Ryan's Reign In Spain

2010-08-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

The Reign is Over

2010-07-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

I will never forget my yearlong stay in Spain. It has been more than a month since my return home and already I'm yearning to go back.

I arrived back in Michigan on June 21st. I was happy to be back in my homeland. However, even though it was a comfortable feeling, it did not feel real to me that I had actually left Spain. When I said goodbye to my friends it seemed like we were just saying "See you later" not a "Hope I will see you again someday." I arrived home and knew it would be a hard adjustment going back to my American lifestyle, but I had to adjust.

The days of acclimation in Michigan passed. I got back into my American lifestyle rather quickly, and I enjoyed watching the World Cup even though soccer is not that popular in the States. Of course I rooted for Spain. I watched a lot of soccer while I was abroad and got to know all the players' names on the Spanish team. Then on July 11, 2010 Andres Iniesta, a player from the team FC Barcelona, scored the winning goal for Spain in the World Cup. It was Spain's first World Cup championship. It was an amazing game which I viewed with my family and some cousins from Ohio. I can only imagine how happy my friends and family in Spain must be. I talked to some of my friends via Facebook and they told me about the impressive celebration that was going on because of Spain winning the World Cup in soccer. I know now how Spaniards like to party so I can imagine what it must have been like. Just three weeks before the championship game I was in Barcelona. If only I could have extended my stay somehow. However, as the Spanish expression says "Es lo que hay," it is what it is.

I can honestly say that my exchange experience in Spain was life changing for me. I have become more independent now and appreciate my family and the US more. I do love Spain (especially Barcelona) with a strong passion though and I miss my friends dearly. I can't wait to see these friends again, but who knows when that might be. I still keep in contact with them and will continue to do so. I learned a lot about a different culture. Visiting other countries makes you appreciate your home country in a different manner. Travel really opens your eyes to the wonders of this magnificent world.

Thanks to all those who read my blog while I was on this epic journey.

-Ryan

Last Days

2010-06-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

Today I went to a theme park called Port Aventura with my friends. We had a blast. Tomorrow is my last day in Spain and when I say my goodbyes. I will write more about this later. See you soon everyone.

Traveling through Spain

2010-06-11T02:12:00.000-07:00

I just came back from a heck of a trip. In my last post I talked about a trip around Spain I would be doing with my mom. It all began with the Camino de Santiago. My mother was walking the Camino also known as the Way of St. James. She was walking the Camino Frances (one of the many routes to Santiago) which begins at Roncevalles a small village just before the French border and of course ends in Santiago (she's crazy (just kidding mom).) Well I met her in Sarria and we completed the last 100km of the camino together.

To get the compostela (certificate) that says you completed the Camino de Santiago you must complete the last 100km. My mom was happy to see me and we soon began walking. For me the first day was a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggg walk. We did about 20km of walking or more each day. However, we did walk 30km on the second day which was a real killer. Here's how a normal day on the camino went: my mom would get up at 7, she would wake me up and then go to the bathroom to wash up. I would take advantage of this time and stay in bed pondering how much time I had before my mom would come back and I would have to get up. After I finally got myself up and got ready we would hit the camino.

2010-06-11T02:10:00.000-07:00

Looking good for Santiago ;)

2010-06-11T02:03:00.000-07:00

It's amazing we would walk for hours. Hours, hours and hours of walking. My mind wandered; there was too much time to think. It was fun being with my mom. We talked about so much stuff. I remember the first ten minutes of the the camino I was going crazy and couldn't stop talking. Part of the camino is self reflection. You are alone for such a long time that you think about your life and who you are. With this time you, hopefully, become a better and stronger person. I think my mom changed in this way because she walked alone for many days. However, there are always pilgrims walking along with you that pass you or you pass them. Pilgrims from all over the world come and do this camino. I met Americans, Germans, Frenchies, Portuguese, Italians, Brasilenians, Mexicans, Ecuadorians, Chinese and of course many Spaniards. I have to say that the Spaniards were the friendliest.

We usually got to the albergue (hostel) between 3 or 5 p.m. After arriving exhausted to the albergue we would wash ourselves and our clothing. Then we looked for a place to have dinner. After dinner we would go back to the albergue to prepare for the next day and then we would go to sleep.

2010-06-11T02:02:00.000-07:00

Signs for the Camino de Santiago

2010-06-11T01:58:00.000-07:00

The time passed and I don't know how I did it or how my mom did it but we arrived to Santiago. It actually wasn't that eventful arriving into Santiago. The garbage workers were on strike and there was so much garbage in the streets. We had to suffer from the stench while approaching the Cathedral.

2010-06-11T01:57:00.000-07:00

Santiago

2010-06-11T01:53:00.000-07:00

Santiago was a nice city despite the garbage. The Cathedral was a mystical sight. It had some parts in which it was covered in green moss that gave it a cool effect. Santiago is located in the comunidad autonoma of Galicia. In this comunidad it usually rains. Fortunately we had good weather and it was nice and sunny the whole time in Santiago. In Santiago we got our compostela-- they spelled my name wrong so I guess that means I have to do the camino all over again. Santiago finally came to an end and we headed to Madrid.

2010-06-11T01:52:00.000-07:00

Cathedral In Santiago

2010-06-11T01:41:00.000-07:00

We got lucky in Madrid. On the Saturday that we arrived the UEFA championship was being played in Santiago Bernabeu, the soccer stadium of Real Madrid. The game was between Inter Milan (Italians) and Bayern Munich (Germans.) I was rooting for the Germans because Inter Milans had eliminated FC Barcelona in the game before. My mom and I visited the stadium on the outside. It was madness. People were trying to sell tickets, I heard prices from 400 to 800 euros. I think there were more Italians than Germans. Unfortuanately, Inter Milan won 2-0. That night I struggled going to sleep because the Italians were partying in the streets ALL NIGT. The next day we got better rest and in Madrid we visited el Museo del Prado. I did not like Madrid so much this time around. I prefer Barcelona because it has the sea and is more modern. Madrid is an older city but has some cool sites like the palace and the Plaza Mayor. Our visit to Madrid finally came to an end and we headed to a much smaller city about 30 minutes away called Toledo.

2010-06-11T01:40:00.000-07:00

UEFA Championship

2010-06-11T01:38:00.000-07:00

Estadio Santiago Bernabeu

2010-06-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

Toledo was an interesting city. Feli had told me before though that Toledo was a city that could be seen in an hour. We spent three days there and all I can say was that she was right. We stayed in the old center of Toledo. Toledo is known for its work in swords. In many Hollywood movies such as "Lord Of The Rings" the swords come from Toledo. So of course I had to get one of these "souvenirs" to remember Toledo. I ended up buying a pocketknife... which only brought us trouble. Let's rewind a little bit. In Madrid I had bought some nice new jeans and I was happening to be wearing them that day I bought the knife. I bet you can guess where this is going. New jeans+new knife =? Well I don't know how my knife got open in my pants but it did. From then on my knife wasn't known as "my knife" it was known as "J Rip" (jean ripper.) I was mad, but fortunately my mom had a sewing kit which she used to fix the hole in my pants. After she was done I was actually happy that J Rip had made that hole in my pants-- it gave it a nice effect.

2010-06-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

Not only did we buy a knife in Toledo we also bought two antique reproduction gun. They were nice guns, made in Spain of course. We didn't get so lucky here. After my mom arrived back to the States she sent me an email telling me that she had to leave the guns at the airport. Even though the Guardia Civil packaged them for security (even though they were not real) she would have had to pay 55 euros because they were a second piece of luggage. She said no and left them. That kind of made me mad but I was happy to hear that J Rip had made it safely to Michigan ;)

2010-06-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

My mom and I were exhausted of the traveling to tell you the truth. It was a lot. Usually when we are traveling I have my brother and my mom has my dad. But this time it was just my mom and me. She talked often about how she couldn't wait to go back home and see her kitties and her husband. I just wanted to go back to Sabadell and see my friends again. However, I wasn't just quite ready to head back to Sabadell we were going to Andalucia (southern part of Spain.)

2010-06-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

My mom and me

2010-06-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

In Andalucia we arrived to our first destination, Seville. It is my second favorite city in Spain. The girls- I mean the sights there were amazing. The Guadalquivir River passes through Seville. Seville is not like Madrid where there are no bodies of water just pure city. This is one reason why I love Barcelona. Barcelona is right next to the Meditteranean Sea. However, in Andalucia the climate is sooo hot. I saw many cool shirts that said "E=M(C)^2" It was sooo hot that I followed some kids and jumped into the Guadalquivir River. Later my mom saw that there was a sign saying "Prohibido Banarse" (no swimming.) It was quite refreshing. In Seville we saw some great Flamenco. I really wanted to go up there and dance with them but refrained in my seat observing the spectacle. We also entered the huge cathedral of Seville which was quite impressive. We climbed all 35 levels of the Giralda (bell tower.) It was here in Seville that I also tried "caracoles" or snails. I ate the whole bowl because my mom did not want to help. All I can say is they were different.

2010-06-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

Cathedral of Seville

2010-06-10T15:37:00.001-07:00

The next stop on our trip was Granada. Granada was even hotter than Seville. The most incredible sight of Granada is the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a large palace with many gardens that was made by the Moorish rulers in the 14th century. The detail they put into the Alhambra is incredible. In Toledo, Granada and Seville they were also preparing for Corpus Christi. It was being celebrated on June 3 (my mom's and my birthday.) We got lucky with the planning. Granada had a fair getting ready for Corpus Christi. I went with my mom to check it out. They had everything at the fair from discos to rides. I really wished my brother was here with me at this point. Instead I had my lovely mom. Who kept on telling me that she was cramping my style and wanted me to go on alone. I refused and enjoyed her company. Our trip finally ended and we headed to our final and favorite destination, Barcelona. We arrived on late June 2nd.

2010-06-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

Fair in Granada

2010-06-10T15:28:00.001-07:00

On June 3rd my mom and I celebrated the majority of our birthday in Barcelona. We walked around Barcelona (the Rambla) and then headed to Sabadell to have tea with Feli, Angel, Abel and Oscar. It was great to see my host family again. They were really excited to see me and we got caught up on things. Later we headed back to Barcelona to have dinner. We ate in a nice restaurant and got lucky because we didn't have a reservation. They asked us for a reservation when we arrived and we looked around, there was absolutely no one there. Why do we need a reservation? I thought. A good half hour later the restaurant was filled. After the dinner my host family dropped my mom and me back to our hotel. My mom was leaving the next day. It was a good 18th birthday with my senora and a heck of a trip

2010-06-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

My two mothers

2010-06-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

The following day I got up early to say goodbye to my mom and then headed to Sabadell via the center of Barcelona. I arrived in Sabadell about 10a.m. I bought a bunch of chupa chups (lolli pops) and then headed to el patio (break or lunchtime) of school. I arrived to school and saw a bunch of my friends eating their bocadillos and chatting away. My friends saw me and I saw many smiles and was embraced by many with hugs. It was good to see my friends again. I gave them all chupa chups because it had been my birthday the day before. It was a great feeling and a great birthday present. It is good to be back!!!

2010-06-10T15:21:00.000-07:00

Royal Palace in Madrid with my mom

2010-05-14T05:09:00.000-07:00

Segundo Bachillerato (Seniors)

Taking A Trip

2010-05-14T03:44:00.000-07:00

Last Friday (May 7th) was my last day of school. It was kind of sad saying "adios" to the Spanish school, which held so many great memories. However, I knew that I could come back and visit anytime. Tomorrow I will be joining my mother on the Camino De Santiago. I will be walking the remaining 100km with her. The goal is to finish the Camino in five days. I am excited to see my mom and I am sure that she can't wait to see me. I am going to miss my friends but thankfully I will get to see them again before I leave for the US. After the Camino we will go to the following cities: Madrid, Toledo, Seville and Granada. I am very curious about the southern part of Spain (Andalucia.) I have been told that it is a lot different from the rest of Spain. After this trip with my mom I will have pretty much visited all of Spain!!!!

2010-05-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

Mi y Mi Senora

Madre Mia

2010-05-02T07:10:00.000-07:00

I miss my family a lot. However, about three weeks ago I got to see my mother. My mother came to take on the Camino De Santiago. Why she is doing the camino is beyond me. I am proud of her though and she is doing great. The other day she reached the halfway point. She tells me she is meeting many interesting people from all over the world. On May 14 I will be joining her to finish the Camino and sight see some more of Spain. Then I return to Sabadell on June 2. My mom returns to the states on June 4th and I later return on June 20th. It is all going by so fast. Here is the link to my mom's blog http://awalktosantiago.blogspot.com/

La Fiesta De Sant Jordi

2010-04-25T11:22:00.001-07:00

Last Friday, April 23, La Fiesta De Sant Jordi was celebrated in Catalunya. Part of the fiesta (holiday) comes from a legend or tale. There are many versions of the tale but they all are similar. It goes that a dragon captured a princess and no one was able to rescue her. One day a man came along named Jordi who killed the dragon and rescued the princess. From the blood of the dragon grew a rose, which Jordi gave to the princess. After that the two got married and lived happily ever after... typical fairy tale.

The other part of the fiesta deals with books. Books are important on this day because it is said that Shakespeare and Cervantes (a Spanish writer famous for his work "Don Quijote") both died on April 23.

2010-04-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

Selling roses

2010-04-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

So how is this holiday celebrated? First of all, school was optional. In school there were no classes just fun activities such as basketball, soccer and theatre. I did attend school. However, many of my friends from Segundo Bachillerato did not. It was a lot of fun, I played basketball and was also the referee of basketball for the youngins. But none of that stuff has to deal with a dragon, rose or Shakespeare. This fiesta is celebrated in that males give roses to females (wives, girlfriends, etc.) and females give books to males (husbands, boyfriends, etc.)

2010-04-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Jordi and I

2010-04-25T11:08:00.001-07:00

The rose giving was more popular than the books. On every street corner there were people selling roses. One of those fine salesmen was ME!! It was a lot of fun I was with my friends on the street corner selling roses for the school. I don't want to be bigheaded but I am a good salesman ;) One rose was three euros and we sold all the roses we had, which was a bucketful. I had some special offers in which I would sing in English if you bought a rose or two roses and a coke for six euros. This was probably one of the greatest days in Spain for me. Here is a link of my beautiful singing http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&v=T72THOj3Y08 This video was made a while ago...

2010-04-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

There's my coke

Easter Break

2010-04-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

Every country celebrates different holidays and if countries celebrate the same holiday they celebrate it differently. So how do Spaniards celebrate Easter??? To be honest for me it was just another Sunday. No Easter egg hunts or Easter Bunny, hahah or jajaj as they say here. Of course, that is not what Easter is really about. Many people know that practically all of Spain is Catholic. However, what I found to be a shocker is that not many people go to church. I myself have gone to Mass probably 10 times (muy malo) in my stay in Spain. My host family doesn't go to church and neither do the majority of my friends. However, during "Semana Santa" (Holy Week) there are more people that go to church. Just like back at home.

2010-04-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

Segovia

2010-04-10T12:55:00.001-07:00

Something that I found different and intriguing are the processions. During Semana Santa churches have processions that go through the town. What are processions? They are somewhat like a religious parade with people dressed up, yes believe it or not, in costumes that look like those worn by the KKK. The people that wear these outfits belong to religious fraternities and other organizations. They are NOT members of the Ku Klux Klan. In the processions there are also many floats carrying statues of Jesus and Mary. These processions are also very serious. They aren't like the "Cabalgata de Reyes" (parade of the Three Kings who arrived to bring gifts to Baby Jesus) where they throw lots of candy. It was a totally unique experience for me.

2010-04-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

Proccession in Avila

2010-04-10T12:51:00.001-07:00

Another special tradition here is celebrated on the Monday following Easter. It is called the "Dia de la Mona." La mona is a chocolate pastry that can be a figurine such as a monkey or Messi like I have here. It can also just be a cake. The godparents give a mona to their godson or goddaughter on this day.

2010-04-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

La mona (chocolate figurine) of Messi (greatest soccer player)

2010-04-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

So there you have the celebration of Easter- Spanish style. But what exactly did I do on my Easter- Spring Break!! I would like to start off by thanking two of my aunts or tias: Tia Linda y Tia Belia. My Tia Linda sent me an Easter egg basket: the Easter bunny didn't forget about me. And my Tia Belia sent me a box filled with JELLO mix and the molds to make JELLO EGGs (she knows I like Jello Eggs.) Both also sent me those glorious Reese's peanut butter eggs and other Easter candy. Of course, I shared the candy with my friends and host family. They enjoyed the Reese's eggs. I received both packages just before leaving for the small pueblo of Gemuno.

2010-04-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

Good Old Gemuno

2010-04-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

Gemuno is the pueblo (small village) that I went to for Christmas. Not much action going on there. There are very few people who reside there. It is in the country and there is a cierro (hill) near. It is a very peaceful pueblo with the quiet of the country. We spent a week there. During the week I was able to read a lot and play board games with my family. Although it is very relaxing I must admit that I prefer city living. I can't stand being isolated like that, but you do what you have to do. Not all the time was spent in Gemuno though. We did go to the city nearby, Avila and to another city called Segovia.

2010-04-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

Segovia

2010-04-10T12:29:00.001-07:00

Avila, as I have said before, is known for its Muralla (fortress or wall.) It is, I believe, the best-preserved wall in the WORLD. We went to Avila a lot because it is only about 7 km away. On one occasion we went to Segovia which I found to be a wonderful city. It has some magnificent sights: the Aqueduct of Segovia and the Alcazar. Here we met part of Feli's family and had lunch with them. I loved looking at the Aqueduct--it was amazing! We saw those processions I talked about in Segovia and Avila.

2010-04-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

La procesion in Segovia

2010-04-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

Well, that pretty much sums up my Easter and Spring Break. Hope everyone had a nice Easter and a good break!

2010-04-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

The City of Avila.

Foooood

2010-03-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

One thing that I cannot believe I haven't talked about in my blog is the food in Spain. So what is typical Spanish food you ask? One might say "Spanish food...ummm that's food like from Mexico: tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tamales y quesadillas, right?" - WRONG. Spanish food is so different from Mexican food. The most typical and popular dish here is paella. Paella is a dish made with rice mixed with tons of fun stuff: shrimp, peppers, meat, clams, fish and whatever you want to throw in there. My host family usually prepares paella with seafood. It is deliciosooo. Every part of Spain has a typical dish. In Catalonia it is typical to eat bread (tastes better toasted) with tomato and garlic as an appetizer. In Madrid the calamari sandwich is popular. Due to the fact that I am living near the Mediterranean Sea I have eaten a lot of seafood such as octopus, calamari, sea snails, clams, many types of fish and shrimp. Other foods that we usually eat for lunch or dinner are pasta, meat (pork, rabbit, lamb) and I can't forget the salad, bread and water.

2010-03-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

Paella

2010-03-21T05:41:00.000-07:00

The meal times here are a lot different from home. Here breakfast (el desayuno) is somewhat the same: for us it's 8 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends. Lunch (la comida) in the US is usually eaten around 12-1 p.m. and in Spain I eat lunch around 3 p.m. in the US I usually ate dinner (la cena) around 6 or 7 p.m. whereas in Spain we eat around 9;30-10 p.m. So there you have the meal times. For me it was not that hard to adjust to the meal schedule, but everyone is different.

In Spain we always eat dessert after lunch and dinner- it's great! I must admit that I have become addicted to a dessert called flan. I had tried it many times in the US and Mexico but I fell in love with it in Spain. Typical desserts here are flan, lionesas, yogurt, crepes and fruit.

2010-03-21T05:40:00.000-07:00

Lionesas (chocolate on top and cream inside) = glorious

2010-03-21T05:31:00.000-07:00

Speaking of food I do miss American food a lot (junk food jajajaj.) I also miss my mother's cooking especially her tamales. In Spain they do have McDonald's, Burger King, Domino's and KFC. However, the prices are twice as much as in the States. So far I have only gone to McDonald's in Spain out of the fast food joints I listed.

Every country has its own culture and the food is a big part of it.

2010-03-21T05:29:00.000-07:00

Stereotypical American Food

Contest Winner

2010-02-23T12:26:00.000-08:00

The other day I found out that I won a contest for my blog. The contest was hosted by CIEE (the program that brought me to Spain.) If I remember correctly in the contest we could enter photos, stories or a link to our blog, which I did. Months later BBBAAAMMM! I get an email telling me that I won. I am lucky and grateful for all the opportunities that I have in life. Thank you for reading my blog and following me. http://www.ciee.org/hsabroad/contest/index.html

2010-02-23T12:25:00.000-08:00

Muchas Gracias

English Presentation / Exams / Weekend

2010-02-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

I have been doing extremely well since my last update. This past week I had quite a few exams and I also had if you remember the ENGLISH PRESENTATION!! The English presentation was for my friend's English Academy. I spent a lot of time in the house working on my presentation and studying. The reason I say ENGLISH PRESENTATION!! is that I haven't spoken English in a while and I was nervous that my pronunciation would come out funny.

The exams soon passed and the time came when I had to present my work. It went very smoothly. I arrived at my friend's Academy and met several teachers who had very strong British accents (here and in Europe they study British English and yes there is a huge difference.) I went to the class and talked about the American customs and my life in the USA (school, transportation, habits & customs). The students seemed very interested and enjoyed my presentation. Shout out to my cousin Jack Mills. In the beginning of my presentation, as an icebreaker, I showed a video that I made with my cousin Jack a while ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkoudy2dUXc The class was 5th level English (I believe it was the highest level there.) The students understood (well at least it seemed like) everything I said. The ages of the students I would say ranged from 30-50. That is of course besides my friend who was the youngest one there.

The week finally ended and I was very pleased with my exam results. Last Friday I hung out with two groups of friends: a group from Primero Bachillerato and Segundo Bachillerato. I played soccer with Primero. It was exhausting (more exhausting than writing these blog entries.) I cannot remember the last time I ran so much. I have been going to the gym and pumping iron ;) but haven't done much cardiovascular exercise. It was a lot of fun playing futbol.

Later that day I went to a surprise Birthday for my friend, Valeria. It was fun to be with my friends from Segundo Bachillerato. To tell you the truth I hang out with Primero Bachillerato more outside of school than Segundo. It was a lot of fun and the surprise party was a success. It was nice to hang out with Segundo.

2010-02-23T11:59:00.000-08:00

Valeria's Surprise Birthday Party (2nd bach)

2010-02-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I went to Cerdanyola (a city about 20 minutes from Sabadell) to join in the celebration of the birthday of Feli's father. He turned 77. He is a very humble man and he always seems happy when I see him. I now have met all of Feli's family. We ate at a restaurant in Cerndanyola to celebrate. I had a tostada (bread with tomato and tuna), bistec (meat), and my favorite... flan.

On Sunday I went to Barcelona with Feli, Angel and Oscar. We went to Montjuic where the 1992 (that is when I was born, no big deal) Olympics were held. We entered a stadium and I was surprised to see many cats taking advantage of the abandoned stadium. It reminded me of my cats. Apparently since I am in Spain and my brother is studying at U of M our rooms are being used by my cats. Unfortunately, it began to rain and that finished our day. The weekend finally ended it was a long one.

2010-02-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

Montjuic (Angel, Yo, Oscar & Feli)

Science Project/ Carnaval

2010-02-15T11:23:00.001-08:00

Last week my friends and I presented our "treball de recerca" (research project) to a group of faculty and students at our school. It was major research project that is an important requirement for graduation from Segundo Bachillerato. The topic of our group project was "Odontologia I Prevencion: Collutorios" (teeth and mouthwashes.) My group consisted of Oscar, Gerard and Juan Antonio. We spent many days and hours working on the project.

2010-02-15T11:23:00.000-08:00

My friend Juan Antonio and I

2010-02-15T11:16:00.000-08:00

There was a lot of information about teeth, which was difficult to comprehend, but we finished our presentation strong. Since the project was in Catalan my contribution was small. However, I did help to make our presentation entertaining and comprehensible in the area of experiments. In our project we had conducted three experiments dealing with teeth and mouthwashes. So we made three quick videos of the experiments. As the scientist/presenter, Dr. Ryan Sanchez I described what happened in each experiment in English. My friend, Gerard, came up with the brillant idea of the videos. In Spain, he said, most documentaries are in English and are dubbed or subtitled in Spanish. So that is what we decided to do with the experiments. My other friend, Juan Antonio, put the video scenes together and added great effects. So in the end, we had three amazing videos of our experiments in English that were subtitled in Spanish.

2010-02-15T11:12:00.000-08:00

"Dr. Ryan Sanchez"

2010-02-15T11:06:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday we had to present our project at 3:30 PM. We did not have classes all we had was the presentation on Tuesday. The presentation went smoothly. I introduced the group and concluded the presentation. I felt I did my part pretty well. In the end, the teachers loved it. They did not have any questions for us and just commented on the fact that it was a good presentation.

2010-02-15T11:05:00.000-08:00

Science Project

2010-02-15T11:01:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Carnaval was celebrated all over Spain. Carnaval is particularly popular in Italy and Brazil. Except for New Orleans, we don't really celebrate it in the U.S. as these countries do. Here, Carnaval is somewhat similar to Halloween. Many people dress up and roam the streets having a good time. There are parades and lots of celebration all over. In Spain, Carnaval is celebrated over a span of three days Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

2010-02-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

Carnaval

2010-02-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

On Friday, many of the students of the schools of Spain dressed up. School was optional for me so I decided to go to Barcelona with my friends of Primero Bachillerato. I dressed up as a "cave girl," but my friends did not wear costumes.

2010-02-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

I didn't get the memo...

2010-02-15T10:47:00.001-08:00

When we arrived in Barcelona I noticed that the only people that were wearing costumes were kids. As we walked along Las Ramblas, I felt hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at me--it was awesome!! My friends and I began counting and by the end of the day I had received about 40 compliments.

2010-02-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

Carnaval, La Rambla

2010-02-15T10:46:00.000-08:00

Carnaval, La Rambla

2010-02-15T10:44:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I went to Barcelona again, except this time I went with Feli, Angel and Oscar. We visited some of their old friends. They were very nice. We had "tea" with them and then went back to Sabadell. It had rained that day so there were not many people out.

2010-02-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I went to Badonola with my friends from primero bachillerato. We took the train there from Sabadell and it took quite a while. We went to a discoteca (dance club) there called "Carpa" and waited in line for over an hour. We danced and had a good time.

2010-02-15T10:41:00.000-08:00

Discoteca Carpa

2010-02-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

Today, we did not have school because of Carnaval. So, I am preparing a presentation I will be giving in English at my friend's English language academy. I will be giving the presentation this Thursday. It should be fun. I will let you know how it goes.

The Days Are Going...

2010-02-09T01:17:00.000-08:00

I have been very busy lately. My classmates and I have had quite a few tests and I have a huge project due today. Three of my friends and I started working on the project at the beginning of the year. It is only for Segundo Bachillerato and is worth a large portion of passing Segundo Bachillerato. It is a major research project and our topic is on teeth and mouthwashes. Unfortunately, the project is all in Catalan so I couldn't really help when I hadn't even perfected my Spanish. I also just finished a book called "Manolito Gafota." It is a really well known book in Spain. It is about a kid with huge glasses "Gafotas" and his adventures of everday life in the barrio of Carabanchal in Madrid.

Last Friday, the 5th of February, marked the halfway point of my journey (exchange experience). I am sad to see that time is going by so fast. Before I know it, I will be headed back home. I also can't believe I have made it this far. The beginning was tough but I quickly learned to adjust to a different lifestyle. It is going to be tough to adjust back to my American lifestyle.

2010-01-16T05:49:00.000-08:00

The Muralla of Avila at night

2010-01-16T05:48:00.000-08:00

The Giant Guardian Of Avila

Christmas Vacation

2010-01-11T15:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas vacation was certainly very different for me this year. To start off I had nearly three weeks of vacation instead of the usual two we get back at home. My family went to a small pueblo called Gemuno near the city of Avila for vacation. Angel's mother lives there but she is seriously ill. Angel has been with here since December 12 and now she was in the hospital.

The road trip was about six or seven hours long. However, in the end we arrived and met Angel at the hospital. His mother didn't seem to be doing well during the majority of the time we spent in Gemuno. However, she was moved to a residence (nursing home) and on the very last day I saw her she seemed and looked a lot better.

Well we arrived in Gemuno on December 20th. It was nighttime so I wasn't able to see what the pueblo was like. Feli had told me several times that it was very small but I couldn't imagine it at the time. I was also warned that it was going to be a lot colder than Sabadell so I had packed my clothes carefully. The reason why Gemuno is colder is that it is at a higher altitude than Sabadell and the wind is brutal. Avila, the city near Gemuno, is the city with the highest altitude in Spain.

I wasn't sure what we were going to do because I had no friends here and didn't know the area so I came prepared and brought some books. When I woke up the first morning Feli took me to the balcony of a room on the second floor and showed me Gemuno. There was not much to see...

There were a lot of fields, a group of very small mountains to one side and Avila, which was about 10 km away. I had slept pretty well because there were absolutely no noises you normally hear in a city. So the day began, they had a ping-pong table, which we spent many hours playing and it gave us lots of entertainment. I had so much free time and was able to read and watch a lot of Spanish TV. One thing that I enjoyed was the fact that Gemuno was in the Comunidad Autonoma de Junta de Castilla y Leon. Spanish was only spoken in this Comunidad and I didn't have to hear any Catalan!

Days passed and we visited Avila, watched Tv, played ping-pong and read. Avila is a lot smaller than Sabadell. However, one thing Avila is famous for is its muralla. It is an impressive medieval wall surrounding the old part of Avila. It is one of the most well preserved walls from its time period. It was a marvelous sight.

2010-01-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

La Muralla at night

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La Muralla De Avila

2010-01-11T15:26:00.000-08:00

More days passed and the holidays soon began to roll in. The first important day was December 22th. It is the day of the National Lottery, which every Spaniard plays. This year on the news they said that the average that each Spaniard spent on this lottery was 70 euros! Soon Christmas came along. On the night of Christmas Eve we had a special dinner of various seafood (shrimp, squid, and noodles) that Feli cooked up. It was delicious. Next day was Christmas. Christmas isn't really a popular gift-givnig day. Instead they exchange gifts on Januaray 6, El Dia del Reyes.

On Christmas Day we went to a city about an hour away called Salamanca. Salamanca is home to one of the oldest and well-known universities. Some great sights there are the University of Salamanca, the Cathedral, La Casa de Conchas and a great plaza. It was cool city and my host family told me that it is a great center of learning. I was also surprised to see many people out and many stores open on Christmas. "This Christmas I gave you my heart the very next day"... Christmas was certainly very different this year but I still enjoyed it.

2010-01-11T15:24:00.000-08:00

Salamanca

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Me and La Casa de Conchas

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Host Family in the plaza of Salamanca

2010-01-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

More days passed and I enjoyed walking in the peaceful pueblo of Gemuno. I walked up the small mountain twice. It was soo cool. I had a great view and it was very peaceful. Maybe one day I will build a house on top of a mountain. Another day we saw the movie Avatar in 3-D. It was an amazing film. Technology is advancing each day. And, yes, I pretty much understood everything.

2010-01-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

Avila from a distance

2010-01-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

Gemuno

2010-01-11T14:59:00.000-08:00

Next came New Year's Eve. I was kind of sad during this period because I usually spent New Year's Eve with my family and some friends and we have a lot of fun getting together and playing games. This year the tradition was broken. I was in Spain and my family drove all the way to Mexico City! So it was just Feli, Abel, Oscar and I on New Year's Eve. Angel had gone to watch over his mother for the night. He and his siblings are taking turns taking care of her. We watched the ball drop at the Puerta Del Sol in Madrid. One thing that was very different for me, was that in Spain it is a custom to eat 12 grapes for good luck: one for each gong of the bell when the new year arrives. I am going to be honest: when the last bell rang I had a mouthful of grapes. I wasn't able to do it. We will see what 2010 brings.

Soon after what seemed to me many days, hours, and minutes in Gemuno we said our goodbyes to the pueblo on January 4th, 2010. We said goodbye to Angel's mother at the residence and we headed towards home. It has been a tough time for Angel and his family.

First, however, we were going to Madrid. Feli has a brother that lives there and he had left for London and invited us to stay at his house for two nights. The capital of Spain was awesome. I saw many cool places such as the Puerta del Sol, where we had had our TV turned to on New Year's Eve.

On the night of January 5th we saw the Cabalgata de los Reyes in Madrid (a huge parade.) I loved it. People in the parade threw out candy and I struggled with the others for the caramelos. There were hundreds of people watching this parade and the atmosphere was great. However, all good things have to come to an end and we soon headed back to go to sleep. The next day we were finally going back home.

2010-01-11T14:58:00.000-08:00

Cabalgata Del Reyes
Madrid, Spain
:) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT3EY4C_c6w

2010-01-11T14:21:00.000-08:00

On January 6th we headed out for Sabadell. It was a long drive and we stopped in a city called Lleida were we met more of Feli's family. We ate lunch with them and were soon on the road again. When we arrived in Sabadell it was 8 o'clock. What a journey it had been!

I put all my clothes away and made my room nice and tidy. I was then finally able to touch my computer. It had been two weeks or so without a computer. I knew I would probably have a lot of emails, especially from my mom. I connected with my mom on Skype (thanks to my Tia Linda) and we chatted for a while. She told me about their trip to Mexico City. It was a long drive for them but they had fun. Not only did they get to see my dad's family but they also saw some of my mom's family in Monterrey, Mexico and Austin, Texas.

The next day was the beginning of what I would call a holiday after the Christmas holidays. The Rebajas (sales) had begun. Pretty much every store in Catalunya had many sales and were promoting many things. I went out with some friends to go shopping and it was fun. I was finally in one of my familiar "homes."

This Christmas season I received a cell phone from my family as a gift. But I know that the biggest gift I received was being able to go with them to many new places and share with them new experiences. I am lucky even if I didn't finish all the grapes in time!

Be grateful for what you have.

2010-01-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

Host family in Salamanca. Christmas 2009.

2009-12-19T11:17:00.000-08:00

What I drew for all my followers...

Feliz Navidad

2009-12-19T11:10:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I am headed off to Avila/Madrid. I will inform you guys about it when I get back.
Until then have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Buenas Fiestas.

Reunion

2009-12-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I attended a reunion of all the students participating in the exchange program that live in the Barcelona area. When I arrived my peers began to talk to me in English and, for a moment, I struggled to speak. I found that when I spoke in English i would sometimes say "si" or "vale." However, I soon remembered how to speak my native language, and the words soon began to flow from my mouth.

There wer about 12 students in total who attended. We met at the house of the coordinator of the Barcelona area in Cerdanyola. All the students took the train to get there. Feli dropped me off because we were coming from the birthday of one of their relatives. The coordinator who asked about our relationship with our family and how we were doing interviewed each student. Meanwhile, the other students visited with each other and got caught up with each other's news. it seemed that everybody was learning a lot and having a great experience.

After the interview sessions we all sat down to enjoy some tasty traditional pastries. We continued to talk and shared stories about our host families. We also compared the customs of Spain with our own and talked about what we did on a regular basis. One custom very common here is that the older children in our families still live at home (while working or going to college.)

Unfortunately, all good things have to end and the time soon came for us to part ways and levae for our casas. I said goodbye to my friends and headed back to my house in Sabadell by train. It was a great reunion, seeing some old faces and speaking in my native tongue. However, I have to say that it felt so wierd speaking English. I suppose that's a good thing.

2009-12-11T07:03:00.000-08:00

El Delta