I really cannot believe how fast the time has gone by. I sort of knew it would be seem faster than 3 months, as these experiences always fly by, but seriously, it cant already be the end. It is hard to really measure how much I have learned at this point, but I definitely feel that this experience has changed me. I have grown in so many ways. This has probably been the best 3 months of my life for so many reasons, and I am sure I will always treasure the memories of these past few months and save them in the box of “bests” out of all my life experiences. I am really sad to leave, but I also feel that the timing is right and I am meant to go back to the U.S. for now. I am also really excited because I realize now how really very young I am and I will have so many more opportunities in the future and if I want to come back then I am just going to have to make it happen.

So since I am still very much living these next two weeks and trying not to look ahead, it would not be appropriate to fully reflect on these months and look back too much. I will save that for a snowy day this winter when I am totally feeling post-study abroad depression. So instead I would like to reflect on my trip to Nice and tell you all about the amazing time I spent on the French Riviera.

I never have classes on Friday, and this past Monday was a holiday (something to do with Mary’s conception, not really sure how that makes sense, but whatever) so my friend Allison and I booked a flight out Thursday night and we came back in the afternoon on Monday. So we had 4 nights and 3 fulls days in Nice. I was worried that it might actually be too much time since Nice is not that big, and we really did not know much about what there was to do, but once we got there we found there was so much we wanted to do and see.

Once we got off the plane we were both a little nervous just because we really had not prepared or made arrangements to figure out how to get our hostel. And of course neither of us speak a word of French and we were expecting that people were not going to be very nice to us. But we were definitely mistaken. It was Nice, so of course everyone was sooo nice. And seriously, they really were. We asked a woman in the airport for directions to our hostel and she highlighted everything for us on a map and then told us which bus to take. She also recognized the name of our hostel and said it was a friend of hers who owned it. That made us feel a little better because we were also pretty nervous about our hostel since we had booked the cheapest hostel we could find.

So we get off the bus where the driver told us to and I had my map out so that we could get ourselves to the hostel. If you were to look up lost American tourists in the encyclopedia you could probably find a picture of us from that moment. I was wearing my huge camping backpack and carrying this huge map that I could not open the right way, while Allison was wheeling her suitcase that would not wheel properly. It was also 11 pm and spitting rain, so needless to say we were a little nervous since we knew how vulnerable we looked. We could not find the street that she told us to take so finally caught some smokers standing outside a restaurant and asked them for directions. The guy just laughed at us and pointed us the right way. Once we got to the main drag through town we were all set. All the side streets corresponded with the map and I was feeling good about life.

So then we get to our hostel and the door was locked so we buzzed in and told the guy we were checking in. Everything looked dark and creepy at first but then once he let us in we were pleasantly surprised. It was by no means a nice place, but it was completely decent and the owner was very friendly and he spoke really good English. So he gave us our keys to the 8 person mixed room that we booked and we were surprised to only find 2 other girls sleeping. We tried to examine them a bit but we didnt want to be totally creepy so we just went to bed.

The next morning we woke up before our roommates and decided to head out for the day. We got a better look at them and they appeared to be American, so we were really excited and were hoping to meet them later. So the first morning we were both in dire need of coffee so of course we went straight to McDonalds. I have such a new appreciation for McDonalds and I never thought I would ever say that. The McDonalds in Europe really knows how to do it. They have a whole McCafe section and I am telling you it puts starbucks totally to shame. The coffee was so delicious. I actually have not been drinking coffee here so it was so refreshing to have a really good cup of joe.

So after we had the caffeine running in our systems we headed to the flower market in the old part of Nice. This market was incredible. I fell in love with every piece of it. There were flowers, fresh fruit, veggies, jams, olive oil, olives, the best sun dried tomatoes I have ever tasted, soap, spices, and everything else that is totally fresh and amazing. So we had a field day with the market and bought some fresh fruit for breakfast. Then we climbed up the chateau to get a good view of the city. We were so in love and we just kept taking pictures of everything. The pictures just do not even do this place justice. It was so beautiful. We spent all afternoon walking and exploring. We went down by the water and found a nice cafe to get a glass of wine.

Then in the afternoon we went to the Chagall museum which I really enjoyed. It was probably one of my favorite museums that I have visited. I really liked his work and I also have vague memories of studying him in elementary school so I had a little appreciation for it. I am not a huge art museum person so I was really happy that I genuinely enjoyed this cultural activity.

We were totally pooped by this point so we started to wander back to the hostel and on our way we found this small photography museum. The exhibit was photos of women in war. It was really interesting and I enjoyed it a lot. After that we got back to our hostel and met our roommates. They were two American girls from Syracuse who were just traveling around Europe for a few months. They were really nice and we had a fun time chatting with them and sharing stories of traveling and living in Europe. We all decided to grab dinner together at a place near our hostel that was recommended by the owner. We all shared a lovely meal of Greek salad and salmon with ratatouille. It was delish. Then after dinner we tried to explore the night life in Nice but we did not find much. We accidentally wandered into two private parties and then eventually found a bar, but we could not open the door, instead they had to let us in. It was the strangest thing ever. Then once we got in we decided we didn’t really want to buy more than 2 drinks but they of course made us each by a drink and it was a total rip off. So after this disappointment, we got in touch with this French guy that one of the girls knew and he led us to a more exciting bar. We did not stay out that late but we enjoyed the live band and we made a mental note to come back to that bar later in the trip.

So the next day we said bye to our new American travel friends and we exchanged information since the girls are planning on swinging through Madrid sometime in the next week. It is so fun to randomly meet other people while traveling and hopefully we will have a chance to meet up with them again.  Allison and I decided to sleep in that morning and then we went to the museum of modern art. Again, I really was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this museum. I really must be growing up and gaining a new appreciation for things. Perhaps I should give the art institute another chance sometime soon.

After we finished a morning in the museum we went to the bus station and paid one euro for a ticket to Monaco. We really did not know much about Monaco, besides the fact that it is where the famous Monte Carlo casino is located. But we figured it would be fun to just go and explore and see the casino. The drive was up this windy mountain along the water. It was so gorgeous, but I was also getting really queasy.  So we were paying attention to the stops and looking at our map and it appeared that we were in Monaco so we exited the bus. Little did we know, we were in the outskirts of town and we would have to walk a long time before finding anything. So we just walked, enjoyed the views, stopped along the way and got some fruit in a market and we were just taking it easy. Then after a while of walking we were really not finding anything and it was already approaching 3 pm so I was hungry for lunch and getting really cranky. So eventually we find the centro commercial which had a carrefour grocery store, a McDonalds (never fails) and a cheap looking auto museum that we had absolutely no interest in.

So since we needed to first satisfy our hunger, we took a mad dash through the aisles of the carrefour. 15 Euros later we had a feast of hummus, bread, salad, cous cous, and chocolate. We wolfed it all down and felt a little better and ready to figure out why someone would ever want to come to Monaco. We wandered down by the fancy hotels and walked along the pier. We got some great pictures and ooed and ahhhed at everything but we were still so confused about what Monaco had to offer to the tourist. We decided that the only people who go there are probably beyond rich so all they do is float on the yacht during the day, shack up at the fancy hotels which probably have their own entertainment, and then maybe they will gamble at the casino. We never saw the casino, which I think is the one thing you are supposed to see or go to if your are a tourist, but at least we traveled to have a great grocery store feast. It was a little frustrating at the time but now I look back at our day in Monaco and just laugh because really all we did was eat and shop at a grocery store.

So once we got back and rested a bit we went back out to head back to the bar from the previous night. We were still stuffed from the grocery store feast so we just sat and shared some wine and a caprese salad. Then we went into the bar and made it a goal to find gentleman that would treat us to drinks, and if not, we were just going to listen to the band and head out. Neither of us really wanted to be out late, we just felt like we needed to be out rather than in our hostel (which had then filled up with 5 more people, 3 chinese boys, one japanese boy and a girl from Korea). So as soon as we finished our one drink that we bought ourselves, we conveniently met some crazy Italian guys that got our second round. We chatted with them for a bit, but then it just became too difficult because their English was very minimal and I could not for the life of me remember any Italian that I had once learned.  So then we befriended some girls from Australia. They were in high school, and they were traveling with their school I believe? I don’t really recall their story, but they were really cute nice girls. They were only 17 so they were really excited about being out. So we just danced to all the American music that the band was playing and hung out with these girls for a while. Then all of a sudden I just got an urge to sing so I just went up and asked the band if I could sing with them. They told me to look through their stuff and find something to sing. I saw they had the music for Black Horse and a Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall so I was like okay I can sing this. So I did. It was really fun.

So after that I felt like I had my fun for the night and I was ready to head to bed. We left around 12 satisfied with our Nice nightlife experience.  So the next day we got on the bus again and went to Cannes. This day trip turned out to be way more successful then our trip to Monaco. There was so much to see and do. We wandered around an antique fair and the Christmas fair. Then we hiked up this little hill to get some good pictures. We had a perfect day and then went back to Nice excited to try this Thai restaurant for dinner. We hadn’t really eaten a meal that day, we just had fruit from the market and some almonds to snack on so we were really pretty hungry by the time we got back to Nice. So we went to the Thai restaurant and  no one was there. It was only 7:15 pm so we just figured we were too early for the dinner rush. So I was excited to finally have something with spices so I ordered chicken with curry.

We got our food 2 minutes after ordering and it turned out to be a very small portion. It also did not look that great. So I took a bite and 3 minutes later my plate was clean. I was so hungry I didn’t even notice right away how tasteless it was. Allison’s dish was equally as small and lame and even more flavorless but we both cleaned our plates in under 5 minutes. We sort of ate in silence and then looked at each other and started to laugh. We were both so disappointed and clearly still very hungry. It was definitely a scotty’s bbq experience (only my immediate family will understand this reference, but I am telling you it was scottys all over again). So we get our check and of course it was 20 euro, which was way expensive for the crap we had just consumed. So we decided to just forget about the bad Thai experience. We had both been thinking the same thing but I finally just made the suggestion out loud. We decided to pretend like we never ate and so then we went and grabbed a pizza and salad at another restaurant. That meal was real and satisfying. We felt a little bad about eating 2 dinners in a row, but then we figured we would count one of the meals as lunch since we never really had a substantial lunch. It was so bad, but also really funny to look back on.

So we walked our full tummies back to the hostel and crashed. The next day we got back to Madrid. Every time I have traveled I have always been so happy to come back to my home in Madrid. My host mom had soup waiting for me and I talked to her about my trip. I love my host family. I am going to miss them so much.

So that was my long long weekend. I know this post is ridiculously long. I now have to pretend to be a student and head to class. I cant wait to see everyone at home soon, but it is certainly going to be hard to leave. Life is just so bittersweet.

Mucho amor!

Jane

I am so thankful for all of the opportunities I have had lately. Traveling is the best way to learn so much about yourself, and I really feel like I have come to know myself so well. That is something that most people probably cant say at 20 years old. Of course I have so much more to learn, but I think I am at a good place. I know that life is all about finding a balance and being in Spain has helped me figure out how I need to find my balance. I am happy that I accomplished so much this year and I really met my goals. I had to sacrifice a lot and work really hard but it has all been so worth it. Now I am here and I feel like my confidence and independence has helped me to succeed in living in a new country without knowing the language, culture, or people.

I have made some truly amazing friends here. Luckily, most of them will be coming home to Denver as well, but others will stay in Spain or spread out across the US. I have learned a lot about friendship this year and I am so thankful that I have found so many new friends that I know will be in my life from this day on.

Of course I cannot go without mentioning how thankful I am to have such an amazing family. I know that no matter what happens I will always have my two best friends, Kate and Claire. I know usually the middle child is supposed to get the shaft as far as birth order goes, but I feel so lucky that I hold that position.

I am also lucky to have such giving parents. There have been so many times that I have needed to do something here that I just could not do and no matter how tedious or time consuming it was, my mom was always there to handle it. My parents found me an apartment and handled all of that while I was here. I am so thankful that they always have my back. I hope they know how appreciative I am, if not, they hopefully know now! I love you!

And of course, we cannot take our health for granted. I am thankful for my health, and I am hoping that I havent done too much damage to my arteries after consuming more french fries in 3 months than I ever have in my entire life!! Gotta live a little, right?

I am missing home today, but not so much that I would hop on a plane just yet. My time here has been great and I am going to enjoy the last month I have left. The universe has an interesting way of timing everything out. I needed to be here and do this now, and I think when it is all over I will be ready to get back.

And in other news, I went to Beligium last weekend and visited my old babysitter just outside of Brussels. I had such an amazing time and it was so great to catch up with her after 13 or 14 years! Brussels is a cool city, but very cold!

This weekend I am off to Salamanca, just a bit north of Madrid. Then the following weekend I will be in Nice, France and then one more weekend in Madrid then back to the USA!

So yeah, I definitely have much to be thankful for.

Much love,

Jane

Yes, I do capitalize Change. This Change with a capital “C” refers to a specific kind of Change, the kind that I believe Barack Obama will deliver. I obviously could not be happier with the results of this past week’s election, but as much as I love Barack Obama as a person, I am more excited about the Change that I feel is going to gradually recreate the kind of world that we live in. By campaigning with a message of Change with a capital “C” Obama made the most genius and dangerous move. He miraculously invigorated the American people to join his movement because no matter how different we may think we are, we really feel the same things and share the same concerns. Obama has a clear idea and understanding of the major problems of our country and his ideas make sense. The first step in this “Change” is just having a change of perception. Obama perceives our nation’s problems on a much grander level than any other candidate in the race. I truly believe he is the most in touch politician we have seen, maybe ever. Of course he is also setting himself up for huge criticism and failure if he does not deliver. They always say that with great potential comes great expectations and Americans are definitely expecting something big from this man who we believe has this amazing potential. I guarantee that the negativity and Sinicism surrounding our country’s political scene is far from over. Fox news will no doubt be somehow twisting every story to blame Obama for anything that goes wrong from now on, or for anything that does not dramatically change in an instant. That is why I only capitalize change sometimes. Change with a capital “C” refers to the kind that Obama will bring, it happens gradually and starts from the bottom up. You have to crawl before you can walk. But republicans usually think they were already born wearing shoes.

All of the naysayers spent the whole campaign season bashing Obama for his messages and for using the word “Change,” you know talking the talk but not walking the walk. And yes, if you are unconnected from the problems that most Americans face, you could easily just doubt the man and not really care or feel that anything really needs to change. It is all relative. As Americans, we are accustomed to only being really concerned with our own day to day lives.  That is why we need Change with a capital “C,” we need to stop thinking about ourselves and only worrying about our own tax dollars and other problems. The issues we face as a Nation are much grander than every individual’s daily struggles. Yes, as individuals we should have lower taxes, access to health care, safe schools, better roads, etc, but to have all of that we need to look at making a Change on a grand scale. And if you have ever tried to lose weight you know that to actually keep it off you have to lose it gradually. Same idea here. I wish that Americans in general could gain a larger perspective and recognize that our problems are not just individual but collective, and what happens in our government truly affects the flow of everyone else in the world. Since I have spent the past few months living miles away and unexposed to the American ways of thinking, I really have come to understand how much of this “Change” we really need, and I have been blessed to see and feel a slight Change already.

I have been trying to stick to my running schedule here, and it has been working out since my roommate also started running and we are using it as another excuse to explore the city. Most afternoons we just take off running in one direction for as long as we want until we end up in a different part of town and find a metro stop to ride back home. So Wednesday, even though I was low on sleep, I was so excited and happy that I still wanted to take off running through the streets. I decided to wear my big Obama TShirt, even though it looks more like a nightgown than a TShirt one could exercise in. I just ran through the streets feeling like I was just bragging and parading around the fact that I am American. It is probably pretty obvious anyways (although people have asked me if I am Spanish when they are asking me for directions) but for the first time I did not want to hide my Americaness, if you will. Instead I wanted to just shout SOY AMERICANA! It was such an incredible feeling because people were looking at me in my TShirt and giving me so many different reactions, ALL POSITIVE!!

First, you have to understand that a main difference between Spaniards and Americans is that Spaniards seem a lot more closed off. On the metro if you make eye contact with someone, rather than doing the obligatory awkward smile they just either keep staring with a blank look or they just ignore you. So at first, Americans often get an unfriendly vibe from Spaniards, but it’s not that they are unfriendly; they just don’t feel the need to smile at strangers or deal with the whole awkward smile game. I kind of like their way of doing it, sometimes it’s too much effort to always pretend to be nice. Anyways, the point of all of that is that normally when I go running I get more nasty looks because people think I am crazy (women in Spain only run in gyms, running outside is mostly for men). But on this particular post election day run, everyone looked at me and not only smiled, some people started clapping or cheering and yelling things like “ OBAMA OBAMA TE AMO!!” I also got a couple of thumbs up signs. I never realized how universal the thumbs up sign is, it’s just such a great thing.

So already I feel more welcome and respected in another country. Most people are so happy about Obama because they understand that he is our best chance to Change the way we do business. We need to work with the rest of the world. It is so important. So even if you did not vote for Obama, there is no denying that this is the best thing that could have happened to our country on an international level, and if we can all just have hope and believe in our leader, then we really can Change our attitude, and thus rework the way we operate in Washington. Those are the first small changes we need before we can really see any big changes. We need to care about everyone in our community, not just our neighbors.

So that’s my rant. Things here are still quite amazing. I am traveling to Granada this weekend so I will have another update after that. This past weekend was my last weekend in Madrid because after Granada my weekends will consist of visits to Brussels, Salamanca, and Nice, France.

 I think I will be more okay with coming home now, I feel like I have something to look forward to and I am very proud to be an American.

And we Americans really do know how to live it. I mean, TGIVE?? Come on Spain! Why wouldn’t you want to stuff your face without having the pressure to buy people gifts!

I will definitely be missing you all and thinking of everyone at home on Thanksgiving. I wish I could be there. I have so much to be thankful for this year, so even if I do not stuff my face (which you know I will somehow) then I will certainly be taking the time to give my thanks.

Love to all,

Jane

I just got back from an amazing weekend in Barcelona. I traveled with five other girls that also go to DU. It is just so random that the six of us go to the same school in the US yet we never knew each other before, and we probably would never have been friends had we not been thrown into this situation. I am not only learning more about myself, but I have learned so much about other people. You can really get to know someone quickly when you are travelling on a bus for many hours and relying on each other to navigate through a new city.

We decided to take the 8 hour bus overnight to Barcelona rather than flying. We figured it would save money and add a little to the adventure. Some of the girls were a bit more stressed and nervous about travelling but I felt so laid back about the whole experience and everything just fell into place. The bus ride was not that bad and when we arrived we easily found the metro that took us right to where our hostel was. Our hostel turned out to be very nice and comfortable.

The first day we did as much site seeing as possible. We toured La Sagrada Familia- the famous church designed by Guadi. It was SO incredible. The arcitecture was so impressive. The whole church looked like melting wax from a candle dripping down forming incredible lines and shapes. I am not really an artsy person, and I am usually not one to really get a lot out of museums and designs but Guadis work was very different. I was so impressed and interested in everything we saw.

After the church we went to Park Guell to look at more of Guadi´s designs. It was so massive so we ended up spending the whole day there. After walking around the whole day we went back to the hostel and took a long siesta before going to the pier by the beach for a nice dinner. I have not been out to dinner since I have arrived in Spain just because I can get meals for free in my homestay. I was definitely looking forward to experiencing a nice Spanish dinner so we all got dressed up and splurged a little. The whole dinner took over 4 hours. Some of the girls were complaining a bit about the wait, but they were just being too stuck in the American mindset. I really enjoyed taking time and it is nice not to feel like you are being rushed through dinner.

Saturday we had a full day of walking around the city. We spent a lot of time at Las Ramblas, the main shopping area, and we just stopped and looked at everything as we walked around. It was really nice to not have any plans. Everyone was pretty easy to travel with and we all had the same go with the flow kind of attitude. We stumbled upon really cool parks and we would just sit and relax for a while. We eventually made it to the beach where we had a chance to soak up some rays and lay down while listening to the waves. It was so incredible and in that moment I could not have felt happier.

Saturday night we decided to do a cheap dinner so we just raided a local market and made a feast of bread, cheese, and olives. It was great. Then since we were anxious to see the night life, we arrived at a bar at 10:30. Normally I would think that was really late to be going out, but here that is ridiculously early. We went to a bar called la bolsa which means stock market. All of the drink prices fluctuated like the stock market based on the demand. It was a really interesting concept and the ambiance was really fun.

Since we were there so early there were only a few other people in the bar. There was a group of people jamming and playing guitar so we went over and started to talk to them. They all spoke a little English but we wanted to practice our Spanish so we all had a conversation going back and forth between English and Spanish. They were telling us how they learned English from the Beatles and then that conversation turned into a bit Beatles jam session. They were playing the music and we were all singing along. I was also the designated tambourine shaker. It was really fun and we ended up staying there for several hours until the bar filled up. After that we stayed with our new friends and went to a discoteca and danced the rest of the night away.

The whole weekend was so much fun. I am so happy to be young! I really have never appreciated that until now. I have always had a little trouble always living in the moment- I am way too much of a future thinker. This whole experience has been really good for me because it has given me a new appreciation for living life completely stress free. You only live once, right?

On another note, I got my absentee ballot today and I am so excited to send it in. I am going to take it to the us embassy tomorrow just to make sure everything is in order and then I am going to have them fax it in for me. I also may have an opportunity to go to the embassy the night of Nov 4th for a results watching party. I have a friend whose parents work for the government so she has connections and apparently if I give them my passport number than I can get into this party. I hope it works out because that would just be an incredible experience.

Thank you for following along with my sporadic, grammatically incorrect, spell check absent blogs. So much is happening and time is just slipping away. I have been here for a month now and I only have two more to go!

This week is going to be a big week in the US. Lets all remain positive and keep up the hope.

MUCHO AMOR!!

I just returned from Morocco and oh what a journey it was. After spending over a day riding on a bus to Algeciras we got on a ferry to cross the Strait of Gibraltar. Then once we arrived in a Spanish town called Ceuta we hopped on another bus to drive all day before we arrived in Fes where we then spent one day and two nights. The first night when we got to the hotel we were all expecting something really dirty. They told us that the trip was not going to be luxurious and that we were to be prepared for anything. I was expecting the worst so when we arrived at this five star hotel I was quite pleased. We had the most delicious buffet of veggies, soup, eggs, chicken, and all of these different bean salads. The food really reminded me of what I had when I was in Israel. Some people were really careful not to eat the raw veggies but I just went for it. I ate everything I was served the whole trip and I did not get sick the entire time. In fact I had quite the opposite problem, and I rarely visited the bathroom. I will just leave it at that. But I will just say that it was rather frusterating and I would have almost preferred to be sick.

So our day in Fes was quite busy. We explored the Medina (crowded and dirty town full of markets) and we spent our time in 3 main shops. First they took us to a store that had carpets and this guy gave us a whole sales pitch. When he was finished all of the people in the shop came out from nowhere and started to take us into groups to show us various carpets, trying to sell us anything they could. It was really funny the way they gave us the sales pitch. Their English was pretty good, but they still said some really funny things. For example they kept telling us that if we dont want to buy then we are “free as bird in sky.” After the carpet store we went to a spice shop. This was my favorite. They had amazing spices for cooking, and also really amazing makeup and lotions. The worst stop we made was at this leather store. They had really cool products but when they took us to see where it was all made they had to first pass out mint leaves so that we could hold it up to our nose to cover up the smell of dead animal skins. It was awful. I was still about to vomit from the smell even after I shoved the mint leaves all the way up my nose. NOT PLEASANT.

So that night we went back to the hotel for dinner and then went into town for a folklore dance show. It was so much fun. It was really odd too, because the other people in the audience were also Americans that were obviously on a tour, but the whole tour group did not look like the kind of people that would want to visit Morocco. If I were to pick them out of a crowd I would guess they would be more prone to take a tour bus to Door County. It was so strange. But some of them really seemed to be having a good time. We had fun watching this one couple though. Everytime the dancers came up to the man, he was just trying to suppress his enjoyment while his wife was giving the most hateful looks. It was so entertaining.

So then the next day we left Fes to go to a place called Erfoud on the way to the desert. We stopped at an oasis for lunch and it was seriously the coolest dining experience ever. Most of the group was again too apprehensive to eat anything but luckily the friends I have made are just as passionate as I am about eating, so we had a great time wolfing down the plates of veggies and the saffron chicken. The oasis was in the middle of nowhere. When we pulled up all we saw was this big tent. When we went inside it was decorated with all these really cool tapestries and there were all of these little tables set up with small stools. We were esentially sitting on the ground. It was really cool, and the food was so good. Our table finished everything in less than five minutes, no joke. We were also super hungry since it was already 4 pm and we were just stopping for lunch. The time between meals is so long, in Spain, and throughout our whole time in Morocco.

So after lunch we kept driving for a few hours to a hotel where we then met 4×4 jeeps that would take us into the Sahara desert. The ride in the jeeps was so thrilling. There were no roads to drive on and it was starting to get dark. Our driver only spoke French and Arabic so we had no way of communicating. For all we knew, we could have totally been kidnapped. I am glad I do not get car sick because the ride was very long and bumpy. It felt like such an adventure out of Indiana Jones.

So after all this travel we arrived in the desert where there were tents set up for us to sleep in as well as another larger tent set up with tables for dinner. The tents that we slept in were not your typical tents that you would want to camp in. Essentially the tent was just a large sheepskin blanket thing trown over a bunch of sticks. It was pretty sturdy but there were definitely holes all over. That would have been fine, except for the fact that of course it decided to rain in the desert the night that we arrived. They told us this trip was meant for people who can “rough it” and I learned that I am one of those people, although I will admit I would have rather been elsewhere when I was trying to fall asleep with rain hitting my face at full speed. It was difficult to say the least. Not the most comfortable experience, but none the less, an experience that I am glad I had. Now I feel like I can do almost anything.

The next day in the desert was hot, as expected. We rode camels into town. I felt like I was back in Jesus times. The first ten minutes of the ride was fun, but after a while that camel was killing my thighs and the combination of sweat and camel was not the best aroma. All of that, plus the constant up and down movement directly after breakfast did not agree with my tummy. On our way to town we stopped at this huge sand dune. It was SO steep and we all climbed up to the top so that we could slide back down. It was basically like going sledding in the desert. Instead of snow, we had sand. It was so much fun and we all got even more dirty and sweaty than we were before. Oh and we also had no showers or running water to wash our hands for the next two days. I am usally a germ freak, but I let my apprehensions go on this trip and I just enjoyed the feeling of being so completely dirty. It was kind of refreshing.

So after our second night in the desert everyone was pretty much ready to peace out. I have really come to appreciate delayed gratification. Once we got out of the desert and back onto the bus, we still had an 8 hour drive ahead of us before we would reach a shower. That was probably the longest, smelliest 8 hours of my life.

We arrived that night at our last hotel in Meknes. It was a nice hotel, nothing too spectacular, but after being in the desert we were all so happy to finally have a shower. We all cleaned up and then went down for dinner. Everyone was really excited because we had an American dinner of chicken, veggies, and mashed potatoes. My table also decided to spend the rest of our money on some Moroccan wine. It was actually pretty good. Very dry, and nothing too spectacular. It was a really relaxing evening. I just sat with my freinds at the dinner table until the restaurant kicked us out. It was definitely one of those trips where you spend so much time with the same people that you automatically get really close. By day two everyone was out in the open about their bowel movements, so we pretty much crossed all comfort zones there. I am really happy I have met more freinds that are in Madrid.

We left the hotel the next morning at 8 and made it back to Madrid the following morning at 6 am. So needless to say it was the longest journey ever, but all well worth it. If you ever have a chance to get to Morocco, go! Although some of you probably would not enjoy the experience at all. It was very different, and challenging at times, but I would definitely do it again! Pictures coming soon at my photo link located on the right hand side under links.

Hope all is well back home. GO OBAMA!!

(We’re going to break the night)

 I recently picked up this phrase from a group of my new Spanish friends. Si, ahora tengo los amigos de espana. This past weekend was amazing, crazy, and it really solidified my love for Madrid. I know this is thinking ahead, but I already know I am not going to want to leave. I have now been here for a week and it is amazing how much I have already learned. I have so much more to learn and the pace is going to pick up and I just know time is going to fly. But for now I am living in this moment, this is definitely the best time of my life. I seriously love every minute of it, even when it is difficult. I have never really been able to say that about an experience before.  I know I am so lucky. I get so overwhelmed sometimes thinking about how lucky I am to have these amazing experiences. I am definitely appreciating every minute of it.

So let me tell you a little about the past 48 hours. First of all let me just say, I love my roommate and host family. Again, I am so lucky that my housing situation worked out so well. My roommate, Lauren, has been here for a few more weeks than I have and she is studying at the other university in Madrid, and this past weekend I was able to meet her friends from that program. I have really made some great friends in a very short period of time.  Lauren is way better at Spanish than I am because she can understand most of it, but we were talking about how much harder it is to really learn to speak well (I am also still working on understanding, although that has improved). So in an effort to really improve our Spanish we decided we want to really meet Spaniards that only speak Spanish. Luckily, her friend Rachel already has a few friends that live in Madrid because Rachel studied here over one summer. So on Saturday night she introduced us to them, a group of about 5 guys, and I was really able to practice a lot of Spanish over a very long night.

To truly experience the Spanish life you have to be willing to push your limits just a little bit. I am making every effort to really dive into the Spanish way of life, and despite my previous concerns, I am actually doing quite well with the Spanish schedule. The days here are so long, and busy, yet quite relaxed. I do not feel rushed to do anything. Spaniards do not go out at night until 11 or 12 at night. I usually take a siesta during the typical American dinner time, and then I eat around 9:30 and then get ready to go out around 11. When I say “go out” I don’t necessarily mean I am going out clubbing every night until 6 am (although that was the case of Saturday) but it is also very common to meet for un café con sus amigos. My friends and I have also scouted out our favorite place for sangria and tapas. Esta muy bien!

So on Saturday, we decided we needed to have a typical night out at la discoteca so that we could talk to Spaniards and really get a sense of what the night life is all about. I will spare you the details, but it was the most fun I have had out in a long time.  I know you are probably shocked that I was actually able to stay out until 6 (which was considered early to leave the club) and believe me, I am also quite shocked. It is definitely something I needed to experience, but I will not be having these nights as often as most Spaniards do. As you all know, at home I am pretty much a grandma, and I am used to 10 pm bedtime at the latest.  But the thing that I enjoyed most about the night, was the fact that I was at a discoteca that most Americans do not go to, and my friends and I were probably the only Americans in there. We spoke only in Spanish with Rachel’s friends, and with a little liquid courage I was surprised with how well I was able to use Spanish. I met a guy that had studied in Chicago for 3 months and he knew just about the same amount of English as I know of Spanish. We talked about how hard it is to learn another language and he told me that my Spanish was really good, considering I have only been in Madrid for a week. And I know what you are probably thinking, NO he was not just saying that to hit on me, it was a perfectly normal conversation and there was no inappropriate flirting. Spanish men are seriously so nice. And Spanish people in general are for the most part very helpful, patient, and extremely nice. At least the ones I have met. I know that men have a reputation for just trying to get American girls, but I have been lucky enough to meet some very nice gentleman that are truly interested in helping Americans learn Spanish.  I feel like I am starting to slowly understand more when I am listening to people speak. I spend most of my time on the metro eavesdropping on conversations.

So the night was fun to say the least, and we got home at 6:30 in the morning. Then I woke up to my alarm at 9:30 because Rachel, Lauren, and I had planned to take a train to the mountains for a hike. Yeah, probably not the best plan after a night like Saturday, but it ended up working out eventually after the most incredible journey. My host mom told us we were crazy, and when we got home Sunday night at 9 pm she was like see I told you, after you go out, the next day is only for sleeping.

So yes, about this hike, there is quite a story there. I know this is getting long so I will try to stick to the basic details, but it was definitely an adventure after a long night and only 3 hours of sleep.

So we originally wanted to take the 10 am train to a place called cercacilla, in the mountains, where we were going to hike all day. Needless to say, we weren’t in the best shape to make the early train so instead we decided to take the train at noon. So we all met up at the train station, got our tickets, and then went to the track. We were really confused about how the train schedule worked, and we were also misinformed about where the different trains took off so when we arrived at what we thought was our platform, the train was just pulling away.  We were a little bummed at first and then we just decided that this was going to be one of those days where we needed to be flexible with our plans. And after only having 3 hours of sleep, none of us were too bummed about the idea of resting for an hour more before the next train.  We also were just laughing at ourselves for actually pursuing a big hike and we figured that eventually if and when we got to the mountain we would have a little more energy to hike around.

So we sat at the station for an hour longer and ate the bocadilla and cookies that our host moms packed until we figured out that we were looking at the wrong train schedule. It turned out that our “missed train” actually was not our train. So we had been sitting there for no reason when we could have made our train, but we were not really bothered to learn this information. Again, it was just a part of the journey. So we finally got on the 3 o’clock train. After an hour train ride we transferred to two other trains (the last train that went through the mountains was a bit scary and windy and rocky, but it was the coolest train ride ever) and we arrived at the base of the mountains a bit after 4. The area where we were was a ski resort that is active in the winter, so we were able to see the ski lifts and the small resort area. It was GORGEOUS.

The best part about this crazy European adventure was that we met two other lost travelers on our way, one American and another student from Hong Kong. So since we were all lost and trying to get to the same place we decided to travel all together. My favorite part about being here is just meeting so many different people from so many different places. I have been gaining such perspective on various things, it is incredible.

So we took the hike, explored the area, and had an amazing time. Then we got back on the 7 pm train and arrived in Madrid around 9. It was the perfect time to go home for sopa and a hot shower.

All of that happened in just 48 hours. Perhaps that is why I feel like I have been here for a month although today marks just one week since I arrived. I will put up some pictures soon, I am sure that is what you really want to see rather than reading these ridiculously long entries. I promise I will try to keep it shorter next time. Thanks for reading! Hope all is well back in the states.

So I have arrived in Madrid, safe and sound. It has only been two days and it feels like it has been a week already. I am adjusting pretty quickly and I feel that by the end of the week I will have my schedule all figured out. Now from here on out it is just going to be a series of adjustment to the language and culture. I love the schedule, and although I thought I would have trouble with eating dinner at 10 pm, I actually really like it. I just got my class schedule so I will have classes monday and wednesdays from 10- 2:30 and then I come home for a big lunch. Lunch is the biggest meal, so it keeps you pretty full until dinner time. And the mornings are so busy and I am walking everywhere, so the big meal in the middle of the day is pretty satisfying. Then dinner has been pretty light. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I start pretty early at 8:30 but then my classes only go until 11:20. Fridays I do not have any class so I will definitely be taking advantage of that time to travel! I already have one trip planned next week I am going with my study abroad program to Morocco. It should be really interesting. We are there for 6 days so I am already missing the second week of class.

I am happy with the classes I got, and I really like the school. It is pretty small and it is in a really cute area. I am taking 3 courses in English, because my Spanish level is still pretty beginner (even though I tested into intermediate). So I am taking a course called women´s role in Spain, fundamentals of Spanish art, and a class about the European Union. Then I have my Spanish language class, which hopefully will really help me to get going on the language.

The language is quite hard to adjust to. I have not taken Spanish in so long and I am still getting used to understanding the accent. My host mom only speaks in Spanish and she has been really patient with me and definitely wants to help me learn. I have a roommate who is American, she is really nice and helpful and she is much better at Spanish than I am. It is just really hard because I spend half of my time with Americans at school, and we mostly speak in English, and then at home I practice Spanish. Sometimes I try to use Spanish with other Americans but we have been really bad about that. I think once school starts and we are getting used to life here, we will use Spanish more. It is really hard though. It is so tempting not to use English and I feel like I really do need to rely on it sometimes.

There are a lot of students here from DU, and it has actually been really nice. I am meeting a lot of people that I never knew before. It has definitely made me feel more comfortable, which is probably why the adjustment seems to be happening really quickly. My host family is also really amazing, and I love my roommate.

The food has been good, nothing outstanding, and meal time at my house is definitely not what I was expecting. My host mom works a lot so she is never home for lunch so she leaves stuff in the fridge and we can help ourselves. I really like that because it makes me feel more at home, and also I can eat what I want, and I am not forced fed. A lot of my freinds who have big sit down meals with their families say that they are forced to eat more than they want, or at least they feel rude not finishing their plates. My host mom is also really healthy so she makes mostly salads. The past few days I had pasta salad and fruit and then for dinner she will make a green salad or veggies and then a tiny piece of meat, or another Spanish dish. Last night we had this potato dish. It is made with eggs and potatoes, and I forget what it is called, I will have to get back to you on that. It is really good and it is something Spaniards eat a lot. Tonight she is cooking us lentils and for lunch she made this rice dish that basically tasted like mango sticky rice, only it was made with pinapple. I only had a little because it was so filling, and then I just helped myself to some fruit. We always have fruit in the house, or I can make myself a salad, so it is nice that I can still maintain a pretty normal diet.

Sorry this is all over the place, so much has been going on and I cant possibly recall everything in an organized way.

Last night I went out to experience the night life. By the time we all figured out a meeting point and everything it was one in the morning. Which is actually the typical time to start going out. It was not too crazy because it was only a Tuesday night, but we still saw some interesting things. I only had one drink, so nothing too shady happened. It is more fun to just watch what is going on. This weekend we are going to try to go all out and go to this club that is 7 floors and it is apparently really crazy. I am just living la vida loca. I could not believe that I was able to stay out until 4 am. It was really fun. I definitely wont be doing that everynight, but probably once in a while. You just cant miss that scene when you are here. It is definitely a part of the culture, it is very social.

I didnt have class today, that starts tomorrow, so I slept until 12:30. I think I am finally adjusted to the time and the jetlag is gone. Right now I am at the ISA office using the internet, since I dont have it at my house. The ISA office is right in la plaza del sol so it is pretty convenient. I will probably use it a lot.

I am meeting some friends soon so we can start to make some travel plans. I am going with my program to Toledo on Saturday and then like i mentioned before, next week I am off to Morocco. I am SO excited. But everything is SO expensive so I am really trying not to freak out. But I also really want to take advantage of being here. We are hoping to schedule a trip to Barcelona, and then maybe southern France, or Italy. We all really want to go to Greece but it is more expensive. I will keep you posted when I know of my plans.

Sorry this is so long and all over the place. I love it here. It has only been two days, but I can tell this is going to be an amazing few months. It is definitely challenging and I think I am supressing how overwhelmed I am feeling, so we will se how long it takes until I breakdown a bit. Hopefully I will get over that soon. It is wonderful here, and beautiful. I will try to post pictures when I can. I have not taken many yet, but I will definitely post some after Morocco. I hope all is well in the states. It is weird being out of the loop on the politics. I do miss countdown with Keith Olbermann, but other than that I really do like the European culture and way of life. They just do everything so much better here. Everyone is really concious of how much they use and waste.

I will try to send little updates when I can, and if you want to send me email I would love to hear from you!

Mucho Amor,

Jane