FELIZ CUMPELANOS AL MEJOR ABUELO DEL MUNDO!!!

Happy Birthday to the best grandpa in the world! I wish I could be there to celebrate with you! Below is a link to a surprise I made for you! (Just click on the underlined typing at the end of the post and your computer will take you to the surprise!) It had to be short so I could upload it to my blog but I miss you so much and hope you are having a GREAT day! Marianna and David wish you a happy birthday too, we are having ICE CREAM for dessert to celebrate here in Spain :) Love you to the moon and back xoxox

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTzryno9B24&feature=youtu.be

OJO ROJO

Today Louisa and I went to the hospital (medical clinic in the hospital really) because we both were having problems with our eyes. A girl in our group got pink eye and then still came to class, so long story short we all have pink eye! Here it is called ojo rojo, or what I think is conjunctivitis in English.

Going to the medical clinic was much easier than expected. An advisor from IES came with us just in case we were confused or needed help with the translations. It was super fast and easy and the doctor couldn't have been nicer. We went to the pharamacy to pick up our eye drops and they were equally as kind. They wrote out directions for Louisa and I and went over the eye drops, how and when to use them.

What's even better is that when I came home and told Marianna she made a calendar for me with boxes to check off each time "we" do my eye drops. She has insisted on putting the eye drops in my eyes for me. Louisa and I cannot stop laughing because we feel like we are two years old but we are so grateful that things went so smoothly when honestly it could have been a nightmare!

Finishing Session 1

I have really enjoyed the last week here in Salamanca. I feel like I finally know my way around and am able to really appreciate the city. We stayed in Salamanca over the weekend because everyone leaves on Wednesday except for Louisa and I. I am so happy Louisa decided to stay, it will be so nice having her around. My friends from IU arrive next weekend and I am really looking forward to seeing some familiar faces!

Nothing too epic has happened in the past week. My toilet broke, but it wasn't my fault! One of David's friends broke it when I was in Palma. It just won't flush but naturally Marianna doesn't know how to re-hook the chain so I have literally been pouring a bowl of water down the toilet to flush it for the past week. It's more hilarious than anything and after fake flushing the toilet for the past week I have come to the conclusion that she has no intention of fixing it either!

Marianna is also pre-diabetic and can no longer eat sweets or carbs. I wish you all knew Marianna because this has been quite an uphill battle for her. She eats at least one full white bread baguette with lunch and dinner and I have never met anyone that likes sweets as much as she does. I thought I had a sweet tooth, Marianna has definitely one-upped me. She has switched over to multi-grain bread, which she can barley swallow, and everyday she looks at David and I with these sad puppy eyes as we eat white bread or dessert.  We have been eating "healthier" and finally for the first time we had salad! I never though I'd miss salad but it was so nice to have something that wasn't carbs, cream, or chocolate.  Marianna is sticking to her diet, mainly because she is looking forward to meeting my dad. She thinks he is "MUY GUAPO" (so handsome). She tells me everyday that she wants to cry because she can't drink her hot chocolate and eat pan with Nutella every morning and honestly I bet some tears have been shed in the privacy of her own room.

Other than that I am learning to survive the heat here. It was 105 yesterday and 100 today! It isn't as awful as it sounds because it is not humid at all, but it does get pretty unbearable around 4:00. I think when I get home I will finally be able to really appreciate air conditioning and fans. Yesterday Heather, Louisa, and I literally went to the library because it is one of the only air conditioned buildings in Salamanca. (Not even the movie theatre is air conditioned!)

Today was my last day of class for the session. Tomorrow we are all heading to the pool to enjoy our last day together. Wednesday everyone leaves and Louisa and I are headed to Madrid until Saturday. I am looking forward to another vacation from vacation, hopefully a long shower, and I'm praying for air conditioning!

Palma de Mallorca

I know it has been a long time since I have updated you all…sorry! I just finished my final exams on Friday and they all went very well. Palma de Mallorca was absolutely amazing and beautiful, I couldn’t have asked for a better vacation from my vacation.

Friday Heather and I arrive in Palma and went to our hostel, which was located right in the center of Palma on the main square. Heather's friend, Allison, is studying abroad in Palma so we met up with Allison and her roommate who is also named Katie. They showed us around downtown and then we walked to their house to meet their host family. Their home was absolutely beautiful and was an actual home. Heather and I love living in downtown Salamanca, but we both have tiny rooms in tiny apartments with lots of shared space.  The home Katie and Allison are staying in looks just like a house from the United States, it was beautiful and had tons of terraces and outdoor living space. We met their parents and hung out at their house until dinner.

We went to dinner at a couples' house in a small town nearby. The couple is good friends with Allison and Katie's host parents. (Sorry, it is hard to explain who everyone is!) This town was equally as charming, as was their home, as are the people. We literally had the most amazing dinner in the world, wheat bread, mac and cheese, green beans, ham, Spanish tortilla, and great wine. These parents could not have been more welcoming. They showed us around the town, fed us, and were able to get us a private tour of a local winery!  Needless to say Heather and I were thrilled to be in such good company, with such good food, and free food at that! We had planned to buy our own meals for the weekend!

These couples spent the next 2 days INSISTING on including Heather and I on fun excursions, showing us around, feeding us, sharing their stories and culture with us, and paying for everything. I literally have never in my life met more gracious or kind people. I wish I could express how much I enjoyed their company and how overly accommodating they were, for no particular reason. They drove us everywhere, took care of us, and were our private tour guides for the weekend.

We took a cute little trolley to a town called Soller, where we walked around and explored before heading to the beach, where we were greeted with a picnic lunch. The next day we drove through the mountains to other beautiful locations and beaches, and another gourmet picnic lunch. I can't wait to share more details and pictures with you all when I get home, but here are some of my favorites from the weekend!

 Not the best picture, but our first gourmet picnic lunch with our new favorite people!

 The sweetest people in the world!

 Mom this one is for you...wait till I come home to show you the rest of the flowers! Tiny little town and every single street looked like this. Pretty sure it is your version of heaven!

 Having dinner at Javier and Francesca's darling house with the best food ever...macorni and cheese, wheat bread, green beans...it was almost like America!

 Heather and I on the train to Soller

 Allison, Heather, and I having tapas in Palma

It was so weird to say goodbye to these people we spent the entire weekend with. Obviously it is highly unlikely we will ever cross paths with them again, but I truly feel lucky to have met them and am so grateful for our weekend in Palma.

Feliz Dia del Padre!

An early Happy Father's Day to my wonderful father, step daddy, Quiestie, and Gramps! Miss you all very much and wish I was there to celebrate Father's Day with you! You are THE BEST fathers and grandfathers in the world and I am so thankful for all that you do for me. Lots of love from Spain! xox

 Feliz (Happy)

 Dia del Padre (Father's Day)

Te echo de menos! Te quiero! (I miss you and love you!)

Perfect Afternoon in the Spanish Countryside

I had my "midterms" yesterday and today. I got an A on my grammar test and Marianna hung it up on the refrigerator just like I'm in 1st grade! I had a presentation in my culture class on the Castilla y Leon region, which is region Salamanca is located in. It went well and it was actually pretty interesting to research all of the festivals, music, food, monuments, and important people.

Yesterday we went to a little town called Ledesma. My friend Will had an intercambio with a boy Pablo Ledesma who is from Ledesma (and the family the town is named after!). He, his brother, and his friend picked us all up from Salamanca and drove us to their town to show us around. It was just about a half hour outside of Salamanca but it was beautiful. The countryside in Spain is gorgeous. There was a cool little castle and the town itself was so beautiful. The people were all so welcoming and nice, as were Pablo, his brother, and his friend. They took us to their grandparent's land and old home. It was really cool to see an old Spanish country home and see all of the animals, huge bulls, cows, and horses just roaming around.  Afterwards we all came back to Salamanca and had tapas. I couldn't have asked for a better day. It was very last minute but it was such a beautiful afternoon and evening and it was so fun to explore a new town and learn about life in the Spanish countryside. 

 The castle in Ledesma

 Friends walking in the countryside

 A typical Spanish home in the countryside back in the day

 Town of Ledesma

 View of the countryside from the top of the castle

 My friend Will on the left and Pablo on the left.

 VIVA ESPANA!

Tomorrow Heather and I are leaving at 6 am for Palma de Mallorca! I can't wait, with the exception of the early wake up call. My friend Mali who is studying in London is going to be visiting Palma this weekend too, such a small world! Heather's friend is studying with a family in Palma and they have invited us to come to a party at their home and show us around Palma. It should be a fun and relaxing weekend on the beach. Pictures and updates when I return!

El Ocio

I really do love this city and even though I am getting more accustomed to Salamanca everything still seems so intriguing. There is a store for everything, and while I admit I do miss Target, I love that there are fruit stores, vegetable stores, perfume stores, paper stores, chocolate stores, coffee stores, pastry stores…really I promise there are stores for anything and everything you could think of.  I know it may seem inconvenient to stop at 5 different stores (especially when I know how easy it is to just run to Target at home), but no one here seems to mind. There is one "super market" in Salamanca and it is not popular at all. Marianna says it is easier to stop at the different stores and pick up a few things everyday rather than wait all week to just go to the super market, where she likes to remind me "it is more expensive too!"

My friend Luisa and I sat at a roundabout close to our house today for almost 3 hours, literally just sitting. It is so fun to watch everyone…people seem so content here, no one ever seems rushed. Life is tranquil. They definitely don't take life too seriously or care to work long hours but they are by no means lazy or unmotivated.  They understand the importance of "el ocio" or leisure, something many Spaniards will say Americans cannot truly understand in such a fast-paced world. Everything closes for siesta (2pm-4pm) everyday and everything is closed Sunday so people can relax and enjoy their families. While sometimes I hate that I can't run errands during these times, I have realized how wonderful it is to do nothing and enjoy the company of those around me. I wonder what it would be like in the United States if we had the opportunity to do nothing and truly appreciate leisure like they do in Spain. The people in Salamanca seem to truly understand how to enjoy life and don't seem to have the stress or worry that many of us have in America. There isn't much pressure to get straight A's (in fact just passing is considering a great achievement), work extra hours to earn more money, get a promotion, etc. they are content with doing the best they can but still allowing themselves to indulge in "el ocio" for at least a few hours everyday.

While I know I will return home and greatly appreciate the convenience of American life, I am fully enjoying the "inconveniences" of going to 3 different stores to run errands and being forced to do nothing if even just for a few hours every single day. I hope you all take some time to truly appreciate "el ocio", the company of those around you, and the pleasure of doing absolutely nothing.