was the Colosseum. The construction of this beautiful and massive amphitheater was finished around 80AD, to give you an idea of how old this is. 80AD. Waaay older than our country. Whoa. Awe struck, we stopped at a ristorante (it means restaurant...one of the few Italian words I picked up along the way :). We got to eat some delicious food with the view of the Colosseum!
PIZZA :) 
Gelato! We spent the day strolling around Rome, eating more pasta and pizza, enjoying gelato, touring the Colosseum, going to the Trevi Fountain, and soaking up the warm sunny weather. We also encountered some very interesting people… the homeless men on all the public transportation, the mean lady selling Colosseum tickets (we have our International student IDs and we tried to get a discount because we study in the European Union. She pretty much scoffed at me, asked my nationality, laughed when I said “American,” and said “12 Euros, please.” Rude.), the restaurant workers that compliment you and promise discounts and free appetizers if you eat in their restaurant, and, of course, the random entertaining groups of tourists from around the world.
The Colosseum 
The Trevi Fountain... amazing!! The next day we went to the Vatican City, after a bit of a work trying to figure out HOW to get there. We asked this man, who told us to get on a certain bus. As it turns out, the bus just makes a loop, not even getting near the Vatican City. It was hard to know if some people just didn’t understand our English or Spanish or just wanted to see us fail at navigating the city. We finally reached the Vatican City, and Katie, Rachel and I paid for a tour, which was a great idea because then we knew everything we were looking at. Some of it I had learned about in Art History but it was a great reminder. We got to see some great Raphael frescos, Michelangelo’s Pieta, and of course the Sistine Chapel. There is just such a vast collection of beautiful buildings there, it really is incredible! Although we were very close to his house, we did not run into the Pope. Ah, well, maybe next time.
Our last day, Sunday, there was supposed to be another transportation strike and Katie, Rach, and I thought we might be stuck at our hotel, unable to pay a taxi to get into the city center. Thankfully, there was no strike so we could take the train. We spent the day outside again, enjoying the sun, the many gorgeous fountains, and outside cafes in Rome.
Although Rome is gorgeous and I loved it, the three of us were very ready to be home in Alcalá, back in a country where we can (sort of) speak the language. We knew we missed Spain when this lady at the train station came up to us, asked if we spoke English, then started babbling random questions to us in Italian. How do you even react to that? Just shake your head and repeat “no hablamos italiano” (which happens to be Spanish, but, hey, whatever works!)? Laugh hysterically? Well, we did both and she continued to talk to us in Italian for 5 more minutes. Landing in Barajas airport and hearing Spanish all around you in the greatest feeling in the world, after that.
We had an amazing, relaxing, beautiful trip to Italy, it was so worth all the money and time! Now, it’s back to the grind of school and work! But my lovely Miss Steph Becks is visiting me from England this week :)
Ciao!
Besos,
Ana
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