Three More Days! Turn Uhhh!

You guys...I don't think I have ever been more excited about anything in my life! 3 more days and 11 more hours before I am on the flight hommeee!!! Back to good ol' Muricaa! With Five Guys, Zaxby's, and Chick Fil A. Not to mention Longhorn and Bud Light! Hashtag YAAASSSSS! *Stripper Kick* These last few days are flying by quickly and I couldn't be happier. Don't get me wrong. I love Cadiz. Hell, I love Spain! BUT, I miss home. I miss being around the people I love. I had some good times here, but I miss the good times with my friends. You can only pretend to have so much fun here with people that you (honestly and truly) can't really stand all that much. I love some of them, but most of them I want to choke. Everything isn't all flowers and rainbows over here. This trip has been some shit. At the same time though, I love the group I came with (minus 1 or 2 people). They are all pretty damn great. I could not have been more honored to have met them all. I know this is a contradiction, but it's a love-hate relationship. Would I do it again? Hell no. Fuck that. Only way that would happen is if I could choose who I came with and delete the antichrist from the equation.

ANYWAY, back to the importance of this post: I'M COMING HOMEEEE!!! Soon as I get back, i'm gonna go to the most ratchet club I can find. JOKING! Lol. I'm going to Longhorn with my best friend. Not to mention I get to see my bestest friend who I have not seen in months!!! Hashtag SoooExcited!!! Ya'll don't understand how much I love that man. We have been through hell and back, but he is still my A1 Since Day 1. We have stories for daysss!

I have so many plans for when I finally get home. IT'S ABOUT TO GO DOWN! I'm taking trips. I'm eating food. I'm gonna rack up me some more sky miles. I'm telling you guys. I have some serious plans. Not to mention that this is my LAST and FINAL year in undergrad! I can't prolong it anymore. I am graduating next spring. I plan to take the LSAT this fall. Take a year off from school, then go to law school. Wish me luck guys! I must go now!

Later,

-K

P.S.- I'll just leave this here so ya'll can be turned up too! "Get ratchet, go dumb, then go mo
 dumb..."

Barça!

So this weekend I went to Barcelona and I fell in loveee! Barcelona is everything and more. I will definitely go back one day. We saw the beautiful La Sagrada Familia! It is this amazingly constructed church that was designed by Antoni Gaudi. He died before completion of the church, but he left very detailed plans for future architects. The church is not finished yet, but what has been completed is beautiful. I have never seen such amazing architecture in my life. La Sagrada Familia is definitely a must see in Barcelona. Barcelona in itself is a must see if you go to Spain. Barcelona is a huge city, and every part of it is beautiful.

We also went to Park Guell. We saw a band performing in the park. Their music was amazing. If their cd had not been overpriced I would have gotten one to bring back home with me. We also visited the house where Gaudi lived. It is inside the park. It was very unique. I see why he is such a big deal. Before coming to Spain I knew nothing about Gaudi. Now, I know a great deal about him. We also explored the Gothic Corridor. It was amazing. It was more Gaudi architecture. We saw street performers in front of the Cathedral. They were pretty great.

We also went out in Barcelona. We went  to a club called CatWalk. It was A M A Z I N G!! It had two levels. The first level played Spanish and Pop music. The second level played R&B and hip hop music. It was great. They even played a little reggae! (I love reggae!) I truly had a great time at the club. I mean all the guys were creepy, but it was still fun.

While in Barcelona I became a pro at riding the metro (aka the subway). It was actually quite fun. I saw a lot of interesting people on the metro. The metro is absolutely amazing as far as transportation goes. We took it everywhere. If I ever move to a different city I want to move to one with a reliable metro system. It was still running at 4am. It was very reliable, safe, and affordable to take. I definitely recommend it if anyone ever goes to Barcelona.

Barcelona was also my first experience with a hostel. It was really great besides the people's shitty booking process. They couldn't get our reservations correct for shit. Other than that though, it was great. I got to meet some very interesting people. Plus, they offered a lot of other services: free breakfast, mixers, concerts. It was amazing. Despite their awful booking skills, you do get what you pay for. I would definitely go back, and I would recommend it to a friend. It's called Casa Gracia. Look it up if you ever go to Barcelona! IT's great. It's in a great location as well. We were in the middle of everything.

Well, I need to sleep. I have class. It's finals week! (Which by the way is way less stressful than finals week at UGA! Lol.)

Later,

-K

Group Stuff

I really hate group dinners. They never have anything I eat, and that bitch is always concerned with what I eat. Like, why tf are you so focused on my life. And then my roommate chimes in with her and complains. Like seriously, how in the fuck do my food preferences really affect you? Are you the person who has to eat it? Oh, no? Well shut the fuck up and sit down. I have literally had it to my breaking point with this shit. If your life is so fucked up that you need to focus on me and my decisions, then clearly you need to step your game up. Stop worrying about me and focus on fixing your shitty ass disaster that you call a life.

Don't get me wrong, this trip has been enjoyable, but these bitches are really trying my patience. I can only stay calm for so long. I have been trying to be the bigger person all throughout this trip, but they are about to make me throw all that out of the window. I am seriously like two seconds form cursing them out. They have approximately ZERO free passes left. The next time someone's feelings will be hurt.

Kindness has always been my strong point, but when my buttons are continuously being pressed it is hard to stay kind. I literally just want to leave. I have been trying my best to ignore the ignorance all trip long and still have a good time, but it's extremely hard. What people fail to realize is that I am a hothead.  I have an extremely short temper. It just never shows because I work so hard to keep it under control and stay calm. Tonight, tonight was just horrible. They wonder why I avoid group activities. You would avoid group activities too if every time you went to one your life and eating habits became a conversation topic. Or if someone came to your host's house just to ask them 1) If you eat and 2) What you eat. Since when has dietary observation been apart of checking up on a family that hosts you? I thought you were just supposed to make sure there weren't any problems in the home, correct me if i'm wrong though. Enough of this. I need to sleep.

Later,

-K

[EDIT]

This little heifer had the nerve to almost let me sleep in this morning. Like seriously it was 10:30 and I had to be here in class by 10:45. After all the shit I have done for her she has the nerve to not even have the common decency to wake me up? Guess my facebook status pissed her off. It's okay though. I can continue to be kind to the people that piss me off. I thought about it. I can continue to be kind. Karma can handle the rest. 

On Wednesdays We Speak Spanish

So today is Wednesday and usually on Wednesdays we are supposed to only speak Spanish. They made this rule up as a group one day. Of course, I don't follow it because that's just me. My Spanish is fine. I just don't like to speak. In honor of Spanish Wednesdays though, I will now commence to start escribiendo en español.

Esta mañana yo casi estaba tarde a mi clase, pero....joking, i'm joking. I will write in English lol. Back to my story. This morning I was almost late to class, but I speed walked. Made it here in 8 min. Good thing I actually did my inhaler this morning. Could have been tragic guys lol. Now, let's talk about my experience here in Spain.

Since I have been here I have seen so many beautiful things, and I have learned so much. I have really enjoyed being here in this culture surrounded by so many interesting things. Although this trip has been a tad bit bittersweet, I would do it all over again. I know that I always say that I want tom come home, but I will be a little bit sad when I finally leave. Spain has given me so much and taught me so much about myself and the world. Their culture is so different and so vibrant. Here, the guys are forward. If they think you are pretty or beautiful or the most gorgeous thing they have ever seen they tell you. I have grown accustomed to being called "guapa", "guapisima", and "muy muy bonita" while I have been here. Spain is really a big ego boost. Another thing is that here, sex is not a big thing. They embrace it. No one has to be embarrassed or ashamed of their sexuality nor anything like that. I mean all the beaches here are topless. Even little girls go to the beach wearing only bikini bottoms. They have vending machines with sex products in them. Every store I walk into sells condoms, vibrators, lubes, etc. Spain is a strange and beautiful country. I love it.

The legal drinking age is 18 in Spain. You would think that they have a problem with drunk teenagers, but they don't. Most of the people here appear to be responsible drinkers. They sell beer everywhere here. McDonald's and Burger King even sell beer. It's weird to me, but it's a normal thing here. Also, they do not card you here. They go off of the honor system apparently. I have not been carded here at all. They just ask how old you are and go with it. The clubs here are what really amaze me. They open at like 12am, but no one actually gets there until like 2am, and they party alllll freaking night. These Spaniards go hard.

Another thing I have learned and become accustomed to are siestas (naps). Siestas are a large part of culture here. Most stores close between 2-6pm for a siesta. These people believe in taking a nap during the middle of the day. Siesta time is right after lunch. Lunch is usually around 2:30 or 3. Then you sleep until about 6, and dinner is around 10-10:30. Yes, late dinners are normal here. You eat like 5 or 6 times a day: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and midnight snack (if you so desire). You would think that everyone here would be huge with as much as they eat and sleep, but no. They are all like skinny as hell. It's hard to go shopping here because they never have my size. Everyone here is TINY. I rarely see any bigger people. BUT, their one fault is that they all smoke. Seriously, everywhere I go I am choked by a smoke cloud. These people love their cigarettes. There is a tobacco shop on every corner. The funny thing is though, that on their cigarette cartons they put these disgusting pictures of cancerous lungs and throats saying tobacco kills. It's literally the funniest thing ever.

What else, what else...oh everyone loves soccer. They have been going crazy since the World Cup started. Spain won the last World Cup in 2010. So, these Spaniards expect big things form their team even though they got their asses handed to them by Holland in the first game, 1-5. Shame. They play again tonight against Chile. I think my roommate and I are going to go out to watch the game and grab drinks. I shall let you guys know how it goes.

[EDIT]

So Spain lost tonight. They are now out of the World Cup series. I know this is wrong of me, but the look of devastation on all of those people's faces in the bars and the fans on tv at the game was priceless. They looked soooo devastated and disappointed in their team. Like, how dare those assholes win last year then get put out this year before it even gets started good. The Spain squad really let their country down. It's sad and funny at the same time, but Spain's team was playing pretty shitty. I don't know what their heads were the entire game. Smh, what a hilariously sad thing. Okay, enough of this. I have to sleep.

Later,

-K

Just a Tuesday..

So, I just finished Season 3 of American Horror Story. Good show guys,good show. I'm sad about that. Now, I must find another show to watch. Maybe I will catch up on Bones...or finish Burn Notice. Who knows...

ANYWAYS, I almost lost my cool today. Almost. I am proud of myself. Anyone who knows me should also be proud. Our program assistant continues to be a bitch. Today during our group meeting in between classes, this heifer had the nerve to try and speak down to us. Mind you, she is only 23. She's our age. She was being a super bitch. I almost cursed her out. she had the nerve to treat us like we were in grade school telling us that she shouldn't hear us talking. That is why no one likes her. Someone needs to teach that hoe how to speak to her PEERS. We are not inferior to her. I was two seconds from cursing her out before I decided to just leave. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I know I am getting better at staying calm and controlling my anger. *Round of applause*

What else did she do? Oh, she's always asking me what I eat. My diet does not concern her. She even came to my host mother's house to question her about what I eat and if I eat. I eat every day, three times a day. That is all that matters. Madre is feeding me like she is supposed to do. True enough I only eat limited things, but we all know I am a picky eater. On top of that, I only gave her a list of five things to cook for me. I was not about to be difficult. I eat mostly eggs, potatoes, bread, chicken, and pork. Mostly scrambled eggs and chicken breast. Potatoes with everything. It keeps me full. I'm not starving, so I don't see the problem. Spain doesn't have the same food nor spices to cook it in as America. So she can suck it. I am happy. She came over here for no reason, honestly. She is just a nuisance. I really dislike her. Also, the antichrist is cocky as hell. That is all.

In other news, the weather today was amazing! =) I loved it. It was a beautiful day in Cadiz today. I spent a wonderfully quiet afternoon in my room just relaxing. It was great. I think tomorrow I may go shopping and walk around little. I also may go to the beach on Thursday. Today I also bought my train tickets to the airport in Jerez! I leave for Barcelona on Fridayy!!! I am so excited. More excited than I was before. I really want to go to the zoo there and visit the park. I also hope I get some much needed shopping done and find everyone's gift. Okay I need to go now! I will post again soon!

Later,

-K

Countdownnn!

So today is an exciting day because it is the first day of my last 12 days here.I know I shouldn't be counting down the days until I get home, but I am so ready to be home. I am ready to see all my family and friends again! I can't wait!!! =) I feel like that I have been here so long that I have become disconnected from everything back home. I know the point is to be disconnected and immersed in Spanish culture, but I need friends and family. It's no fun without the people I love. Well...I mean it's fun, but it could be better lol.

Also, this weekend I am going to Barcelona! Yaayyy! It should be loads of fun. I expect good times, good food, and pure awesomeness. Of course, I have to finish my presentation for my culture class before I leave, but nonetheless these next two weeks shall be epic. I have so much planned! I am going to visit all of the beaches here before I leave Spain. I will also find everyone on my list a gift to bring back, and do a little more shopping for myself. I want more cute clothes. Well, I guess that is all for today!

Later,

-K

Granada

So this past weekend (13-15 June) we went to Granada to tour La Alhambra. Don't get me wrong it was pretty, but I just can't appreciate the beauty of it. First of all, we had a 4 hour long bus ride on the tiniest bus ever with one an asshole of a bus driver. Seriously, he's worse than UGA bus drivers. Alas, enough of him.

On the way to Granada we stopped at a little town called Ronda. It was amazingly beautiful, but I couldn't appreciate the beauty. We had lunch there and we had time to walk around. My roomie and I ate lunch with our program head and program assistant. Roomie and the program assistant pissed me off. I already knew my roommate was childish. I didn't expect my program assistant to be. I mean she's a year older than me. She should be more mature than a 19 year old. I have effectively grown to not like her. She annoys the hell out of me. One minute she wants to be childish and the next minute she wants to come at me like I ma beneath her and she is my mother figure. This b-ch had the nerve to question me about MY tattoos. About why I got them and what they mean to me. (Excuse my language) BITCH, that does not concern you. I almost cursed her out over the weekend. Not to mention her bitchy ass attitude she had towards everyone. all weekend. Anyways, back to how they pissed me off. They sit around and talk to about me like I can't see nor hear them. It pisses me off. Like, what is really going on in your insignificant lives that concerns me. Whatever is happening around me does not concern you. They were discussing the fact that our host brother has a crush on me and how I deal with it. How I deal with it is MY business. If I don't want the program head to talk to him then that's my business. Not yours. Assholes. I can handle myself. You two should worry about your own life and poorly made decisions.

Back to the beauty that I can't appreciate. I feel that since i've been here so long I just can't appreciate Spain's beauty anymore. Like, I appreciate it, but it's not amazing to me anymore. It's just there. I don't know if it's because I have been here for so long or because I feel disconnected from everything or a combination of both. I feel disconnected from home and my friends. That could play into why I can't appreciate it. I also know that I am tired of being here. Life in Spain is kind of boring. I would only visit here for a week at most if I had the chance to come back. I would never live here. I have grown accustomed to American lifestyle,and I don't see myself changing for European lifestyles. Everything is so different here. Everything, but they do have cute clothes. =)

I'm just ready to come home. On the bright side, Barcelona this upcoming weekend!!!

Later,

K

June 9- Spawn of The Devil

This little girl is evilly adorable. And a huge pain in the ass. She is so annoying!  She came into our room today and she would not leave. She jumped from bed to bed, then she crawled all over my roommate. The little bitch has gotten on my bad side. She came in here and she wanted to be in my roommate's skype call. She was all into it talking to her friends. Then she started screaming out of nowhere. We told her to stop and she wouldn't. We tried to put her out and she wouldn't go. It took us two hours to get rid of her. She is so freaking spoiled. They spoil her and treat her like a baby.They take her to the bathroom, and they feed her when she won't eat all of her food by herself. I can't stand this little girl. At first I thought she was all cute and nice, but now I know better. She screams and yells all the time. She whines for every little thing. The little girl is a nightmare. I don't see how they put up with her. I want to choke her.

I have effectively renamed her the spawn pf the devil. And her raunchy uncle with the crush on me is now the antichrist.

In other news, I did nothing today but watch The Vampire Diaries. This is my life in Spain now. It's too hot to go to the beach, plus I don't want to get darker.

Later,

-K

June 2

Today was not an impressive day. I went to class, then I went home. Oh, I also watched movies all day instead of studying for my midterm which is on Thursday. My roomie was skyping all day with friends and her boyfriend. I think the only interesting thing that happened was when our madre's granddaughter barged into our room. She barged in on S's skype calls. It was funny at first, but then it got annoying. She wouldn't leave. She's the cutest little girl ever, but I was kind of annoyed with her yesterday. Especially when she started screaming. Oh my goodness..that was horrible within itself. Also, baby jesus wanted me to go for a walk with him. I swiftly denied him because I was talking to my mom and my guy. I felt bad because I told him yesterday that I would go tonight. Instead, I just promised to go tomorrow night. I have to go now. I need to sleep. Maybe I will have an interesting day tomorrow.

 Later,

-K

Railroad Night...May 31

You guys...I am so upset...screw it all. *rolls eyes* [Let me apologize in advance for all of the profanity that shall proceed.]

So, I hear my host mom and my roommate talking about me. I get up to put water int he fridge, because let's face it: I'm nosey. They stop me and completely freaking railroad me! My madre has THE NERVE to tell me that I need to try to talk to them more. Hold up. Let's do a little background.

My entire first week here I tried to talk to those ungrateful hoes and they WOULD NOT TALK TO ME FOR SHIT. They spoke too fast and it was hard for me to understand them. When I tried to speak to them they would give up because I couldn't respond as quickly as my roommate.

THEREFORE, if that hoe wanted me to talk to them she would have made the effort when I made the effort. And the nerve of that bitch who shares a room with me. How dare she tell them what I said to my friend on the phone in fucking private. I told my friend that I didn't like talking with the family because I didn't feel comfortable. I didn't feel comfortable because they never even made an effort to speak with me. I also told them how I missed the food back home. Food here isn't the same. It's cooked differently here. Different spices. Different versions of the food. Not the same by a long shot. I really just want a good philly cheesesteak. Anyways, these hoes bombarded me in the kitchen and would not let me leave for an hour. Mind you, it's 1am. I wanted to curse them both out. I was seriously so pissed that I almost cried. Like, how dare you tell me that I need to talk more. It's a two way street bitch. Get your shit together. I will not be speaking to either of these hoes for the next few hours while I calm down. Did I say hours? I meant day. They can suck it. I'm going to go to sleep now. I have things to do tomorrow.

Later,

-K

This week! May 26-30

Classes are going by grudgingly slow. =/ I hate being in the same classroom for 3 hours. So...what has transpired this week?

This week was the week that we had our long weekend. We initially planned to go to Barcelona this weekend, but due to poor planning and high prices my roommate and I are staying here in Cadiz. There's a big group going to Portugal, and apparently our "friends" are going to Morocco. They didn't invite us though. Didn't even say a word. It's all good though. Me and her have a pretty good weekend planned out. We're gonna beach it up!

In other news, I had to go to court on Monday to testify for my roommate. That judge lady was a complete and total bitch. I did not like her at all. Anyway, it was definitely an experience considering i'm in a foreign country and all. It was cool to get a look into their legal system. I'm glad it's over though. I don't want to have to deal with this legal stuff anymore. I just want to distance myself from everything bad and try to have fun.

Okay, I have to go to the beach now. I will post more later! I'm trying to not be an introvert and enjoy living in a beach town.

Later,

-K

May 24-25: Sevilla and Gypsy Cordoba

First off, before anything else..SEVILLA IS HOT AF! Secondly, I hate Cordoba and it's gypsy bitches.

Sevilla.

We went to Sevilla this weekend. We toured the cathedral and climbed the tall ass tower there. It was a lot of walking. I had to use my inhaler a lot. The combination of heat and all that walking was killing me. Sevilla is basically a big ass city. I can't really call it pretty because it's so urbanized. There's not really much beauty except for in the architecture of the buildings. The cathedral was beautiful and very amazing. It has a lot of history behind everything in there. It had a tomb with a part of Christopher Columbus's body. It was pretty and tiring all at the same time.

After touring the Cathedral we had free time to walk around. One of the girls from the group and I found a place to go eat at. It was a little restaurant owned by this Indian man. he was really creepy. He kept smiling and staring at me. He called me "guapa", which means pretty. He thought I was really pretty. He gave me a discount on my food because he thought I was pretty. I'm not complaining about the discount, but he was still creepy and his food was nasty. I will never ever go back there if I ever visit Sevilla again.

After free time we had dinner with the Sevilla group. Dinner was not the best. They didn't have anything that I actually ate. So I was just nibbling at the tapas. The biggest thing that happened was when one of the girls that I was sitting with fainted. It scared the crap out of me. I almost lost my composure. That on top of everything else that has been going on here was so much. It all seemed like so much to deal with at the time. I started feeling like this trip that was supposed to be such a wonderful experience was really just a disaster. I couldn't deal. I had to work hard to keep myself from crying. First something bad happened with my roommate, then her. I just felt like the bad things were coming after us in a line after that moment. It was a very trying day. I got through it though. I pulled myself together and calmed down. I went back to our hotel room and got a good night's sleep. That really helped. I also had a glass of wine. Thank goodness.

Cordoba.

Today we went to Cordoba. Let me just say that Cordoba is beautiful, but I will NEVER go back. (Okay maybe i'm overexaggerating, but i'm still mad about what happened there). Cordoba has this really huge tourist attraction where you view one of the royal palaces and the mosque. It's surrounded by a river and it has plenty of fountains inside. It is very beautiful, BUT it also has an endless string of con artists. And guess who got conned. Me and two girls were walking from the bathroom to meet back up with the group and we got stopped by these gypsies. They stopped us and forced rosemary into our hands. I was fighting this one lady so that she wouldn't touch me. Literally fighting her. Anyway, she forces rosemary into my hands and then commences to "read" my palms and "tell me my future". At the end this bitch wants money so I give her a euro. She then says no and says it costs more because she did both hands. I gave her two euros. She still said no. Mind you the other two girls had gave their gypsies money and left me. Alone. I was surrounded by gypsies who kept asking for more and more money and would not let me leave. I got conned out of 20 euros. I was and still am pissed about it. Like, how dare the girls leave me nad not help me. I wouldn't do that to them, but now I know. These girls are all about self. Never, will I make the mistake of trying to help them. (Okay I probably will because it's in my nature to help people, but still). They are assholes and I am so pissed with them. I was pissed off the entire time. And that gypsy bitch can suck it. They all are going to burn in hell for their shit. Anyways, I was pissed off the entire time until my roommate and I shared a jar of Sangria. After that I was feeling pretty good and calm. I slept a good bit of the way back home to Cadiz.

Now i'm here doing nothing, just watching movies and tv shows on this website I found. I also found out how to get Netflix here. Scorreee! Okay, I gotta go. Gonna shower, eat, then go to sleep. I have class in the morning.

Later,

-K

Last Night...This Morning...Whew..

We went out last night. It was fun. We were all having fun, but I got tired. It was already 3am and we had been out since 11pm. The clubs here do not close until 6am. I wanted to leave. I asked my roommate i she wanted to go, but she wanted to stay. We had run into Hottie #1 earlier that night, so he was with us. He said he would walk me home. I asked my friend again if she wanted to come with us. She said no. I asked if she would be okay if I left her. She said yes. I didn't leave her alone though. I left her with the other two girls who went out with us, and Hottie #1 walked me home.

And by walked me home, I mean he turned a 15 min walk into an hour walk because he kept stopping trying to get me to have sex with him. I guess he thought I was drunk. I didn't drink anything. Little bastard. I wouldn't have sex with him if he were the last man on Earth. I used to think he was all sweet and innocent, but now I know the truth. He's just another dog looking for a temporary place to lay. Well, not with me. Not in this lifetime, not in the next lifetime. When we finally got back to the house I swiftly went into my room and have been avoiding him since.

But, this morning when I woke up something was wrong with my roommate. Something happened to her last night. I'm not going to say exactly what, but it was pretty bad. This trip is beginning to really be something. I wasn't expecting horny host brothers and problems with going out. I already can't wait to get back home.

Later,

-K

May 18-21: Life as an Americana

On Sundays EVERYTHING is closed. Better not die on a Saturday night going into Sunday nor Sunday itself, because you will just be dead until Monday. Sunday was not a very interesting day. I literally just slept all day. Of course that was after we did our scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt was fun in it's own way. It was really hot here and we just tried our best to get around the city to find these random places and things. I really wanted to win, but we didn't. While I am very competitive, the girls I was with were only worried about taking pictures. It was very frustrating. Not to mention we lost one of the girls. Stupid child went into a Haitian Art store. We walked for 15 min without this idiot before we realized we left her ass. It really ticked me off. It also ticked me off that they didn't even want to try to find things on the list. They just wanted to take pictures. I don't like people like that. In the end, we came in second place.

Monday.

On Monday we had orientation at the University where we would be taking our classes. It is really close to where I live. Also, the professors are pretty nice. I will have class form 10:45 to 12:15 and 12:30 to 2:00. I was kind of excited and kind of dreading classes at the same time. After orientation we had some optional activity and tapas. I wasn't feeling well because of the time change and me having to adjust my medicine. I was feeling pretty awful. I still do. It will take some time for me to adjust my sleep schedule and medicine.

Tuesday.

Tuesday we had our first day of classes. It went pretty well. I really like both my professors. The culture class is my favorite. I like the way the guy teaches. He's pretty chill, and he knows a lot about Spain's history and culture. I find Spain's culture pretty interesting. I really like to learn about the culture and history. It's great.

That night though, my roomie and I went and hung out with Hottie #1. (We have given the sons nicknames in order that we met them Hottie #1 is the youngest. He is my age. Hottie #2 is the middle child I think. I think the daughter is the oldest.) Anyways, we went and hung out with Hottie #1. It was fun. His friends are nice. Also, Hottie #1 has a crush on me. It's kind of funny. He's cute,but i'm not looking for an international fling. Not my style.

Wednesday.

Today we went to class for the first time.. Not much really happened though. Nothing interesting. I went shopping. I bought a bunch of stuff. The clothes here are cute as ever! I love it, but I try not to spend much money. Well, that's all I have for now. Will try to post again later!

Later,

-K

May 16-17: Sleep, Travels, and Bit..I mean Beaches =)

So I slept all day yesterday..bleehhh, but I did go out last night! It was fun! Although, the girls I went with wanted to stay out all freaking night. I don't stay out all night. Especially when we have to be up early af the next day. All they wanted to do was drink, dance, and talk to the creepy guys there. The place got really hot and they had a smoke machine. I almost had an asthma attack. I had to leave. I stood outside by myself for a while. They came to check on me like once. I know now not to go out with them and get sick. They are only worried about self. The girl that's my roommate likes to party. We may have a problem if we go out in Cadiz. I refuse to stay out all night. That's childish. Anyways, onward with the day.

Right now, we are on the bus to Cadiz. It's an 8 hour bus ride. I have just been watching the scenery as we trudge along. Spain is quite beautiful. Madrid is a big city, but when you travel all you see is countryside. I think I like that about Spain. While they still have a few big cities, the countryside is still preserved and more beautiful than ever. Spain is truly amazing. I think I am going to try to nap for a while. So, I will finish when we get to our destination.

[later.]

So, I am now in my new home for the next six weeks. My host parents are pretty nice. But, let's start from where I left off.

When I woke up we were finally near water, and let me tell you that the water here is absolutely beautiful. It is blue. It's so pretty. I am so in love with this part of the coast of Spain. We had to come across a really long bridge to enter into Cadiz. Cadiz is broken up into two parts apparently: Old Cadiz and New Cadiz. We will be staying in Old Cadiz. New Cadiz is pretty Americanized. There are there beaches in Cadiz: Playa Caleta (Old Cadiz), Playa Santa Maria and Playa Victoria (New Cadiz). My roommate and I live right next to Playa Caleta. It is B E A U T I F U L. The water is warm and blue. It's the beach that has water from the Mediterranean Ocean. Okay, I'm still getting ahead of myself.

When we arrived here, we were at some bus stop. Outside the bus stop were all these people. Nerves quickly set in for everyone. We all got our stuff and waited to be told which set of parents were ours. My roommate and I got this really pretty lady and her husband. They are really nice. They started talking to us as soon as we got put together. They speak really fast, but I will catch on after being with them for a few weeks. They drove us to their house. Houses in Spain are weird. They are like apartment buildings with houses in each one. They don't have houses like Americans do. Everything is packed together. IT's like they are trying to keep space open just in case something else need to be built. We had to carry our luggage up to their house, and let me tell you: the steps were HUGE. It was a struggle getting our heavy as luggage up those stairs. Our room is tiny. We share a really tiny room, but it's okay. We can manage. Our madre has two sons who live with her and they are HOT. Goodness, we totally lucked out with our family lol. She also has a daughter who doesn't live with her. Her daughter has a daughter, so she has a granddaughter as well.

As soon as we got here, she cooked us dinner. Of course, she cooked something that I do not eat. So I just kind of played at it, then I went to sleep. She thought I was homesick because I went straight to bed, but I was just tired. I had taken some allergy medicine and it made me sleepy. She gave me a stuffed mickey mouse because she thought I was homesick.(LOL). She's such a nice lady. So, yeah...i'm about to sleep.

Later,

-K

May 15- Madriddd! (Again with my group)

You guys! Madrid is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!! I can't believe I am in Spain right now! It's amazeballs! Today, I took pictures and saw a different part of Madrid with my group. They arrived this morning. They are all a pretty good group of people. Everyone is nice. We walked around with Aitor. Our program head person. Aitor is pretty funny. He bought us all breakfast this morning. I had a croissant which was amazing. I wish we had croissants like that back home. I also had some kind of water. It was good too. They don't have SmartWater, but they have a pretty good selection of waters. The banks here in Madrid don't exchange currency. (Bummer) I forgot to mention that yesterday. I had to take money out of the atm, but it was really cheap. My bank gives me a good rate. So, i'm good. We stayed out for like two hours today touring Madrid, and going inside the royal palace! It was great. I really enjoyed it. I think tonight some of the other students are going out. I am just going to stay in my room and sleep.

Speaking of rooms. Now I am in a bigger room with two girls from my group. I have adopted one of them. She is really cool. I know that if nothing else I will at least have one friend. I found out who my roommate is for when we arrive in Cadiz. I haven't met her yet, but she seems really fun! =) Everyone in the group likes her. Well, i'm really exhausted. I'm pretty sure it's jet lag, but I am about to go to sleep.

Later,

K

Landinggg! (May 14)

So we are finally here in Madrid. As soon as they opened the doors the cold hit us. It is supposed to be hot here, right? Anyways, let's talk about this flight..I got on and all of the overhead bins for checked bags were full. Like people were ruthless. Smh. Then, the "food" they served was nasty. I didn't have snacks this time because I didn't have enough time to go get any beforehand. =( It was horrible. I didn't eat anything, but the peanuts they handed out.

Now, back to Madrid. Madrid is beautiful! I have never seen anything like it before. True enough, this is my first time out of the country, but still this is amazing. This city is huge. The buildings are big and close together. They are really "space conscious". Let me explain.

We arrive at the hotel. The elevators are TINY. Like, only two or three people could fit at most depending on how much luggage you have with you. Without luggage, four or five can fit. The rooms are tiny too. I have a single room since I am here a day early and I had to pay for tonight. This room is tiny. And it smells. The bathroom has a toilet and a urinal. The shower is set up backwards. This is weird, but I am embracing it. I flew in with the Sevilla group. My group will be here tomorrow. All of the people in the Sevilla group are pretty nice. I like them. I hope my group is just as great. I will be here in Madrid until Saturday, because that is when my group leaves for Cadiz. I am about to go on a walking tour with the Sevilla group. I will edit this later.

[Later]

Walking around Madrid has been breathtaking! It is so beautiful. We saw the Royal Palace. We didn't go inside, though. I think we will do that tomorrow with my group. The people here are really into fashion. I'm not big on the food (mostly tapas and seafood), but luckily they have a Burger King and McDonald's. Everyone knows how picky I am with food. Lol. I will try to go out of my comfort zone and try more foods while I am here. I just don't want to get sick. So I have to check what everything is made with and how it's cooked. Well, I am about to sleep now.

Later,

K

Flight Dayy!!! (May 13)

Okay guys!  Today is the day that I leave! I'm kind of excited and nervous all in one. Nervous about the flight. I am in for an amazingly 8 hour long flight! I have all my things packed. I have checked, double checked, and tripled checked five times. I have all my locks on my luggage and I am about to leave.

[At the airport]

I'm here. Waiting in the security line so I can get to my gate. This line is really long, and I only have about 45 minutes until my flight. I hope I get through this line in time.

[20 min later]

I finally got through the line! I am at my gate. I basically speed walked the entire way here. It was a struggle, but I got here in plenty time. We are boarding the flight now. I will post as soon as we land, and I have internet service! =)

Later,

K