Ciao Bella

Italy, was beautiful! I never wanted to leave. My friend Lauren and I left Thursday morning around 2am. We took a bus from Granada to Madrid, then a flight from Madrid to Bologna. We arrived in Bologna around noon. Before this trip we only had our flights booked, we didn't have a hostel or hotel booked. So when we got to Bologna we kind of just looked around and found a pizza place to eat. It was delicious, we had a margarita pizza! We hadn't eaten in the 15 hours so we were STARVING to say the least. Also, the owner of this restaurant, helped us out a lot. He called a couple bed and breakfasts and even got us a deal at one. However, when we walked to the the hotel, it was a.) old and creepy, b.) didn't have wifi, c.) the lady was strange, and d.) we weren't saving that much money (even though that guy helped us out a LOT.) SO at that point, I looked at Lauren, and said "let's go to Florence." We walked to the train station, looked at tickets, and bought one. The public transportation is amazing here. We hopped right on the next train and arrived in Florence 45 minutes later. The train ride was beautiful. The scenery was gorgeous, all the changing colored trees, openness, it reminded me of home. We got to Florence. My friend Amy, who is a student in Granada, just got back from Florence so she had recommended to stay at the Archi Rossi Hostel. When we got off the train from Bologna, I asked the first person I saw where it was. The lady that helped me was so cute. She pulled out her iPhone, typed in the address, and pointed us on our way. I am telling you my first impression with people from Italy is amazing. They are so sweet and very helpful with everything!! Most of them speak English too!! After we found our hostel, we crashed. We hadn't really slept the night before so Lauren and I went pretty much right to bed.

The next morning, we woke up and had breakfast. The hostel offers free tours around two parts of the city of Florence. We took a tour in the morning and saw so many cathedrals, old mid-evil castles, and walked the streets of Florence. We crossed the "Ponte Vecchio" bridge, a beautiful sight of Florence. Oh my goodness, it is breath taking. After the tour, Lauren and I walked and walked and walked. I thought for sure we would have gotten lost, but we really didn't. We saw so many markets, stores, restaurants..etc. The tour guide said that you can walk the entire city of Florence, from one point to one point in about 25 minutes. I think Lauren and I covered a majority of the city the first day. We ate a cute little restaurant and I had a red pepper and eggplant pizza, amazing! All the food is so fresh and doesn't make you feel gross after. I am convinced that it's the fresh oils and home baked breads :)

The second day, we woke up and had breakfast again. We took another free tour of the second side of Florence. BEAUTIFUL :) I am in love with this city. We went to the Academia, the museum full of Michelangelo's artwork. The huge sculpture of David, was amazing. You could see every last detail of his body, every vein, rib, and muscle. I feel I have a better appreciation of artwork after that museum! We had lunch at another restaurant. I had veggies lasagna, a fresh green salad, and bruchesta, :) SO good. I loved every last bite!! We wanted to go to the Duomo, the cathedral and walk up the 400 stairs, but we arrived one minute too late. Last night, Lauren and I had some wine, gelato, and pizza.

The third day, we went to the bus station and purchased our bus tickets back to Bologna (for Tuesday) and then bought our tickets to Pisa for Monday. After that, we walked around and around. Florence is known for their leather. So there are so many markets full of leather purses, wallets, bags..etc. We ate lunch at a little panini restaurant. That afternoon we took a tour of the Chianti region. We traveled to the town of Castellina in Chianti. In Castellina there were so many stores full of typical Tuscan products, (oils, wines, breads, sweets, etc.). We visited a beautiful estate where we got to participate in a guided tour of wine cellars and got to hear all about the stages of wine production. The wine cellar was beautiful! It was underground and so unique. I guess it has been shown on some movies because it's so different and beautiful! The landscape up in the Chianti region is to die for, the sights are incredible.

Finally, on the fourth day we went to Pisa. I absolutely love the public transportation system here in Europe. It's so easy and simple. Buy your tickets, hop on the train/bus, and you are in the next city. Pisa was nice. Lauren and I had been in Florence for three days, so we were ready for a little change of scenery. Pisa, is a little city, with not much more than the leaning tower of Pisa. However, it was still nice to walk around and look at what the city had to offer. We ate lunch at a really cool restaurant. It was super tiny, but had all homemade food. I had spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and olive oil! SO good. All the food in Italy was amazing. I had pizza like six times, pasta twice, and gelato twice a day... NOT kidding. The last night, Lauren and I went to a gelato place really close to our hostel. We met the owner and talked to him for awhile. I was kind of having a rough day, a long list of events had happened and I was just off. My camera broke, atm card wasn't working, things will Winona State were messed up..etc. Anyways, it was just an off day, but I swear God works in magical ways. This little man at the gelato place just made my night. He sat and talked about how to make gelato. However, he took the conversation to the next level. He said "Here in Italy, we work because we love what we are doing. I love making gelato. I love seeing the reaction of peoples face, I love hearing what they have to say about it. Yes, you girls just gave me 5 euros for this gelato, but if that was the only reason I worked, I shouldn't be doing this job. You must work for love, the beauty and passion of the job, not for the money." At this moment, I was almost in tears and just so happy. It was just an amazing moment and it was everything I needed at that moment. When we walked back to our hostel, I had an email from my advisor saying that everything will be fine at Winona State, Thank you Lord. I am so blessed.

Overall, my trip to Italy was amazing. I saw beautiful sights, ate delicious food, learned a lot about myself and a new part of this world. I can't believe how independent I have become and how much I have grown. Yes, every day brings its own challenge, but it's what you do with this challenge, and how you react to this challenge that counts. I am so blessed to be surrounded by an amazing support group, bless your souls because I don't know where I'd be without all of you.

Un Beso.  

Sevilla & Cordoba

Sevilla

The weeks are flying by! This past weekend, I traveled to Sevilla and Cordoba with my program, SOL. On Saturday, we went to Sevilla and took a tour of the city! What a beautiful city, I love the big city feeling. We toured the Cathedral in Sevilla, what a beautiful sight! We climbed up 35 flights of floors to view the entire city of Sevilla, we saw the Plaza de Torros from above and a whole lot of Sevilla :) It is such a gorgeous city.

That night we went out and had all the traditional food in Spain. I wish I would have taken some pictures for you all. The food is so different here, it's crazy. It has taken awhile to adjust to it, but I am really starting to enjoy it. We had potatoes with a red sauce on it, a sweet salad with goat cheese and figs, fried calamari, fried eggplant with red peppers and red onions, croqetas (which are basically fried dough with some meat and mushy cheese inside, I HATE them!), there is ALWAYS bread on the table, and we had this amazing almond chicken with potatoes. I have been sick, so on Saturday a couple of us just went out for ice cream and then headed back to the hotel. On Sunday, we woke up and had a beautiful breakfast, I kid you not, it was the biggest complimentary breakfast I have ever seen, in Spain. It was full of meat, cheese, eggs, bread, bread, muffins, bread, yogurts, sweets, fruit, teas, coffees, juices..etc. It was awesome! Definitely stocked up on the fruit while I was there :) I love ALL the fresh fruit!!

Cordoba, such a beautiful city!

Sunday, we traveled to Cordoba. A cute town, about an hour and half away from Sevilla. It is another big city, but it is more for people to retire (not kidding that is what our tour guide said.) It had a lot of tourists and tourist shops. It was way different than Sevilla, but it was still very beautiful. Religion was a huge topic we hit on this weekend. I am learning SO much about Christianity, Judaism, Islam..etc. In Cordoba, the city is literally split into two areas. There is a street called, San Fernando, and it separates the Christianity and Muslim religions. On one side of the town there are Cathedrals and then on the other side there are a Mosque. The street literally separates the two. There are only a couple "big" streets in Cordoba and this is one of those. The Mosque that we saw was unbelievable. It was beautiful, all the detail and time put into a building is incredible. It was very interesting listening to the history put into this building. I am taking an Islamic Culture class right now, it is probably one of my favorite classes!! I am learning SO much. I didn't know anything, their religion is incredible. It really opens my eyes and makes me view life a different way.  It is unbelievable how naive I was before entering Spain. It's a big world out there and I feel a lot of people (especially the younger generation) doesn't know anything outside the US. I wish I could bring everyone here, I wish I could buy you all tickets and bring you here, I wish so bad my family and friends could see this amazing place. It is FULL of history.

This week is going to be quick!! I have three days of school and then off to Italy with my friend Lauren :) I am so happy & grateful for this experience!! I feel so lucky to be able to travel all of the world. Everything is going great over here. I miss Nick and my family and my friends, however the time really is going fast. It's almost November! I can't believe it!! I keep telling myself one day at a time. It is starting to get cold here :) Yesterday, it was really rainy and windy. All the people from California and Texas are like "Oh my gosh, it's SO cold." All of us girls for MN & WI, are like this is NOTHING compared to where we are from. We are used to negative degrees :) I miss you all and love you all!! Thanks for the support and prayers, they really are helping! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful support group! Thank you!! I will update you all on Italy when I return. Pray for safe travels :)

Half Way Point.

This Monday was the half way point. I have made it half way through the semester and I am still alive. The beginning was rough and difficult, but I am pushing forward and every day seems easier. Granada, is amazing. Spain, is amazing. I love it here. This week we have a full week of school, our first "full" week of classes. I try to fill my day because it gives me less of a chance to allow my mind to wonder and miss home, the states, family, etc. With that said, I am volunteering in a school here in Granada. I volunteer twice a week, one hour each time. On Tuesdays, I work with 15/16 year olds and then on Thursdays I work with another group of children. On Tuesdays, we just talk, talk, talk, talk, ALL in English. This Tuesday, we read a story out loud, practicing pronunciation. After, I worked with six students and just talked about holidays, vacations, and differences between the United States and Spain. This opportunity is wonderful. It's very interesting to see the differences between the US and Spain while in a classroom setting. Things are very different. They don't have Elementary, Middle, and High School. Grades are broken down into ages. For example, "primary" school is broken into ages 2-6 years old. Also, children start to learn English at the age of five, and it is a required subject for all students to take! Yesterday, I got a job!! I will work with two girls, Marta, 15, and Carmen, 12 and just tutor them in English. I love it, my first day was yesterday! Every week I will just practice with them and talk about different situations (what would you say at a restaurant, movie theater..etc.) The girls love English, it's their favorite subject here in Spain. I wish we had this in the United States. I think it would be beneficial for children to start learning and understanding a different language at a young age! I know, in my future classroom and house, I will be incorporating Spanish!!! This weekend I am heading to Sevilla & Cordoba. Two bigger cities in Spain. I am traveling with my program and it should be a great weekend!! This weekend is Homecoming at WSU and my family is traveling to UW-Stout!! Good Luck to Luke & Nick this weekend, I will be there in spirit, I sure do miss football!!!

A Reason. For. Everything.

Things happen for a reason. We met people to help us see a new perspective on life. We travel to places to see new cultures, concepts, and find inspirations. We cross paths with thousands for some reason. I truly believe everything happens for a reason. My question is why is it hard to find that reason? Sometimes I search and look for that reason.. and just can't seem to grasp it. That's the problem, we don't know. We don't know, we don't know what the end point is or where it may be, we don't know how we may stumble upon that reason or we may never find the reason, however it's the journey, it's the path, it's the road that is important. This is what I am finding here in Granada. You may not do well on a test, you may meet people that are complete opposite than you, you may struggle with a different language, you may got lost and can't find your way, I sense my mind and body exploding at these points. This is where and why I am growing so much. I am developing a sense of relaxation, a sense of empathy, a sense of love that allows me to slow down and enjoy life. Look at life from a different point of view. Life isn't about winning or knowing all the right answers. It's about learning, growing, expanding, and changing. I am so proud of myself for who I am becoming and how much I am growing.

I found a song this week that I can't stop listening to.... "Life Goes On"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq2Mq4gnKoY&feature=fvst

My life is amazing here in Granada. I am so grateful & thankful for this experience!! I miss my family, friends, Nick, and my life in the states. However, it's already the middle of October & this time is flying by. I keep telling myself one day at a time and I just look forward to December when Nick is coming :) Breathe. Smile. Life is good. Thank You God.

My Mom. My Best Friend. My Sister.
I love her and miss her strength, presence, and
courage. 

My brothers, love & miss them. They have grown up and become such strong men. I am so proud of them! 

My Dad. Some may say that I am exactly like him & they are right. I miss his humor, our laughs, our jokes.. He is such a great father, full of wisdom, love, and support. I miss you Dad! 

My Best Friend. "If you live to be 100, I hope I live to
be 100 minus 1 day so I never have to live without you"
Through thick and thin, until the end. Forever & Always. 

"When You're Happy Like A Fool Let It Take You Over"

My happiness is taking over. I love my life here in Spain. I am absolutely in love with the nature, beauty, culture, and my host family. This week has been a little crazy. We started classes last Thursday and my schedule has changed :) My days go by a lot faster now that I have so much planned. I have four classes on Mondays/Wednesdays and then only one class on Tuesdays/Thursdays. I love my schedule, my teachers, and my new volunteer opportunity. On Tuesdays and Thursdays for one hour in the morning I am going into a classroom full of fifteen and sixteen year olds and just talking. Here in Spain, English is a required subject and students start taking it as young as five years old. Which I think is a wonderful concept and I would love to carry this idea over to the states. Meaning, I wish Spanish was required and students started learning it at that young of an age. I will definitely be incorporating Spanish in my future classroom, as much as possible. 

Last weekend, we traveled to Nerja Beach. It was not very sunny, but I still enjoyed the time spent with my program. We ate delicious paella, played volleyball, walked the beach, drank café con leche, and met our new five new members to the group. It was a great Saturday :) Sunday, was my birthday. Everyone would think, what a great way to spend your birthday in Spain. Yes, I loved it. Yes, I enjoyed going out and celebrating. Yes, I am so blessed and lucky. BUT it was not the same. I missed Nick. I missed my parents and brothers. I missed my friends. I missed the stupid little jokes, gifts, and things we do special in the states for one another. This was a birthday I will never forget because it was different. I won't ever forget what I did, who I was with, and how lucky I am to be able to be in Spain for such a special day. Thank you all for the birthday wishes, cards, skype dates, texts, and prayers. I am not kidding when I say these are the things that get me through each day. 

Five Random Thoughts:

1. My host sister, Yasmin is the sister I have never had. God works in mysterious ways, and she is one of those ways. She calms me and makes me feel at home. We cry, laugh, and talk for hours on end. I love her and I've known her for a little over a month. 

2. This week we have two girls from Holland living with us. They are actually from Amsterdam. How amazing are they, they know how to speak five different languages. Dutch, German, Spanish, English, and French. :) They are so sweet, they gave me some popular cookies from Amsterdam for my birthday!

3. This week in my Civilization and Culture class I learned that "siesta" is not as common as we think. Very few natives actually have time for a "siesta", like Americans they are very busy with work, life, school, and the daily tasks of living. Most people have just enough time to close their stores, go home for some lunch, check emails/mail, run a few errands, and then head back to work. 

4. Today is the last day for "Los Italianos" the famous gelato here in Spain. (Sorry Nick Powers, I know you were very excited to try this when you come in December.) It's the best ice cream around :)

5. Last night I learned that children live with their families until 30-35 years old BECAUSE as long as the children are attending college or some sort of schooling the parents will continue to pay and support them. It is NOT common for children to have jobs before they leave their homes. Yasmin, my host sister, said that she had a job working at a club when she was 16 and her mother wanted her to quit because she didn't like how late she got home and it wasn't a good idea for her to have a job like that. They are supported by their parents and do not work. WAY different than in the states, by age 18 most children are itching to get out into the world of college. 

"Every Day Is A Start Of Something Beautiful"~It really is. I take one day at a time. I wake up and pray for something beautiful. I am so blessed and love the life I have. I very proud and happy. My life is changing before my eyes and I can't wait to be back in the states to express this to all of you!! 

I miss you all & love you all!!

Thank you for all the thoughts & prayers.

~Madrid~

"When I look back at where I've been, I see that what I am becoming is a whole lot further down the road from where I was."

Spain, is changing my life. Changing my life for the better. Someone once told me, live for the day, don't look for what's coming next, focus on the present, because before you know it all those moments are gone. Spain has highlighted all of this for me. I have discovered so much about myself in just one month. I have strengthened my relationships with friends and family. I have time to think, breathe, relax, enjoy the simple things in life... I can't say that enough. I am so blessed and so thankful for being able to experience this, it's allowing me to grow and change for the better.

Madrid. The capital of Spain. It was beautiful. Huge city, full of history and lots of tall buildings. We arrived on Saturday morning and took a taxi to our hostel. After we got ready, we ventured out. We walked around and stopped at a few shops. We grabbed some lunch at a cute little restaurant, named Colby. We continued shopping for the next five hours and I got some really cute dresses at H&M. It is so difficult not to shop because there are stores everywhere. I kid you not when I say you walk 100 feet and you will run into clothing stores, shoe stores, cafes, bars, banks, restaurants..etc. EVERYWHERE!! I love it and hate it!! After shopping, we went back to the hostel and got ready. That night we went out for a little bit, had some drinks at a bar and met some guys from Cuba. We chatted for awhile, it was great because they all knew English too, so we actually could talk in Spanish and English.

On Sunday, we went to the Palace in Madrid. We toured the palace!! It was amazing to actually be able to walk through and touch the flooring, tables, chairs, that Kings & Queens once sat at. It was a great experience! After that we had lunch at another restaurant. I tried Paella for the first time! Yum, Aunt Sue you were right that stuff is amazing. Basically, it's rice with veggies and some sort of meat, if you want meat. But it's great!! One of the better dishes here in Spain!!

As we were sitting at lunch, we saw some people that had just toured the Palace too. We got to talking with them and they were adorable. Both from New York and they were in Madrid, on their honeymoon!!! How incredible, they decided to travel around Europe. They had been to Spain and Italy so far. They were so sweet! How romantic :) I melted after hearing their story and I really really missed my Nick after that!! Next we headed towards the Museo del Prado. A famous art museum in Madrid. It was HUGE. There were two floors, but there were so many different rooms full of artwork. It was beautiful! I had a different appreciation of art after that museum! At this point, all of us were pooped. We had been walking for six hours and were exhausted!!! We ate dinner that night at La Gata Flora. SO SO SO GOOD. I had a pesto pizza and for dessert we had some chocolate banana crepe! YUM. I love traveling, you get to pick out your food, CHOICES :) On Monday, we left the hostel by 11 am and walked around Madrid. On our walk to a park, we ran into a used book market. There were a ton of vendors selling vintage used books. It was awesome! There were books there from the early 1900's. I actually ended up buying a book. It's a children's book and I want to use it in my classroom one day. It is all in Spanish and I just thought it would be so cool to buy books from Spain that are in Spanish to use in my future classroom one day :)

Yes, life is amazing here! Yes, I am loving every moment! Yes, it's different and the culture is amazing! Yes, I miss my Nick, friends, and family. BUT I am doing this. Whole heartedly, I am forcing myself to develop a new outlook on life. A life full of love, time, relaxation, and faith. I am so blessed and lucky for everything. I want to thank everyone that is sending prays, love, and support!! Thank you, it really has been helping! I am so blessed. God is so good.