Random Thoughts

It's amazing how much I can post in my blog when I want to procrastinate. Technically my test isn't until June 1st and it's only May 19th...plenty of time to study! I just wanted to post a few pictures from this past week. Burbuja, our puppy, has been growing like a weed and now he is finally walking...everywhere! Last night a terrified Ariadna rushed into my room asking if I had seen him. I was skyping with Maggie at the time and said no but that I would help her search for him. Just then, she let out a sigh of relief as she found him in my tennis shoe. I think he likes my room/me because he always, somehow, ends up at the bottom of my feet when I least expect it. Compare this picture with the one in the post titled "Vacations and Puppies."

On Tuesday, May 17th, our program rented us a Catamaran for 2 hours. We left from the port of Alicante and drove around the coast of the city where we were able to stop and swim in the water for awhile. Unfortunately, it was mostly cloudy and windy during our voyage so although I swam, I payed the price of being cold after. It was fun to have the group all together one last time before we went our separate ways. The professors and all of the CIEE staff joined us as well which was hysterical and fun. They kept trying to get us to dance to Katy Perry with them. The picture below is before we set sail: Ari, Natalie, Me and Casey.

Below is a picture of the Santa Barbara Castle from the Port. I'm in love with the Castle if you couldn't tell by now.

Calp: Where Seagulls Attack

I realized I failed to write about a hiking experience I did a few months ago. One of the reasons I love Alicante is the geographical diversity of the province. Yes, the beach is great but I also love the backdrop of the mountains and the opportunities to participate in outdoor activities. The last weekend in March, my friends, Casey, Sara, Allison and I decided to venture about an hour north of Alicante (by Tram) to climb a trail our friend Cristina had told us about. We were surprised when we arrived that we were actually climbing a cliff located right on the edge of the beach called "Ilfach" in the town of Calp (pronounced Cal-pae). Here is a picture of it:

Apparently after the tunnel it was "muy peligroso" (very dangerous)

The day was perfect: sunny, nice breeze and about 60 degrees. It was also Sara's 21st birthday and it was fun to celebrate with a picnic on top of the summit.

Although we were about 3o minutes late back to Alicante for Sara's b-day dinner, the day was fun, but pretty uneventful. This past Sunday, after riding in the limo Saturday night, we decided to go again. This time is was supposed to be me, Casey, Sara and Lindsay. However, Casey didn't wake up on time, which leads into my next story. If you haven't read the previous post, it is necessary to understand what I am about to write. After arriving home around 5:30 AM, I didn't end up falling asleep until around 6 and woke up at 9:15 to meet everyone at the train station. I was feeling the effects of the previous night/morning but surprisingly I wasn't that tired. I was the first one to be at Renfe and I was 5 minutes late. Upon arriving I call Sara to find out she woke up late but she's on her way. She told me to go ahead to the Tram station which is another 5-8 minute walk and purchase our tickets, that way we wouldn't waste time doing that and we could catch the 10:11 AM Tram. It was important we caught this one because it only comes every half hour and it takes a while to get to Calp. My phone is on the verge of death due to the fact I forgot to charge it the night before and I'm trying to call Lindsay to tell her that I will call her when we are on the Tram. She was getting on at the next stop. After just barely making on to the first Tram, Sara and I were ecstatic. We literally ran onto the Tram, threw our hands up and high-fived. At the next stop which is Mercado, we were supposed to meet Lindsay. Unfortunately, our phones didn't work underground so we couldn't call her to tell her we were on the Tram. At the stop, Sara stood in the doors while I jumped out to look for Lindsay. I spotted her on the escalator about half way up and screamed, "Lindsay RUN!!" She starts taking off down the stairs, trying to squeeze through some people and the Tram doors start closing, with Sara in them. She jumps out but starts banging on the doors to try and let us in. It worked! And we got back on the Tram. Everyone was staring at us like who are these girls? And the US Embassy probably hated us for how American we were acting.

The tram ride was nice and relaxing and we didn't have a "layover" in Benidorm like before. When we got to Calp, it was raining and we were in tank tops and shorts. Luckily there is a small cafe right next to the Tram station that we hung out in for about an hour and waited for the rain to leave. As we were sitting there, discussing life and crazy things that have happened to us in Alicante, including things to do with Carpe Diem and rooftops :) (Sorry Sar, had to throw that in there so I can remember all the stories), we legit got "SHHHH-ed" by the bartender! Yes we were talking and maybe laughing a little too loud but seriously? You couldn't say, "hey keep it down or you guys are being a little loud." No, he Shh-ed us at least three more times. After the third time and it being really awkward, we decided to venture down to the rock. There is a bus you can take but the rain had let up and we felt like being outdoors. So many inside, hilarious jokes happened this day that I will only share a few of them. Basically that was our walk to the rock: Sara and Lindsay discussing living the Spanish lifestyle when they returned home, including sipping wine during la comida (lunch) and me telling them about how I delivered a baby in Ecuador. We finally reached the bottom of the cliff and began the assent. Although it was a bit misty and cloudy out, the views were just as breathtaking as the first time. This was Lindsay's first time and even with a hurt foot, she was enjoying the hike. After the tunnel is where things got interesting/terrifying. About 3/4 of the way up, Sara notice's a baby seagull. After "oooo-ing" and "ahhh-ing" for a good 5 minutes we continued. All of a sudden a seagull dove at me! I hit the ground so fast and Sara and Lindsay were like, "What?! Oh my gosh what happened?" I was like, "That seagull legit just dive bombed me." They started cracking up, and basically telling me to stop being dramatic. No more than 2 minutes later I hear behind me, "Holy crap!" One had just dove at them. We decided to go back down to safe ground which was like 20 feet below us. When I looked up I saw literally an army of seagulls flying around the cliff and swooping down at people. I was like oh hell no I am not about to climb to the top like this. We decided that we would settle, sadly, for not reaching the summit because we were not about to get our eyes or brains pecked out. Just then a man came by us and we were like, "are you going to the top?" He gave us a confused look, "Yea, why not?" Umm sir, have you seen the killer seagulls?! He laughed and said they are "harmless" and that we could follow him to the top if we wanted. Well Sara thought that this sounded like the best idea since sliced bread so we continued our journey. And continued to literally get attacked by seagulls. At one point I had to stop, take off my back pack and carry it over my head. For a visual, imagine this sandaled-Norweigen man scrambling up these steep rocks, Sara pretty close behind him and Lindsay and I about 15 feet behind her screaming, trying to yell for her to wait up. Sara goes, "I don't want to lose him! Sir, SIR can you please wait for us? My friends are a little scared." This dude had to be thinking, "Oh my gosh, what did i get myself into." We FINALLY reached the top and the seagulls seemed to be laying off. I was starving and exhausted so I whipped out my bocadillo. Just then two seagulls swooped down at all of us. Sara shrieked, "Hilary can we PLEASE go?!" Mouth full of turkey, cheese and bread I couldn't help but laugh as we scampered down the mountain. And the seagulls were mad. We tried to get down as fast as we could when we hear Lindsay scream, "GUYS! One just shit on me!" I yelled back, "Well keep going because we can't do anything now!" Sara and I are dying laughing while also trying to dodge seagull attacks as we finally make it to what we think is a safe-place. Lindsay emerges from the brush with seagull poo all over her shirt. I felt so bad for her but it was also extremely hilarious. I gave her some kleenexes I had in my backpack and she finally ended up taking off her shirt. We decided to deal with how we were going to get her another shirt after we got out of this dangerous territory. The climb down was better as the seagulls didn't see us as a threat to their young anymore. But we approached a nest and all of a sudden the mother started shrieking! "She's sounding the alarm!" we screamed and while Lindsay and I are trying to get out of there as fast as we can, Sara stops to take a PICTURE of the babies! I'm surprised she didn't die. After making it back to the tunnel, we decided to sit inside and eat our sandwiches to avoid any more possible attacks.

We almost made it down the mountain when it started raining. The day had been so unusual and crazy that all we could do was laugh and we jogged to the bus stop to try and get out of the storm. The bus brought us back to the Tram station where we had to wait 45 for our Tram to get back to Alicante. Where do we go? Oh yes, the café that shhhh-ed us and probably hates Americans. We sat in there and watched "Forrest Gump" (in Spanish of course) and treated ourselves to a glass of wine. Luckily I had brought my beach towel with me because I thought we would swim if it was nice out and I gave it to Lindsay to wrap up in. It also was my Hello Kitty one from Japan so she didn't stick out at all. After trying to stay quiet for 45+ minutes, we caught the tram back home and relived our entire adventure of the day. Despite arriving home around 8:30 and being completely wiped, we ventured over to Lindsay's house to watch "Vickie Cristina Barcelona" which is a fantastic movie. It features Scarlett Johansen, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. It was cool to understand the context of the film since we had visited Barcelona in February. Also, the picture below is one of the few I took on our 2nd hike up Ilfach because I was too scared to get my camera out in the middle of seagull attacks.

Me, Lindsay and Sara before the attack of the seagulls

"What is our life?!"

I really should have wrote this immediately after the events of last weekend so bear with me as I try to hash out as many details as I can remember. I'll start with Saturday. My friend Casey, probably my best friend here, and I woke up early (for once) and headed to Playa San Juan which is the nice beach here in Alicante. Basically it's nicer because it's HUGE and the sand and water are cleaner than Postiguet, the beach closer to downtown and my house. We arrived around 10:15 AM, posted up in a quiet spot by the water and passed out for 3 hours. When I finally woke up I realized it was 1 PM and I was sweating. My friend Olivia who was also there, and I swam for about 10 minutes and then I passed out again...until 4 PM. There is nothing more peaceful than falling asleep in the sun, listening to the waves crash on the shore. We finally decided to wake up and head home since we were starving and realized we had been sleeping literally all day. After lunch and quick nap, my friend Sara asked me if I wanted to go out to dinner with her and her Spanish friends around 10 at one of my favorite restaurants "100 Montaditos." It serves "montaditos" which are mini-sandwiches and they have my favorite drink, a jar of tinto de verano. Sara, Casey, Natalie and I headed there around 10 and met her friends, 3 girls and a guy, who were extremely welcoming and personable. I really enjoyed practicing my Spanish with them and then seemed really interested in us as well. They taught us some Spanish slang which I enjoy learning, it helps me blend in with the Spanish youth. One of my favorite parts of the conversation was when Stefanie said, "I want to go to the US because you guys have more famous people, like Katy Perry." They had just purchased tickets to a concert in Madrid for another musical group and said that a lot of famous people don't come through Spain. I was like, "Yea, but you have Shakira!" They all stopped and stared at me. I started nerviously laughing and asked, "Don't you like Shakira?" To which they replied, "Yes she is okay." It was so funny. We also taught them how to shotgun a beer but the word for "shotgun" in Spanish is "pistola" which sounded hilarious to them. Speaking of guns, we had a big discussion on the difference in gun control laws in Spain and the U.S. It is impossible, or almost, for a young person to get their hands on guns in Spain because carrying firearms is illegal and people just don't do it. Contrary to the US where people think they have a right to carry an arm to defend themselves. Why is it then that innocent people end of up getting hurt? I don't know the logistics of it, but last night I found out from my brother that a high school student committed suicide in Winterset. Hunter ran cross country with him and apparently he didn't seem like the kid who would do that, then again, they never do. My first thought was how did he get the weapon? Thankfully no one else was hurt. I am a full-blooded American and believe in the Constitution, however, something has to be done to prevent young people from getting their hands on firearms and using them to do harm. A school shooting is in the news for a few days and then we forget about it or everyone thinks "that would never happen here." It's time to stop being naive and start facing the facts.

After our intense discussion about differences between the States and Spain, the Spanish students left to go home because they had exams this week. Sara, Sylive- who came to meet us later- and I had just finished exams so we were looking forward to going out. After dos besos to all the Spaniards, we headed to our favorite bar, Goa. We know the bartenders here, Sergio and Claudio, but unfortunately we d0n't get any free drinks. Thankfully, everything is literally 1 Euro. Sylvie and I are tired so we decide not to drink because I am going hiking with Sara, Casey and Lindsay the next day. We move on to Havanna Barrio which is another one of our favorite hang outs. However, this night all we wanted to do was use their bathroom (it's nice and actually has toliet paper). Walking out was the second time Sylive and I looked at each other and said, 'We should probably head home soon." Just then, a woman asked us if we wanted to ride in a limo. We asked, "¿Cómo?" She tried speaking in broken English which was actually harder to understand her than Spanish. She said they were promoting a new magazine, gave us wrist bands and told us to go stand out in front of KFC to wait for the limo. Sara was like, "OK!" I was like, "Eh this is sketchy but we'll check it out." And Sylvie said, "Guys, no this is weird and sketch." Just then Sara saw her "friend" Pierre who I guess she met literally one time before that. She was convinced it would be fine since she knew him and he was working for this campaign as well. Before heading out of the barrio to find our limo, we were asked to get a picture with the mascot bunny. See below:

Sure enough after about 20 minutes of waiting and meeting new Spanish friends who assured us it was safe, we were in the limo with an open bar. It was awesome! We drove around Alicante for about 45 minutes saying out loud, "What is our life?!"

Sara, Me, Sylvie and our new friend Natalie in the limo

After that, our new friends, Natalie and Stefanie invited us to come out with them. This was the 3rd time Sylvie and I tried to leave and go home, but in reality, we were having a blast and didn't want to leave. We went to a few clubs before they finally took us to one I had never been to before called "5 Avenida." It was actually on a side street on the way to my casa. We were there until about 4:30..yes, AM when Sylvie and I FINALLY decided we needed to go home, if we were going to be in any shape at all to go hiking. We literally turned around to leave the dance floor and a guy offered us two champagne glasses and a bottle. He was like, "I have too many so you guys can have this one for free!" Are you kidding me?!? How does this night keep getting better. We stayed for another half hour and finally headed home around 5, both of us laughing about the events of the night, completely in love with Alicante and the Spanish lifestyle.

The Beginning of the End

This past week I took my final exams for my CIEE classes. I think they went well although one of them was cumulative and entirely essay form. Which resulted in many hand cramps during and after the test. Although I am done with these classes and exams, I still have my direct enrollment (DE) course and exam to take on June 1st. I received a wonderful card from my grandparents in the mail a few weeks ago saying they hadn't heard much about my classes so I wanted to take a bit of a reflection on my semester (class wise) to keep you all up to speed. I believe I wrote this in an earlier post that I was enrolled in 3 classes through my program. The first class I had was Spanish Popular Culture class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Throughout the semester I learned some useful and some crazy facts about my new home. For example, for the most part, Spaniards don't like to rent things, such as apartments (they call them houses). They like to own their homes so even though it is an apartment complex, they somehow have "bought" their own apartment. Also, unlike the States, Spaniards don't get off work until 8 or 9 at night because they have a siesta in the afternoon and then re-open their stores at 5. An example of a crazy fact is that the reason Spaniards do not have "to-go" coffee (or anything for that matter) is because they see drinking coffee or eating as a social ritual and if you don't have time for it, you don't do it. This has obviously made me analyze our fast pace lifestyle in the states but I have come to the conclusion that I like walking/driving with my 20 ounce caramel latte. Sorry Spain, you are losing this battle. We also watched about 5 movies during the semester; some were good, other's just cheesy but I did learn a lot about the culture and lifestyle during Franco (the dictator) and also the role of women in society. We learned colloquial phrases which were helpful in order to blend in with the Spanish culture and especially the youth, and we learned how to order different types of drinks. Like I said, a very useful class :)

The next class was a Women's Literature class and this was the most challenging for me, partly because of the content but partly because we had a lot of work. My professor, Debora, was a cute little lady with brown, wavy hair and glasses and extremely nice and personable. Her teaching style on the other hand, I would have liked to tweak. Sometimes it felt like she wasn't prepared for class or we would spend 2 hours discussing life, incorporated into the readings of the day. Discussion was good and a helpful part of class but sometimes I needed more clear-cut, this is what she wants us to know lecture so I could focus my studying on that. This class did help me with my Spanish writing skills as I wrote close to 10 papers throughout the semester. I also enjoyed our final project which was to choose a book, or a short story, read it and then write a 10 page analysis. When it was nice outside, she would let us sit in the grass and hold class or sometimes we would go get coffee and discuss readings, which would never happen in the States but I really liked this. I liked her laid-back style but sometimes she was too laid back, in my opinion. My third and final class was Public Health and probably the one I am the most critical. Originally, I choose the Alicante program because it offered this course and the description said that we would have guest speakers, such as doctors and nurses, and we would be visiting a local hospital or clinic. Neither of which happened, to my disappointment. I did, however, broaden not only my general Spanish vocabulary but my medical Spanish vocabulary and the book I purchased I am bringing home for future reference. What I found most intriguing about the class was the similarities and differences between Spanish healthcare and the States. Especially for someone like me who wants to pursue a career in this area, I think it is helpful to have a good understanding of different systems. We would also read articles about the latest medical topics or new vaccines which I found interesting as well.

In general, my classes were different from what I am used to in the States. I was shocked when my professors would continually be late to class or when someone didn't have their paper done and wanted to turn it in later they were okay with it. That is how the Spanish system operates. I did enjoy how personable the professors were and since my classes were small, they all knew my name and how I contributed to the class. I can not believe I am done with my program! To celebrate, they rented a catamaran for this coming Tuesday for all of us to go out on for the afternoon, professors included! There is an option of snorkeling but I think you all know that I will NOT be participating. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone one last time before we all head our separate ways. I still can't believe I arrived in January and now it's May and my time is winding down. Luckily, I still have about a month and a half left, a lot more time than most people. My classes taught me a lot about the Spanish style of teaching, education system and culture in general but I have always thought and still believe that I have learned more outside the classroom. Interacting with my family and asking their opinions on what I have learned in class has broaden my horizons and made me appreciate the Spanish lifestyle, even if I don't agree with everything. Spain, and the people, have also taught me a lot about myself. I don't know how to elaborate except that it is something internal. And thinking back to the first few months I was here, I have seen growth and progress with myself. Whenever I go abroad, I am always happy, probably the happiest I have ever been but Spain was different. I struggled the first month (to speak the language, to find friends, to find happiness) but now I feel like I did that first week in Costa Rica and my first (and entire) month in Ecuador. Spain has opened my eyes to so many wonderful things about my life and taught me that everything will be okay. I just have to learn to dance through the storm.

Vacations and Puppies

Besides the gorgeous weather outside making me want to do nothing except post up on the playa I have also found other ways to procrastinate i.e. joining the Twitter world and writing in my blog when I don't feel like writing my paper. (Mom, you are reading this as I AM working on my paper.) I felt like today deserved a blog entry and after what happened, procrastinating for a few minutes can not be that damaging. So today started with me waking up and pondering the recurrent thought that pops into my mind every morning when the sun is shining: class or beach, class or beach. I decided to go to class (like I always do). After my first not-so-interesting class, (it's Pop Culture and all we did was discuss/analyze a few movies...zzzzzzz), my friend Hannah and I were discussing how much work we had to do the next few days/weeks. This is our last full week of class because next Thursday, Semana Santa begins a.k.a we get two weeks off for Easter and then we have class for TWO DAYS the first week of May and then that weekend is Santa Faz, another festival in Alicante. How could I not love it here?! Ok so getting back to my awesome day. We are supposed to have a paper due this Thursday for my Lit class and then our FINAL paper due on Tuesday. Well my friend Hannah had enough courage during class to raise her hand and ask if we could just discuss the commentary that we were supposed to do for Thursday. Surprisingly our professor said YES! One paper cancelled. She also allowed us to turn in our final paper the week after Semana Santa. I felt like Charlie Sheen. WINNING! Finally, in my last class which is my direct enrollment through the University of Alicante, my professor legit asks the class, "Who is not going to come to class the week after Semana Santa?" and EVERYONE (like 30 kids) raised their hands! She nodded and said, "Vale, no hay clase." (ok, no class then). WHAAAAAAT?! So basically we have a three week spring break, from that class at least, which means a 3 week break from hearing about the dictator, Franco.

In other news, my madre, Lidia, wrapped me into a puppy-scandal this morning. Preface: I woke up late (totally normal) this morning and was rushing to the bathroom to get ready when I saw Lidia and her friend, Isabella sitting and chatting in the living room. I gave a wave and said, "Buenos dias" as I trudged into the bathroom. When I came out, Isabella was gone. I gathered up all my stuff for the day and was walking out my bedroom door as Lidia was coming down the hall whispering to me "solamente hay un perro, nada más" (there's only one puppy, no more) and put her lips to her fingers as to "shush" me. I was a little stunned, nodded and preceded to head out the door when I met another lady walking in. After dos besos, looking at Lidia and being super confused, I headed to class, all the while thinking, "I hope the puppies are okay, and did one die?" Upon my return from class/awesome news-day, I found Ariadna holding one of the puppies as Lidia had taken Lulu, the mom of the puppies, debajo (to use the doggie restroom). Although the puppy still looked like a rat, it had more hair which made me want to hold it. Ok so I, timidly, ask Ariadna what happened to the other one and she explained that the owner of the puppies' father took it. Ok, whew! It was still alive. That is what Lidia must have been telling me this morning but was confused in the manner in which she did it.

Lidia and Lulu return from the park and she thanks me for not saying anything about the puppies this morning. I said, "Oh I heard you found a good home for one." She rolls her eyes and continues: apparently the owner of the puppies' father didn't want to pay for a puppy and since Lulu had a c-section, it was very expensive. Lidia then told her that only one of the puppies had survived and if she wanted it, she would have to pay. Lidia seemed annoyed because apparently this agreement was supposed to be sorted out before the birth of the puppies. She also mentioned something about everyone in Spain, or Alicante for that matter, want to be in your business and know how much money you have, what you do for a living, ect. ect. Then she tells me Isabel had the other puppy down in the park while this lady was looking at the other one in the apartment! This was all happening while I was oblivious/getting ready for class. And it was successful. Lidia got paid and this lady got a puppy, except now we only have one left..and his eyes aren't even open! Ariadna and I had fun cuddling him before dinner tonight.

When in London: Mind the Gap and...Your Wallet

Originally, I had wanted to go to London to see the sites most people only see in pictures or experience in movies. And since I am unable to make it to the Royal Wedding, I figured this would be a good of chance as any to see/steal Prince William and/or the Royal Family. Unfortunately, the only thing stolen in this city was not a heart, but rather, a wallet. My wallet. Now I am starting this way because I do not intend to write a depressing entry but rather begin with one of the last things to happen to me during an otherwise incredibly, wonderful weekend. My friend Casey and I had just finished viewing the Arsenal stadium in the northern part of the city when we decided to put our day-trip-tube-passes to use and catch the tube (the subway) back to our hostel. We felt comfortable with the tube system by this time and routinely reached in our bags, grabbed our pass, let it slide the through entrance gate and headed for our train. Somewhere between me putting my card back in my wallet and leaving the tube station, when you have to show your card again, my entire wallet was lost. Most people could see me getting extremely upset about the situation and although I freaked out at first, I calmly collected myself as I asked a woman working there if there was a lost and found. In fact there was but it wasn't open during the weekend and at that point I knew my things were long gone. Thankfully Casey had her blackberry and allowed me to call my parents to let them know to cancel my credit and debit card. Before leaving the station, Casey asked if I had my passport and I frantically started rummaging through my purse again. Yes, I had it. Along with my Spanish cell phone, camera and ipod. So I viewed the entire situation as, it could have been worse. And even this did not change my love and addiction to this thriving metropolis.

London was so much more than what I had heard from previous travelers or had seen in the movies. It was a colorful mix of old and new, tradition and modernism that grabbed my attention as soon as we stepped off the plane. Since we flew into Gatwick, about 35 minutes by train south of the city, we took a bus to the city center where our hostel was. During the ride, I saw beautiful green meadows and old, cozy cottages, just like in the movie 'The Holiday," the snow replaced with beautiful, budding cherry blossom trees. Everything was so green and vibrant. We stayed at St. Christoher's Inn which is actually 3 hostels in 1 and we had two restaurants to choose from where we could receive discounts just for staying at this hostel. This was also just 1 block away from the famous London Bridge. Upon arriving to "our area" I felt like a kid at Disneyland. The traffic driving on the opposite side of the road, double decker red buses, those famous telephone booths and the funniest names for stores/restaurants I have ever seen (example: Sweaty Betty). Casey and I literally were jumping up and down clapping our hands together like your typical tourists. We arrived around 12 PM on Friday so after setting our backpacks down at the hostel, we headed out to explore the beauty of London.

Our first stop was the Borough Market which was suggested to us by our hostel and was across the street from our room. It is like an enhanced farmer's market with so many different types of food, drink and desserts AND the best part was free samples. The guy at the reception desk was not kidding when he said you could have a light lunch off of all the free tastings. There was German sausage, Spanish jamón, fresh fruit, vegetables, local brews and even Ostrich meat. It was a sight to see and we made sure to get up early on Saturday to take a second stroll by the venders. The people were incredible which is the main reason I am blaming the missing wallet on my own stupidity. For example, we had intended to get a fastpast for the London Eye, the giant ferris wheel constructed on the Thames River to celebrate the Millennium in 2000, but after talking to the lady she told us it wasn't busy and not worth it to buy (even though she could have easily made an extra 8 pounds off us). And any time we asked for directions, we were we always greeted with a kind, British accent, which is another characteristic that makes London so charming, especially when spoken by the male species. Rewinding, after our meandering through the market, we took the advice of the receptionist and did a walking tour along the Thames River Path. We crossed the London Bridge and walked to the London Tower and Tower Bridge. I can't even put it into words so here are few snapshots below.

We had many inside jokes during our trip and the one that always resonates in my mind is everyone's (locals and tourists) obsession with the Royal Family. The queen literally has everything named after her here and we especially found "The Queen's Walk" quite interesting because it was literally named after her because she walked down it one day. Also strung along the streets were tourist vendors selling everything from postcards to bags and hats with Prince William and Kate Middleton's faces on them. You also had the chance to buy an ornament with their names on it. I'll get to that later. Strolling along The Queen's Walk (just opposite to the Thames Path along the river) we discovered parks, many restaurants and pubs, old fisherman's wharfs and some of the most famous sights of London. We passed Shakespeare's globe, where all his plays were performed, The Tate Museum of Modern Art, St. Paul's Cathedral and many food vendors selling "hotdogs, ice cream and donuts." I mean honestly, what more could you want? ;)

We walked back and forth, via bridges, from Queen's Walk to Thames' Path taking in the glory of everything we were seeing. We finally curved around the bend to see many street performers, some singing, other's dancing, near the London Eye. This was the most expensive thing we paid for while here and it was worth every bloody British pound. Right outside this structure is also where Casey and I enjoyed a cold Dr. Pepper. Despite hearing horror stories about standing in line for hours, we received our tickets in about 15 minutes and were on the ride in 25. You could see all of London and beyond from the top and I'll post a picture so you can get the idea. My favorite was seeing Big Ben and Westminister Abbey from the top.

Posing on the bridge in front of the Eye

After marveling at the intensely detailed architecture of the Houses of Parliment (Big Ben) and Westminister, we decided to give our feet a rest and catch the tube back to our hostel. Up until this point, we hadn't met anyone who was staying in our room. In our room, there were 8 beds and when we returned we met one of our roommates. We still do not know her name but the first thing she said was, "Hey! Where are you guys from?" We said the States and her response was, "I LOVE America!" It get's better. She is from Kazakhstan, looked Chinese and spoke fluent English. I had never met anyone from this country and all I could think about was the movie Borat and "this shirt is NOT black." She was quite the chatty kathy and wanted to know what we had been up to during the day/our plans for the evening. We told her we were going to get some food and then head to a pub for a drink. Our hostel was actually connected to a pub with discounts for the guests. Score! She explained that she wanted to see some Sherlock Holmes exhibit and she would meet us there around 10 PM. Also, I was wearing a dress and she asked me where I got it. I continued, "Oh I bought it in the states at a store you probably don't know, Victoria's Secret?" Her response: "OH MY GOSH I LOVE Victoria's Secret! You look sexy." Why thank you creepy girl who still hasn't told us her name but continues to call us "sexy" for the next 10 minutes. After being polite, Casey and I headed out for some a traditional London meal: fish and chips. After eating and drinking for awhile we suddenly became exceptionally exhausted and I was literally falling asleep at the table so we headed back to the hostel vowing to make it out past 11 the next night. When we arrived we met two more of our roommates, 2 women in their 30's from Switzerland, oh, and a girl from Japan. Quite the mix of cultures! Everyone's common language (for the most part) was English so when Casey and I wan't to say something privately, we opted to speak in Spanish. It was great!

Just as we are about to pass out, Kazakhstan bursts through the door, stuffing her face with saltine crackers. As I was on the top bunk, I didn't see her at first but Casey told me she stuck her head in her bunk and asked, "Where were you guys?" For backup, I leaned over my railing to join the conversation. Startled Casey answered, "Oh hey, yea sorry we were really tired so we just came back here." Stunned Kaz couldn't believe we didn't meet up with her and explained that she had been waiting there since 10 (mind you it was only 10:45 by this time). I was like, "Yea sorry we are being lame tonight." These answers apparently did not suffice as she became ANGRY at us for not writing her a note letting her know we weren't going out. First off, we don't know your name! Second, where did you want us to leave u a note? Third off, we don't know you or your name and we are tired and want to go to sleep! She continues to stuff her face/talk to us for another 10 minutes about how we should have let her know our plans and why did we make her wait on us, blah blah blah. She finally "forgave" us and headed to bed. Just as we thought the craziness of the evening was over, 2 older women, probably in their 70s walk in and being to strip down to their underwear. Casey and I were dying laughing in our beds. What a random group of people. Where were the students that were supposed to stay in hostels? And why why why did these women (from Germany) opt to stay in a HOSTEL?! Oh so as we are cracking up, Kaz shoots us a look and asks, "Are you laughing at ME?!" Oh my gosh woman, no! WE DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU! So we spent another 10 minutes convincing her that we were not making fun of her. Thankfully, I put in my ear plugs 2 seconds later and passed out.

Our second day was full of adventure as we saw Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circle, Soho and of course, stopped at Starbucks. Unfortunately my camera died this day so Casey took a majority of the pics. I also found out that they only doing Buckingham Palace tours during the summer months BUT we were able to tour the Royal Mews, otherwise known as the Royal Stables. We saw one (of three) of the Rolls Royces the Queen uses to get around and also many of the Royal Carriages, including the one Princess Diana rode in on her way to wed Prince Charles. I had goosebumps looking at it! We were able to walk through the stables and learned that the Queen chooses each one of the horses names'. We saw the riding school, the oldest part of the Mews, which was constructed in 1764! All the horses are trained to pull a carriage for two years before they get to haul royalty around. After this amazing experience, we used our tube passes to travel all around the northern part of the city. My favorite place we visited was Camden Town which also houses the Camden Market, a bunch of booths selling food, clothing, Kate And William souvenirs and some hippie stuff. There is also a small river/stream running through this part of town with a lock and after finding Peruvian food (AMAZING!) and Hoegaarden beer, we sat along the side and watched a boat enter and exit the lock.

Catching the tube back to our hostel was where the events of the first paragraph took place but that didn't stop us from having a fun night. Despite the chilly weather, we made it out past midnight and even met some Italian men. No worries, they weren't cute and they were older but extremely nice and I learned how to say, "My name is.." in Italian.

London was by far my favorite city I have visited and I intend to return one day, hopefully next summer for the Olympics. Until then I will be minding my p's and q's as to not lose my wallet or any other important things I carry on me. Oh, rubbish.

"Ohhhh we're halfway there..."

Pues, I have now lived in Alicante for a little over 2 months and I still can not believe I have been here this long, or this short, depending on how you look at it. Last week we had our midterms which were surprisingly different from exams in the States. Unfamiliar to me was the point of memorizing essays I had already written or obscure terms that my professor had maybe mentioned once in class. All in all, it was an experience and hopefully my grades will show that it was a good one. Thankfully I only have one more set of tests, and those are in May! Since I have been here for almost half the time, I thought I would share some top ten lists. Everyday I think of things I love about Spain- and more recently- what I miss about home. I can't help but compare the two although I am aware they are distinct.

Top Ten Things I Love About Spain (in no particular order):

1) Comida (food) This probably is my #1 love in Spain. Paella is by far my favorite and you may remember me describing it in an earlier post. We ate it today for lunch, reconfirming my obsession. Also, kebaps, the best chicken wrap I have ever had. I am probably sustaining the entire company single-handedly.

2) Siesta. Honestly, the states could use this. Research has shown that a short descansa (rest) during the day improves attentiveness and overall health. Lately, I haven't napped as much as I would like but the great thing is that its scheduled into everyday. Naps aren't just for kindergartners here.

3) The People (this can be positive or negative) Spaniards are, generally, extremely friendly and want to help you out. This is a positive example, say, when you ask for directions. Negative example: when u are late for class and everyone and their mom wants to talk to you along the way.

4) La Playa (the beach). It is finally getting nice enough to start going and I spent a good 5 hours there Saturday afternoon.

5) Practicing my Spanish. I am even starting to forget words in English! I do feel like I have improved but it's always fun when I learn a new word or feel like I can understand a serious/complicated topic.

6) If you are late, no one cares! Spanish society is more relaxed in general and this characteristic definitely helps me out :)

7) My host family and the friends I have made.

8) Shopping/Fashion. Maisson Ave. is the death of me every time I have to walk home from class. Spain has the best shopping.

9) Accessible travel options. RyanAir is amazing. I flew for $16 round trip to Madrid at the beginning of February. And although I have yet to explore this option, the train is convenient as well.

10) Public plazas and parks. These- unlike the public restroom facilities- are beautiful and well cared for. People love to go to these various places and just sit- I rarely see this in the states. Seeing people in the park outside my window every morning always makes me happy.

Top Ten Things I Miss About Home:

1) Food. As much as I love Spanish cuisine, my mouth was watering when Cody told me he ate grilled chicken and shrimp for dinner. I also miss steak.

2) Food para llevar (to go) Since the Spanish love to sit and chat, this concept doesn't really exist here; which proves challenging when I am late for class and/or want coffee on my way.

3) My hairdresser, Sarah. I desperately need my ends trimmed and maybe a few highlights but I am scared to death to let anyone touch my hair. This may sound silly but I am sure every one of my girlfriends, my mom and my sister can sympathize with me.

4) Driving my car. Although I am handling all the public transportation well, I really miss my independence.

5) HEAT. This isn't so much of a concern now, but when I arrived and most of February it was not warm here. Spanish houses do not have central heating or cooling and this made for some freezing cold nights. I missed being able to wear shorts and a tank top inside even on a wintry day.

6) My family and friends, claro.

7) Wearing sweats and a sweatshirt...in public. I miss being able to go to class without appearing like I am trying to be in a European fashion show.

8) Being able to hang out a friends houses. This is one of my friend's and I's biggest issues here. Since Spanish "go out" in order to hang out, we aren't permitted to invite friends over to our home-stays. I obviously understand they don't want a bunch of strangers but sometimes I just want to watch a movie and drink wine without having to get dressed up and find a café. Some families are more tolerant of friends coming over than others, but it's still a bit awkward.

9) Long, HOT showers. I will say, I have it pretty good. I love my shower...but only if I am in it for 7-10 minutes. Otherwise, it's freezing!

10) Toilet paper in all the public restrooms. I swear they run out and no one checks again for another week. I have learned to carry kleenex with me all the time.

Waka Waka,'Cause this is AFRICA

I think it is high time I wrote in this thing again. The truth is, March has been pretty routine (except the whole being in Spain thing) so I will sharea few stories from my Morocco trip at the end of February. For those that were unaware of my excitement, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to the northern coast of AFRICA. I can now check a fourth continent off my list of travels. Me and almost the same group of girls that went to Madrid, minus Jodi, went on this trip through DiscoverSevilla, a tour agency aimed at students studying abroad out of Sevilla, Spain. Now, I'm usually not the one to hop on board the planned excursions (you can thank my mother for ruining this experience for me when she made me go snorkeling literally three days in a row during one spring break) and would rather explore independently and "do my own thing." However, after reading about recent riots/protests in Morocco and honestly not knowing a lot about how to travel within the country, I decided for my safety and other's peace of mind, I would shell out a few extra Euro to have an organized itinerary. And actually we did have a lot of free time! We arrived in Sevilla on Friday morning and had from about 10 AM until 2:30 PM, when the bus left, to walk around and sightsee. Sevilla is absolutely stunning. It's a picturesque landscape of what most people imagine Spain to look like. We went to the Plaza de España and luckily it was early enough in the morning that there were no crowds. The pictures are in the wrong order so scroll down to the last one, which is the Plaza de España.

Cristobal Columbus's tomb inside the Cathedral en Sevilla

In Plaza de España with the police officers. They asked each of us to get a picture with them!

Plaza de España

After our rapid tour of Sevilla, which honestly, we did get to see all the main points and had time to stop at Starbucks, we headed towards the Consulate de Portugal where we met the rest of our group, about 50 students from surrounding cities in Spain, and our four tour guides. Now, I expected these guys to be older but they were all in their mid to late 20s and really cool! Benni, the hot one, as all of us girls called him, was on our bus and he's from Portugal, lives in Sevilla, and speaks fluent English, Portuguese and Spanish. Another guide, I can't remember his name, is from Alabama! How random! He is teaching English to high school students for the year and works for DiscoverSevilla on the side. What a life! They also plan trips to Portugal, another trip to Morocco for 5 days in the Sahara Desert and other European destinations. Anyway, enough of my promotion for them, basically we could not have asked for better "guides." They informed us, kept us safe but also let us have our own experience. It was about a 2 hour bus ride to Tarifa, the southernmost tip of Spain that is blanketed with rolling, green hills and windmills everywhere you look. And you can see Morocco from here! Our ferry ride across the Strait of Gilbratrar took another hour and then we finally stepped out onto the African soil...well, more like concrete. After exchanging Euros to Dirhams (the currency here) we jumped back on the bus and headed to Hotel Kabila. During this time, we also met our guide for the weekend who was a women from Morocco. She spoke pretty good English and taught us Arabic words like "Waha" which means "OK." It was interesting to start a conversation with people here because it was a hit or miss if they were going to understand you. They spoke either French, Spanish, English, or Arabic or a mixture of these. It was fun experimenting which language to bust out.

Our meal that evening was chicken, vegetables and couscous. It was absolutely amazing, and very filling. My table of four couldn't finished the entire thing! I love Moroccan cuisine.

The first town we traveled to was Tétouan. Our guides spoke broken English, amazing Arabic and decent Spanish. Like I said, it was a big language interpreting weekend but fun at the same time! I learned that the Moroccan flag, which has a 5 point star, represents the number of times in the day for prayer (5). We toured the Medina which is an old, Jewish quarter. Below in a picture of the opening, and once you are in, the streets become narrower the deeper into the medina you wander. It's a very cool sight. There is about 5 feet in between the walls and you have women shopping, kids on their way to school and donkeys with carts trying to get through. It's quite the sight! There are people selling everything from fruits and vegetables (oh, how I wish I could have bought some! They looked delicious and fresh!), to Nike shoes. Many people never leave the Medina. It's where they live, work, eat and play.

The two photos above are from the spice shop where I received a Moroccan massage, green-tea leaves, hair oil, anti-strees oil (3 bottles) and Saffron, which apparently is incredibly expensive in the States and Spain.

This is me dressed as a traditional Berber woman, an indigenous group of North Africa.

Out of order but this picture is of Chefchaouen, a mountain town in Morocco. All the buildings are blue and white; blue is supposed to keep the mosquitos away and the white reflects the sun so the houses aren't sweltering hot in the summertime.

I feel like this photo needs little explanation. We rode camels along the beach in Tangiers, where the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean meet. And no, it is not the same as the Blank Park Zoo.

Although the weekend was an adventure, I would have preferred to stay here for a few more days. The traveling was very taxing on all of us as we left Chefchaouen around 4 PM and didn't arrive back in Alicante until the next day at 10 AM. This includes all the trips by bus, ferry and airplane which was a lot to cram into one weekend. I fell in love with Morocco, the kindness of the people and beautiful, breathtaking scenery. It's definitely on my list of countries to return to.

Home Is Where People You Love the Most Are

It's currently 12:05 AM and I desperately need to go to sleep but I just wanted to write a short post telling you all how much I love you. I know my pictures and stories have covered the fact that I was struggling to find my place here in Alicante, especially with making friends, good friends. I felt, and still do feel, like I am at a different place in life than most of the kids here. 90% are juniors and some are even sophomores. They have the best year of their life coming up while I am ending mine. Now, I know what you are thinking, Hilary is super outgoing and friendly and positive. Well, yes, but so are 40 other people here and just because I want to be someone's friend doesn't mean they want to be mine. Basically my point is, today I finally realized that I am truly happy and content with my life. I have friends here, who really are great and I love hanging out with them but they will not and can not replace any of the friends I have back in the states. And that's okay; I have the BEST friends back home who care about me and support me in everything I do. And that I can still maintain relationships with them while beginning new relationships with people here. That goes the same for my family. My mom is absolutely amazing and she has been my rock throughout this entire transition. I think I have spoken with my sister more in the past month and half than all of last semester. And even Hunter let's down his "cool" guard to talk to me once in awhile. This also extends to aunts and uncles and Nan and Papa who have made it possible for me to study abroad and continue to look out and care for me.

So when you look through my pictures or read about a ridiculous story on blog, know that yes, I am having a blast, the time of my life, honestly. But also remember that I think about you all every day and every day I am so thankful and truly happy that you are apart of my life. If it wasn't for you, I would crumble.

As for a quick update on my life overseas, today I joined a gym, which I am really excited about! It's called Holiday Gym and is literally a 3 minute walk from my house. My friend, Shaina, she is studying here for the entire year, came with me tonight to register and then after we stayed for 2 classes: cyclo and dance. They both were awesome but I was exhausted afterwards...and very, VERY out of shape. Also tonight after dinner, Lidia told me we needed to fill out this questionaire from my program about how the homestay was going. It made me smile when she circled "muy bien" for how well we got along, and also put that we go out together, eat together and basically enjoy the Spanish lifestyle together. She then told me that with other students she has had to write stuff that was going wrong; for example, one student stayed in her room and slept the days she didn't have class or when she came home from class earlier. It's reassuring to hear that my family enjoys my company. Ariadna's birthday is Friday and she will be 9! I still don't know what we are doing because I don't even think she knows! There was talk about going to McDonalds, so I'm excited! I told them how when I was younger, I always wanted to eat in the play area but my mom would never let us because then I wouldn't eat! I also think we are celebrating it after the weekend. This weekend is Carnival which can be compared to Mardi Gras mixed with Halloween. I am dressing up as the devil and a girl from my class, Hannah, is going to be an Angel. Tomorrow night kicks off the weekend with a mask party in the Barrio and there are parades and a festival all weekend long. Should be fun!! Also I realize I need to catch you up to speed on my viajes (trips), like MOROCCO, AFRICA!! Which I am hoping to do soon.

Alright, it's off to bed for this girl. Thanks for taking the time to read and know that you all mean the world to me. I love you!!

paz.abrazos.besos (peace, hugs, kisses)

-Hilary

"Cuando en Madrid..."

I heard a few of you were getting worried that I had not written in awhile but I am alive and have many stories for you. Let's begin with last weekend (February 10th-14th). Five of us girls, Allison, Sara, Jodi, Deena and I left for Madrid on Thursday night around 11PM. This was my first time flying RyanAir which is the low-fare airline that connects all of Europe and I was pleasantly surprised with my experience, and the fact that it literally took 45 minutes to get to Madrid. After arriving and checking in at our hostel, it was around 1 AM but we obviously needed to go out. We found a small, Irish pub close to our hostel called 'Dubliners." A little bit of irony for you: Irish bar, the waiter refused, REFUSED to speak to us in Spanish (only English) even though he was clearly Spanish, they had a basketball game on TV and we met two Italian men who did not know English or Spanish...It was just a culture-mixing night! After one beer, we headed back to our hostel to rest up for the full day ahead of us on Friday. The absolute first thing we did that morning was get our noses pierced...

Es una broma! (it's a joke!) Don't worry, I am not coming home with a nose piercing but my friend Sara is. And her parents still (2 weeks later) have no idea that she got it pierced. After that excitement, we went to Plaza Mayor which is a gorgeous plaza in the heart of Madrid. It was designed in 1619 by Juan Gómez de Mora and since then public ceremonies, bullfights and condemnation of heretics (Spanish Inquisition) have taken place here. We also visited the Palacio Real where the royal family used to live. The stunningly beautiful rooms required us to walk through it twice, and to get our 5 Euros worth. We then ventured back to Plaza Mayor and enjoy a lunch of paella (the traditional dish of Spain) and una copa de vino. After lunch, we just happened to stumble upon a hole-in-the-wall cupcake shop and decided to go in and buy something for desert. All of a sudden, the heavens parted and a flash of light beamed down as I saw a DR. PEPPER!!!!!!!! I wasn't even looking for one and I found it! The last one!! It has yet to be opened and is currently residing in my closest until I am brave enough to open, drink it and realize I probably won't have another until the end of June. Finally we headed to the Museo del Prado since it was free after 5 PM. Before entering, Sara and I decided to look for a café to grab some coffee. And of course, what's the first one we see? Starbucks. Hello America, thanks for taking over Madrid. I can't complain, as soon as my caramel latte hit my tongue I was in heaven. I am not a huge art fan, not that I don't like it, I just haven't taken an art history class before but I was blown away by the Prado. It's one of the world's top museums and contains Valazquez's "Las Meninas." (google it :)) We spent two hours in there and still didn't see everything! By 8 PM everyone's feet were aching so we decided to head back to the hostel, rest, eat and then what else do you do in the city that has more bars than any city in the world?? (FACT: from my lonely planet book) In fact there are 6 bars for every 100 inhabitants. Right before we ran to catch the Metro, we met Sara's friend Maria who is from Madrid and studied abroad 4 years ago at Sarah's high school as an exchange student. This girl is absolutely gorgeous! Dark skin, hair and eyes and about my height. I'll keep my description of Friday night short since Saturday deserves more attention. I went with Sara and Maria over to Maria's friend Ines's apartment to hang out and enjoy some wine. On our way over there we walked through Puerta del Sol, which is the center of Madrid and where a bunch of guys are handing out flyers to different clubs/bars. After saying "no, gracias" about 10 times this guys asked if we wanted to go to Kapital- the largest club in Madrid, 7 stories tall- I told him we were going tomorrow (Saturday) and he was like, "Okay here are some discount cards for you and your friends. Also, call me tomorrow and I will put you on the guest list." He writes his number on one of the cards, hands us about 10 of them and we say thanks and leave. He also spoke fluent English. We all kind of rolled our eyes because we didn't want to get our hopes up but decided we would call Antonio tomorrow. This will be important later. We ended up staying at Ines's until 3:30 AM just talking, laughing and drinking. When we finally ventured out, we tried to get into three different clubs and were denied into all 3 because they were too full. It was still a blast hanging out with Maria, Ines and their friends!

Saturday we went to El Buen Retiro which is a HUGE (probably 70 acre) park to have a picnic and relax. It was a beautiful day probably around 60 degrees and it was nice to just relax. Later we stopped by Reina Sofia which is another art museum that houses Picasso's 'Guernica" which is a tribute to the Spanish Civil War. After a quick nap we began to get ready for what turned out to be quite the epic night. After calling Antonio earlier that day, he said he had all of us (7 girls) on the guest list for the night and told us exactly where to go and what to say to the bouncer. I was starting to get excited because that meant we didn't have to pay 15 Euro, which is around $20 to get in. After enjoying some home-made Sangria (boxed, red wine and fanta) we headed downtown around 1 AM. According to Maria, it's normal to go to the bathroom in the street so I stood watch while her and Sara found a deserted street to empty their bladders. Arriving at the club, there was a line about 100 people long. We walked around to the other side where the bald guy with the computer was standing and Maria told him we were with Antonio. He then handed us more discount cards and told us to wait in the line. I was so confused. I thought we were on the guest list so we a) didn't have to wait in line and b) didn't have to pay. Luckily, the line moved fast and we were inside in about 10 minutes. Unfortunately we had to pay but we received two free drinks with admission. Maria wanted to show us the entire club so after walking up 7 flights of stairs and seeing everything from a separate mojito bar to a rooftop terrace, we returned to the semi-calm third floor to turn in our drink coupons. I noticed I had a few missed calls from Antonio and debated whether to call him back. Maria said no so I listened to her but then he called again! I finally answered and told him that we didn't get in for free. He said to meet him on the 7th floor and we would chat. I was a little annoyed at this point but we all went up to meet him and his friend, which proved to be worth it. He apologized but explained that a lot of times the "guest list" doesn't matter on Saturday night's because it is so packed. Then, he said, "I'll be right back." He went to talk to his manager and we got a VIP room!! it was just us five, free bottles of champagne and anything else we wanted!! And after seeing how crowded the first and second floor was I was glad we weren't smushed in the mob. The club was definitely an experience. There were male and female dancers on the stage in front and probably close to 20 DJs! Insane! Antonio and his friend, were really nice and not creepy at all. They just wanted to have a good time! So around 5:30 AM we decided to leave and just as we were walking out of the club Antonio tells me he makes the best tacos (he's from Mexico) and asks if we want "free tacos."

I now need to preface my next actions with a story from Summer 2007. This was the summer of tumbling nationals in Daytona Beach, FL and I went down with my mom, Hannah, Hunter, Annette, Keylie and Britton Gibson. One day, we went parasailing which I could write a whole other blog entry about. After returning from our epic adventure, my mom and Annette both soaking wet, our "guides" Rambo and Borat (yes, these were the names they called themselves) asked my mom and Annette out on a date!! Thinking they would be the intelligent women that they are, I had confidence they would laugh, say no thanks and walk to catch up with their children who were trying to get away from these creepers. Instead, they say YES and Annette tells them where we are staying!!! Of course I am flipping out at this point and am like, "You can not go on a date with them! They are creepy and they gave you fake names!" and Annette said, "Hil, my mom always said if you can get a free meal out out of the deal, go for it!"

SO taking this brillant advice, Sara, Maria and I jumped in a cab and headed back to Antonio's for FREE tacos. And man were they good! After chatting, eating and dancing to Shakira for probably an hour, we told the guys thanks and headed home...at 6:30 AM. When in Madrid...

Sunday was a very chill day and we had basically conquered everything we wanted to see/do on Friday and Saturday. Sara and I were chilling in the hostel, trying to decide what else we wanted to do when I had an epiphany. I wanted to go see Santiago Bernabéu where Real Madrid plays. We had bought a 10 trip mass for the Metro (subway) when we first arrived and still needed to use up some trips so we headed north for the afternoon. The stadium is huge and so cool!! I really hope Cody and I can make it to a game when he comes to visit in May. They offer tours but I think we are going to try and do that when he comes. After trying unsuccessfully, about 10 times to sneak into the stadium we finally headed back to our hostel. Our flight back to Alicante wasn't until Monday morning so packed, relaxed and went to bed earlier than we came home the previous night.

Carpe Diem

This phrase is the staple of the Spanish lifestyle here in Alicante. For those that don't know, it means "seize the day." Every day I feel like there are 100 things I want to do but only have time for about 5 of them. I keep telling myself I am here for 5 months but in reality, it's almost been 1 month already! To begin, I apologize for such a long absence in between posts. I could use the excuse that I have been "busy" but everyone is busy. My honest answer is that this past week I began my semester-long classes beginning, finding my way around campus (which is more difficult than one would think), planning trips to other cities, and connecting with the people in my group whether its sitting down to watch a Real Madrid game or dancing until the wee morning hours in El Barrio. I am taking four classes this semester: Spanish for the Health Professional, Women Literature, Spain Through It's Popular Culture and History of Spain. The last class is my direct enrollment course which means I am in a class with other Spanish students, not just the people in my program; i.e. Americans. All of them are taught in Spanish and sometimes it becomes difficult to pay attention for 2 hours straight, considering my brain is working the entire time. Mondays and Wednesday's I only have one class which is the public health course and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have my other three classes. I like my schedule so far and enjoy the classes. I have already learned so much about Spain! And, coincidently, more about the States. When you learn about the Cold War in 6th grade and don't hear of it again, it's hard to remember the exact years it happened. Thanks to Spanish classes, I will be fully educated upon my return home :)

My family continues to be amazing and I feel that I grow closer to them everyday. One night last week Lidia poked her head in my room to tell me her and Ariadna were going to look at a new car. She doesn't have one and has to borrow her brother's if she needs to go somewhere. I smiled and said, "Just looking? Solamente ver?" She laughed and reassured me that yes, they were ONLY looking. Two hours later she came home with an extra set of keys in her hand and told me she purchased it. It's a little two-door, silver car but is perfect for her and Ariadna. She has already purchased seat covers and hello kitty sun visors to spice it up. I have ridden in it twice and I can tell she really enjoys driving it. I learned in my Pop Culture class that many cars here are manual because Spaniards enjoy driving and to them, it's not driving if the car is automatic. Another interesting cosa (thing), is that people WANT to live in the city. According to Alicantinos, if you live outside the city you are viewed as poor or weird. They don't have suburbs here because the people that have money want to live in the city; they want to be around other people and enjoy the noise. This is also why many Spaniards have their televisions on during the entire day; they want company. Sorry mom but I don't think you could fit into this culture :) Back to my family, Ariadna and I hung out in my room the other night and painted our nails, watched Justin Beiber videos on youtube and talked about our favorite singers. Lidia walked by and asked if it was okay that she was in my room and I laughed and said, "Por supuesto!" (of course). I'm so lucky I am living with a family that can be my home away from home.

The weekend proved to be a success as I made it to the beach to play some frisbee and hang out with friends. It's not quite warm enough to lay out in a bikini but we had fun nonetheless. Saturday night was also fun as my friends and I (about 6 of us girls) went out for sangria...at midnight...and I didn't go to sleep until 6 AM Sunday morning. I'll spare the details but it was a really fun night! We almost went to the beach to watch the sunrise but people had to catch a bus home and everyone was getting tired. That was the latest I have stayed out since I have been here. Remember, this is the Spanish lifestyle. Many places don't open until midnight!

I feel like I am starting to become part of the Spanish lifestyle which is a benefit of living abroad rather than traveling abroad. Because of QUIJOTES, I am constantly speaking Spanish in and out of my house which helps me blend in with Spanish women. I also have taken on the dress of 'españolas' and try not to wear sandals (which is a dead give away you are an American) even though if I was at Iowa, that's all I would be wearing in 65 degree weather. On Sunday night (well, actually Monday morning here) a few girls and I went to the American bar called Havana to watch the Super Bowl. After watching Cristina Aguilera screw up the national anthem, we stayed until halftime and then decided we were too tired to watch the entire game. On our way home, there was 5 of us, we were all talking about how glad we were that we had chosen Alicante for study abroad. It couldn't be the more perfect city as far as size, the generosity and kindness of the people, it's safety and obviously, the beach. We were also comparing the states to here and decided there wouldn't be as many dogs and kids along the sidewalks in the states.

I want to tell you more but have class soon! I hope this makes up for my long absence. Remember, every day is a gift, that's why they call it the 'present'! Carpe Diem!

Sending my love from España,

Hilary

I'm a broad.

Me and Bebe at Los Nardos, the grandpa's farm

Heaven

This was the picture on the front page of the newspaper the day after I was in the horse show.

Mercado in my neighborhood

My home! The red apartment to the left. My room is on the 5th floor with half closed blinds.

Just wanted to share some sights of Alicante with you all! Today, Sunday, I had every intention of waking up early to go explore Benalúa, my neighborhood. I remained in mi cama (bed) for an extra 2 hours after my alarm went off around 9. When I finally got up, I noticed my family was gone, I figured probably to Mass. I quickly got dressed as I did not want to waste my day inside (I think it's close to 65 today). I decided to walk around by myself that way I did not have to be on anyone else's agenda and a few of the girls I talked to already had plans with their families today. On my self-guided tour, I stumbled upon a gym that offers yoga! I think I am going to look into taking some classes. I also found a J.J. Heladeria (Ice Cream shop) that's named after our Professor. My favorite find, which I actually went to last night, is a café/bar called Charlotte. I went there with three other girls last night to have a glass of wine and chat. It's definitely a local's bar but that's why I love it! There were probably only 10-15 people in there and we just chilled, chatted and listened to Katy Perry on repeat. Apparently, its a café during the day and a "bar" at night. Found my new favorite place! Maybe this will make me want to study. I also walked by the Mercado de Benalúa which was closed today (as everything is) but I definitely want to go back when it's open.

As I was walking around, I was towards the backside of the neighborhood, I spotted a Latina Mercado (where they have Latin America food). I decided to check it out and as I walked in the man at the cash register said, "Hola guapa" (more or less, 'Hi pretty girl'). I greeted him and proceeded to look around the store. I was basically in there to look and not buy anything. I decided to purchase a coke. When I brought it up to the register, he just stared at me and tried to carry on a conversations half in English and half in Spanish. He asked me where I was from and what I was doing here. I answered. He then asked if I had a boyfriend. Oh boy. I knew where this was going. I obviously said yes and he said but he's in the states right? hahaha Oh man. I said yes and then asked how much the coke was. He then continued to ask for my phone number and since I was sure he wasn't a student and he asked if I had a bf right away, I lied and told him I didn't have a phone yet. Meanwhile, there is a very annoyed lady behind me trying to purchase pan (bread.) I turn around and give a "I'm sorry" grin and shrug. She pushes past me to put her pan on the counter as Zaman is writing his phone number down for me. All of a sudden, he starts ringing up her items. Ummm, I think, I haven't paid for this yet. He smiles and says, "It's on me." I could feel the lady getting more annoyed and Zaman wanting to talk longer after she left so I grabbed my coke and said, "Gracias, hasta luego!" Blue eyes and blonde hair can do wonders in a foreign country. And that is how I got my free coke.

After a few blocks and laughing to myself about what had just occurred, my thoughts were interrupted by an elderly couple and a young woman. They asked if I would take a picture of them, in front of the church Ariadna attends. I said of course and after the picture I ask where they are from. The woman is from Bulgaria but studies at the University of Alicante and apparently she lived with this couple when she visited Spain awhile ago. They were so sweet and we stood on the corner and chatted for about 5 minutes. I told her I went to the University too but she is in a masters program for economics and I assured her I would not be seeing her in any classes then. Just an hour out of the house and I have interesting stories!

I ran into A and Lidia in the park as I was taking pictures of my apartment complex. They were there with A's best friend, Ana and Victor (Lidia's nephew). I played with them in the park for awhile before coming up to my room to write about my day! I also need to organize my room. Yep, don't worry, haven't changed a bit :) After la comida (lunch) the girls I was with last night and I are going for a run! One of them, Sara, is from Washington and is training for the Madrid Marathon! I think Chicago was good enough for me. I know this was a random post but it was a random day! My favorites. Tomorrow we have our province day trip with CIEE which is basically touring the surrounding towns of Alicante. Then Tuesday we start CIEE classes and Thursday DE courses begin! I am still in shock that I have been here for 2, going on 3 weeks.

I miss everyone and wish I could teleport you here!

-Hilary