what a week

ok. i would like to put in a petition that this week be off the records.
i could not get it together this week for anything! i couldn't concentrate on homework, i was moody, i was tired all the time, my work outs were off, and i was just generally not feeling it.
I do not believe i am totally at fault here, however:
a. It did not stop raining in knoxville for two straight weeks until yesterday. i went to the tanning bed just so that my skin would remember what melanin was. when the sun finally came out it was so bright my eyes didn't really know what to do with themselves.
b. when my mood is off, it is very difficult for me to reorient myself into productivity.
c. sleepiness is very difficult to overcome when your bed is as comfortable as mine is.
d. i have discovered the futility of homework. i mean really, my spanish homework is not going to get me a job when i graduate. my editing homework is useless because i don't want to work in newspapers. and i mean lets be honest it just really isn't that difficult for me to convince myself that this is in fact true and that i need not do my homework at all.
I'm sure i will be singing a different (saddened and humbled) tune come midterms, which by the way is only two short weeks in the future. ugh.
i think another reason for my less-than-productiveness this week is due to the fact that i am anxiously awaiting this weekend. for the simple fact alone that i do not have to go to class would be enough, but i am really excited because lkj and i are having a little rendezvous in nashville saturday. the distance has made itself much more known this semester for some reason, and it has not been as easy to reconcile with. we always have a good time in nashville anyway, and it being just the two of us makes it even more exciting.
i would go on a bit longer but i am heading out of work a little bit early this evening (i would expect nothing less out of myself this week ha.) on to a night out with the ladies. :)

i just love football season.
Sundays become a much cooler day of the week during football season (no offense God. you know i'm still down for praying and stuff. i'm just saying 0=] )
this Sunday has been particularly enjoyable. mostly because i finally got to rest for 2.5 and i actually cleaned up my apartment. it really makes all the difference. it was a wreck for going on a full week. let me just tell you why.
my weeks are straight booked these days. monday through thursday my life consists of class, hw, work, tv station, and trying to work out if it all possible. fridays are usually my chill days where i can get in a longer exercise or some shopping or cleaning.. that was not the case this week, however, because of my little labor day vacay. (notice i have not posted anything since before last weekend...) i stayed in Memphis until monday (of course) and got back late that night with a little stomach bug.. because i stayed i obviously did not make it to my usual monday shift at wbir.. so i had to go in on friday. it was a good shift though i got to go around doing some live shots with one of the photogs. for the live show at 4 we met some cool folks with winnebagos that come up for every home game with a fleet of other winnebagos. really cool (and incredibly expensive) gig.. maybe one day..
i definitely took repreive from the busy week on friday night with a little debauchery...but that just made waking up on saturday all the more difficult.. yesterday i spent the day as an espn intern again. this time i followed around Erin Andrews (who i'm sure requires no introduction for any male) the sports reporter. I held the light for her whenever she went on camera (and also for the other 2.5 hours of the game haha, my shoulders are a bit sore today.) It was really neat because i was all over the field before and after the game, and right on the sidelines during. i always love working with them, i feel so important haha. so after chasing Erin for the whole game and what not, i was exhausted.. i soo enjoyed going home last night and going almost directly to bed.
today i woke up feeling refreshed and relazed, albeit somewhat sore. I got a good work out in, got my laundry done, and now i am finishing up a relatively productive work shift.. And i WILL squeeze in some shopping this evening. (seriously have not been able to go shopping for being so busy and it is driving me crazy..) i think i'll make some tacos.
looking forward to a chill evening before it all starts again..
oh by the by..INDI 14 Jax 12. i just love you peyton manning.

un corto

As the name implies, this one is going to be a short one. I just wanted to get in a post before the weekend.
My goal with this here online blogging mechanism is to try to keep myself in converational writing mode all the time. That is one thing I have taken from my internship already is that you have to write the news like you were talking to a friend, because writing like you are smarter than everyone else does not sell.. But even beyond that aspect I like to write and I need to make myself stay in the habit of it. and I mean it's really easy to talk about myself so.. walah (sp?)
So it is Thursday evening, I am about to go home, I am definitely already in weekend mode, and I have to say I am feeling pretty good that I made it through my first full week of legit life. I figured out that I really do have time for everything (including showers..) and that you can do a lot with three hours (especially if you turn it into four and a half hours by conveniently missing your last class... don't say lectures aren't mandatory if you don't really mean it..) All in all it was a very successful week I feel like, and that is all the motivation I need to power through this semester.
This weekend I am memphis-bound to spend the labor day holiday with the moms and lkj. I am more excited about (well, not dreading quite as much, let's not get carried away..) the drive than I would normally be because now I have yodi! Yodi is my new car, which is an o8 Toyota Yaris. It's a cute black little 2 door and I have had it for about 3 weeks. I just love yodi the yaris. It makes me happy everytime I drive it :) That might wear away after about 6 straight hours but hey..
Well I believe that is quite enough nonsense for one little post.
Espero que todos tienen un buen fin de semana larga y disfrutan en los festividades. hasta!

Tuesday...

It's only tuesday..
Seriously, i feel like it has been a week.
We are in the full swing of things now. I am in the first legit week of my new life, which consists of 10-15 hours per week at the TV station (which, by the by, is unpaid), 10.5 hours per week at my on campus job, and 5 classes (4 of which are on the same day..) I managed to squeeze in a workout between class and work today but only because I felt it completely necessary and I know that if I don't figure out a time to do it I just won't and well that just will not be a good thing. Best keep things moving yes?
So I am on the last leg of the day. I am at work right now, with about an hour left, and then i am going home and doing whatever requires the least amount of brainpower. Probably sleeping.
This new life of mine has inspired a lot of thinking, albeit somewhat frantic and confusing, about what real life (that is, life outside of my comfy college bubble) is going to be like. Yesterday was my first day at the tv station.. Aside from a few meetings and phone calls I shadowed a reporter for most of the day. We got a couple interviews, took some good footage, did some editing, pretty much all the basics. It was really exciting to see how a day as a reporter actually goes. You learn about all these things in classes but it doesn't really make sense until you see it actually working. I could actually visualize myself in the job, it was pretty neat. But it also shed some light on just how stressful the field that I am joining is going to be. I mean dude was saying that it is really important to keep a balance between your news life and your regular life because if you don't, they will absolutely work the hell out of you. Meanwhile he is getting flack from somebody above him about not answering his cell phone on his day off.. It was all very intense, and so real, which made it even scarier.
As if this dose of wake-up-and-smell-the-real-world was insufficient, chatter has already begun among family about making plans for my graduation. I must admit this makes me really really excited. (May 12th 2010 woop woop!). I mean the whole no-more-classes, big-ceremony, lots-of-family, lots-of-presents, i-can't-believe-i-did-it part is going to be a blast. Then a little bit of nausea sets in.. That would be due to the whole you're-a-big-girl-now, get-a-real-job, get-your-life-together, it's-all-on-you-now part... But whatever, I can totally handle it. (See how I am reassuring myself?)
In all seriousness, it's so weird to think that three years ago I was this nervous little freshman that didn't know my way around campus and now I am going through my last-everything. Last football season, last classes, last breaks (whick suuucks.) I know cue the violins right? Lo siento. I mean everybody goes through this at some point. I guess it just seems like it went by really quickly.
Ok, but all is not doom and gloom because being in the TV station has made me see that I could be pretty good at this stuff. I think once I get the hang of everything I'll be able to make my mark on this place and I'm sure I will have sufficiently prepared myself for whatever is yet to come.
I mean hey I made it through tuesday, that counts for something right?

class? wait what?

Ok so haven't actually written since I was in Spain and that makes me very sad. I miss being there so bad, especially on rainy gross knoxville days like this one. oh for la playa.
I mean don't get me wrong I love a good storm. I actually knocked out for an hour listening to the thunder... but it never actually stormed, just got gross out and added to the general ugh-ness (technical term) of this day..
I don't know what my deal is this semester but I just cannot get myself to get in gear. I can't get motivated for school at all! I have gotten to the point well I will deliberately sit there and do nothing instead of working on stuff.... it has been a week.
One thing I am excited about though is my practicum at the TV station. It is going to be so interesting working there and actually getting real experience.. It was so surreal (and also slightly terrifying) being in the middle of the newsroom watching all this craziness going on around you thinking whoa this is what I am going to do one day, like in real life.
Anyways back to the whole not-loving-being-back-in-school thing.. I think it is really the Tuesdays and Thursdays that are going to kill me. Aside from it just being a really long day in general, there are just one or two classes that are just...ugh. Let's just say that the chemistry is not there... But at this point its really too late for me to do anything about it so i'll just be grinning and bearing it i guess. (well bearing it anyway)
I think I am just experiencing some type of senioritis slash oh-my-god-what-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life slash wait-I-don't-just-get-to-bs-around-all-the-time? type deal.. I wonder if there's something you can take for that..
In the meantime it is almost the weekend and that means that I don't have to think about school until Sunday night. ish. And that will suffice for the time being.
cual era mi punto? quien sabe..

Hogueras has definitely started in Alicante! There were parades going on at 8 am this morning, and I wouldn't be surprised if those people had not slept yet.
This city is going crazy. There are food stands and vendors EVERYwhere.. and the strangest collection of people.. All kinds of roads are blocked off for the statues and the vendors, it looks like a completely different place. It's pretty cool.
Since we have less than a week left in Spain, our mission is basically just to cram as much beach time/fiesta time in as possible. This week we only have three days of class, one of which is the exam day. Yes we have to take exams, which assumes that we have to study for them in the middle of this massive party that Alicante is right now. It should be interesting.
It's so weird to think that this trip is almost over. It's kind of bittersweet. On the one hand I am kind of ready to be back in my element, and i miss everyone a lot. But on the other hand, this whole lifestyle is going to be so hard to leave, and it's going to suck not being able to just make a phone call and have at least 5 people meet you in 30 minutes to go hang out. But the good news is that everyone is from UT, so this trip will definitely not be the last of our fun.
I built this trip up for so long and it has been so amazing and kind of surreal, so it is going to be so strange when it is behind me. Kind of like a "did that really just happen?" kind of thing. Definitely the coolest thing i have ever done.
Today I am going to church in the barrio, which i am really excited about. I haven't been to church here yet and i know it is going to be so interesting. Later today i'm sure there will be more fiestas. I think right now is still kind of tame compared to what monday, tuesday, and wednesday are going to be. It's going to be crazy.
I don't know how many more posts I will be able to get up while I am here. I feel like these next 6 days are going to fly by in a blur of parades and burning statues and food and fiestas and music and beaches and trying to pack and pretending to do school stuff and maybe sleeping if i can squeeze it in. we shall see!

a little fun

Myths about Spain:
1. You have to pay to use the bathroom in public (and for the tp): [false] I have not once had to pay to use the facilities, but I usually only have had to go at places that we have been at for awhile and had thus bought something from...
2. You have to take cold/short showers: [false] I am glad to report that hot water functions beautifully in spain, and Conchi and Primi don't seem to think i take too long. Although i do try to keep it kind of quick
3. The food is gross: [false] I have pretty much liked everything, less a few dishes here and there. My family hasn't made any dishes with the heads still on (probably because i told them i was scared of that..)
4. It is really really hot: [true] I'm really glad we live by the sea.. It's hot enough here as it is, in Granada, with no breeze, it was worse than memphis in august.
5. They like to party.. a lot: [true] When in spain..
6. You have to walk.. a lot: [true] I'm actually enjoying this a lot though, the city is neat to look at and i'm getting some good calf action in.

Things I miss from home:
(skipping people because that's just obvious.)
1. Pools- the salt water, although great for the skin, really doing a number on my hair..
2. Ranch dressing- i just use it so liberally at home, and here the just put olive oil and vinegar on the salads.. i need some zest.
3. My cell phone- i want to be able to text at will again, and not have to pay 16 cents a pop.
4. El chico- i want some authentic americanized mexican deliciousness
5. My bed- i miss my feathertop.
6. My car (when the air works)- driving is very relaxing sometimes. not when your air doesn't work however. i still have to fix that when i get back.

Easiest things to adjust to in Spain life:
1. Siestas
2. Living by the beach
3. Paella/Churros/Ice Cream/Sangria
4. A neverending nightlife
5. Desperado Beer (its got tequila in it. Hands down, best beer i have ever had)
6. 14 buddies that have the exact same schedule so you get to hang out all the time

Hardest things to adjust to in Spain life:
1. Seven hour time difference
2. The exchange rate..
3. Going to class when the beach is like two feet away
4. Really expensive phone plans
5. Lukewarm beverages
6. Sleeping when its super hot out, with no air conditioning or fans, and you can't leave the windows open because then you won't be able to sleep because its too loud.. its a pickle.

I love making lists. More to come.

hola! i know it's been a week without an update, but that just means i have got lots to tell! everything has just been so busy! I'm not complaining or anything, because everything has been amazing, but its been difficult to keep up with posting and putting up pics on top of hw and papers and presentations and of course, living it up in spain :)
I have done lots of things since i last posted. For starters, we went to la playa de San Juan last wednesday and learned how to windsurf, body surf, and kayak on the mediterranean! Windsurfing was kind of hard but i actually kind of got the hang of it for the most part. i could get up on the board and pick up the sail and and go, but only in one direction haha. i wasn't so good with the turning and what not. once i got to the bouies i had to just jump off.. but it was so cool! my legs killed for the next like 5 days though from trying to keep my balance and turn the board and stuff. then we did body surfing, which isn't really how it sounds. you have this big board and a paddle and you paddle out on your stomach with you arms, then you get on your knees and use the paddle, and then you try to stand up and use the paddle. I was great at the knees part.. the whole standing up thing took me a minute but i did finally get to where i could keep my balance. we realized as we were trying to do all this that we were surfing over a school of jelly fish.. the objective then became to stay on the board at all costs haha, not so that you wouldn't look dumb when you fell into the water and your board flew away from you, but so that you didnt land on top of these huge stinging "medusas" (thats what they are called in spanish haha). Our last activity was kayaking. i've never actually kayaked before but its not very hard, and it was so cool because i mean, we were on the sea.. needless to say that night i passed out from being so tired, but it was definitely one of the coolest things we've gotten to do here.
this weekend we took an overnight trip to Granada, which is about 5 hours away from Alicante. I was excited for one because i love staying in new hotels, i think its really neat; for two because we got to hang out with the whole group all weekend (which we normally do anyway but this was a little different); and for three because i had heard that Granada was beautiful. well it definitely was. the first day we saw the cathedral and the actual caskets of Isabel and Ferdinand, which was SOO cool. We walked through these streets literally full of vendors, like the walls of the buildings outside were covered with things you could buy and it was so neat, and i bought a purse and this really ornate pillowcase thing. We went to a couple bars there, where they give you free tapas (which are like little appetizer things). THEN we went to watch these gypsies do flamenco dancing in this neat little place. they were so good at it and so intense, and when they were done, they started picking people from the audience to come up and try to dance one at a time, and guess who totally danced with them?? yep. I got to dance with the gypsy flamenco dancers in spain. i feel like thats a pretty cool story. emmy took pictures, so hopefully she will post them soon!
the next day we went to see the Alhambra, which used to be one of the seven wonders of the world. it was the hugest thing i've ever seen. we walked around that thing for 4 hours and i still don't know if we saw everything.. it was so beautful though. The Alhambra is this huge castle/fort thing that the arabs built when they first settled in spain. they had all these different look out spots where you could see the whole city of Granada, and beautiful gardens and fountains, and even a summer palace. overall this weekend i think i took 23o pictures haha.. so i'll have to edit those and post them soon so you can see what i'm talking about.
when we got back to alicante there was a huge parade going on through the center of town. Everyone was dressed out in tons of different costumes. We couldn't quite figure out the theme of it, but it was so neat. It got me really excited for the festival of hogueras, which starts saturday night. Hogueras celebrates the feast of San Juan, and its like a 5 day event where they construct these massive paper statues and put them all over the city (like over 80 of them..) It's basically a party for 5 straight days and at the end they burn all but one statue. i can't wait. they told us we probably won't be able to sleep during the festival very much, which should make class interesting.. I heard that the police set a noise limit to 4:30 in the morning, but i somehow doubt that that is really going to make much of a difference..
WELL. with all that, i think i am going to go get ready because tonight we are going to watch the u.s. v italy game in the barrio, and i have to finish hw beforehand lol. pictures will hopefully be on facebook soon if it doesn't act stupid.. sometimes it won't let me.. probably because i have like a million pictures.
oh yeah.. class is going well lol. in spain, it's becoming kind of an afterthought.. i'm not too worried about it. obviously haha.
hasta pronto!

Que pasa el tiempo?

So it's really weird to think that we are already halfway through our trip... I can't believe how fast time is starting to fly by! It doesn't seem like we have been here for 2 and a half weeks.
I'm officially loving Spain. This weekend we visited Las Fuentes de Algar and Guadalest, which are inland in the mountains about an hour or so away from Alicante. It was so gorgeous. We jumped in the freezing springs at Algar, which was so much fun, and then ate at this great restaurant that had a pool. Then we visited the city of Guadalest which is by far one of the prettiest things I have ever seen. Hence the 100 pictures I uploaded to facebook..
Class hasn't been bad. Especially considering I'm getting 6 hours and I spend a good majority of the time staring at the water.. I can't really help it. We have a lot of stuff due soon but I've been able to keep up with it pretty well. Doing homework at the beach with other people is definitely the way to go.
This week we are going to a nearby beach to learn some water sports, like kayaking and windsurfing (which I am really pumped about, because it sounds like lots of fun!!), and then this weekend we are taking an overnight trip to Granada, which is about 5 and a half hours inland. I guess that's why time is starting to fly by, because there is so much for us to see and to do just from what they have planned for us, not including our own fun that we have most definitely been having :) This group is awesome, yay for lots of new friends!
I have decided that I am going to learn how to make paella because it is my fav spanish dish so far. That and churros. MmMm.
I guess that's all for now. buenos noches a todos.

hola!
this will probably be a short one since I am getting ready to go to sleep but i haven't updated in a few days so i wanted to post something.
all is still well in alicante! second week of class hasn't been too bad. i've been able to stay on top of things. the way of life here is so tempting though that it is hard sometimes to try to stay focused. for one, the nightlife doesn't start until around midnight and it just goes and goes, every day of the week. It's hard to decide when to call it a night because i just want to soak everything in! i'm beginning to grasp the importance and necessity of their siestas after lunch. also, the beach is right there. and i almost feel guilty not being at it 24/7. I mean how often do you have a beach so close and accessible? Pretty much never..
Since I last posted we had our first full weekend, which was so much fun. We went all out on friday and it was pretty crazy and super fun. great bonding lol. and then saturday we all went to san juan beach for the day and then met up again later for round 2. (i didn't make it quite as late that night.. lol) sunday i spent the morning at the beach and then the afternoon doing hw...
yesterday we went to this town called la vila where they have a chocolate factory. needless to say i dropped a few euros there. its a fishing town so all of the houses are really neat colors and the beach was really pretty. today we all went out for mexican (not same..) for one of the girl's birthdays in my group. yay for more bonding :)
i think tomorrow i am spending the entire afternoon on the beach. i haven't been able to lay out since monday which is just too long for it being so close haha. i'm excited for this weekend too. we have a day trip on saturday to las fuentes de algar, which i think are really clear falls that you can swim in and stuff. so hopefully i will have lots more pretty pictures.
well i am pretty much spent for today, so i am going to call it a night. hasta pronto.

It's already been a week?

If there is one thing that I have already learned from being here it's that when going abroad, you have to allow yourself a good 4 or 5 days to figure it out.. Just being here a week and looking back to when i first got here, i was terrified! Granted this is the first time that i have ever been to Europe or done anything like this before, but i was definitely overwhelmed. But now, having a week under my belt, I can confidently say that things are going great! To name a few:
-I finally mastered the shower. Come to find out it isn't as tricky as it seems.
-My stomach has gone through its adjustment to spanish cuisine, it now finds it pretty delicious (for the most part...)
-I'm speaking a lot better now, i can already tell a difference in my speaking abilities from being around the language all the time.
-My first week of classes came and went, and went well at that. although next week we shall see if my feelings change, because that's when the presentations and what not start kicking in.
-My unsecured internet connection has held strong! and skype is one of the coolest things ever, as it has kept me in touch with folks at home so i don't miss them too terribly :)
Every now and then (pretty much daily haha) i have this moment, either when i'm doing homework with my balcony doors open to the breeze, or laying on the beach, or sitting in the barrio drinking sangria with the group, where i think to myself: you are studying in spain.. who gets to do this?!?! its pretty awesome, if i do say so myself.
Another thing that is pretty neat is that we came with a group of 14, so we all are getting to know each other pretty well. as corny as it sounds i've really enjoyed hanging out with them and becoming friends with them. and it's even neater that we didn't really know each other before the trip.
well, it is officially the weekend now!! i think we will be eating lunch here pretty soon and then i'm going to take a little siesta before some of the girls and i do a little shopping. then after dinner i think the whole group is going to go out, which i am super excited about! We went out a few nights ago to watch the barcelona/manchester game (fyi: barcelona won, the city went nuts, and we got to see it all!! it was so fun, and people were driving around honking and singing and going crazy until like 3 or 4 in the morning. yay barzo) but i still feel like i haven't truly experienced alicante night life, so tonight should be really fun!
Busy weekend ahead and lots of homework to do for next week, but all is well!

Getting settled

So I've been in Spain for about 4 days now, and I think I am starting to get the hang of things. I moved in with my host family yesterday, Conchi and Primi, and they're really nice. Their apartment is really big and it's in a neat part of the city. I have my own room and bathroom and I even have a little balcony. Conchi and Primi don't speak any english, but they told me that I speak spanish pretty well, which made me happy. Conchi fixes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and so far everything has been delicious. I've had paella, tortilla de espana, and a bunch of other stuff that i don't know the name of haha. Last night I watched Mr. Brooks in spanish with Primi, and he talked to me about a bunch of different things. Their place is about a 20-25 minute walk from the beach and to school, so it's not too bad. The walking is actually really nice, and I haven't gotten lost yet so that's good too.
Today was our first day of classes. We have two, and each is an hour and 15 minutes, with a little break in between. It's very different from a regular semester because now we have to do work for both classes every night, and over the course of the next five weeks we have 4 reports, 3 presentations, and two finals, on top of regular stuff. Even tonight we had a lot to do, although that didn't stop us from stopping by the beach for a couple hours. It should be interesting, especially since the beach is so close and so tempting.. After the beach a group of us went to a cafe to do some homework together, I think we'll be doing that quite a bit.
I haven't quite mastered the shower yet. They are very conservative with water here, so they take really quick showers and sometimes turn the water off when washing their hair and stuff. So I have been trying to do the same. Except, I can't figure out a happy medium with the temperature. It's like its freezing, with bursts of really hot water every now and then... I guess I'll get it eventually. Also, I have noticed they don't really drink a lot of stuff here. Not like alcohol, but just regular drinks. Conchi and Primi barely had any water with lunch, and nothing with dinner. I had three glasses. And they don't use ice either haha, so everything, even the milk, is kind of lukewarm. But, they do have cokes, and they are nice and cold. I had one with dinner, and it was delicious.
I think I've been adjusting pretty well. It's really strange being so far away from home and from everybody. If I think about it too much it starts to freak me out, so I can't do that haha. But luckily I have been able to have access to the internet and to a phone that works so I have been able to stay connected. I don't think I would like it so much if I couldn't be. But I can say that being here definitely puts a lot of things in perspective. I get to try lots of new things, and I also have a newfound appreciation for things at home :) I'm looking forward to seeing what this trip is going to do for me in lots of different aspects.

Day 2

Today has been a very long day, but for some reason, i am feeling wide awake at 1:15. That's probably not a good idea considering that I have to get up at 8 to get ready to meet my host family..
We got up this morning and ate breakfast, which in Spain is pretty much just different kinds of breads and coffee (which works..) and then we had to walk up the Rambla to the CEA offices to start the orientation sessions. they gave us this long lecture about all that the program has to offer, and then we walked through the older part of town, which included the barrio, the port, and the explanada. The explanada had tons of vendors that i am definitely going to visit again when i have more free time. I got lots of cool pictures of the old buildings and things. Then we went down the port and found where our classes are going to be. I'm feeling like its going to be a REALLY long walk for me, but at least i'll be getting lots of exercise..
We had lunch on the port and i had my first authentic spanish meal: paella. In spain, the biggest meal is lunch, and it is usually between 2 and 3 pm. I found out that i really like lunch haha. They continually feed you these little breads with garlic sauce and salads with tuna and olive oil, and then the serve the main dish, and then a little dessert sampling. Paella is a general rice dish that can be prepared with lots of different things. Ours today had shrimp and another type of white fish. I actually really enjoyed it! it was kind of rich and heavy, but it wasn't gross and it didn't hurt me haha so i was pretty pleased with it.
after lunch we continued walking... we went through the shopping district, which has el corte ingles, where you can by anything imagineable (stuff you could buy in america). i was glad to buy a hairbrush (since i left mine) and a notebook (since i apparently forgot i would need paper for class..) We walked all day it seems like, and we saw lots of important things that i'm not sure i will remember when i am on my own, but at least i have an idea.
i was so full from our late lunch that me and a few other girls decided to have a light dinner of ice cream haha. it was really really delicious. since then i have been relaxing in the hotel room watching some dvds i brought from home.
hopefully this isn't too boring haha! i don't know how interesting it is when you can't really see what i'm talking about. i should have some time to post pictures tomorrow. i already have a ton and its only been two days haha.
i should probably try to get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be another long day.

17 hours later...

Hola desde Espana!
Right now, I am sitting in the stairwell at el hotel Rambla in Alicante. The internet is splotchy here and we can't get a good connection in the rooms. The past two days have run together into a big blur of airports and planes and mixed emotions. It seems like days ago that I was in Memphis running to Target before my flight to buy a new spanish to english dictionary since mine mysteriously disappeared. Since then, I have spent three hours in the Memphis airport (my first flight was delayed an hour), two and half hours on a plane to Newark, about an hour there, then 7 and a half hours on the biggest plane i've ever been on to Madrid. It was an overnight flight, and they gave us dinner and a small breakfast, which i was pretty impressed with. I couldn't really sleep becaue my legs were all antsy, but I did get to watch House, and I made a friends with the girl sitting next to me. After that I fumbled through the Madrid airport attempting to speak and understand spanish as quick as they speak it.. needless to say i felt a little inept. But i managed enough to get myself through security. Then i spent three hours waiting on this little digital board to tell me what gate i needed to go to.. There i met up with two other girls in the program, as well as our profesor. We all shared the one hour flight to Alicante, on which i completely knocked out. I was in the middle seat, and apparently i was tired because i sat straight up and fell right to sleep, i don't even remember taking off.. the next thing i knew we were making our descent into Alicante.
The city is bigger than i thought it would be, and on the taxi from the airport there was tons of graffiti. Once we got into the town, you could smell the ocean, which made me really happy :) we checked into the Hotel Rambla, and spent the next two hours walking around the blocks close by, trying to decide where to eat later. We had a quick info session about the next couple of days events, and then a big group of us went down the rambla to a place called Miami to have dinner. My first meal in spain was pizza.. lol. but it was covered in ham that was different from what i expected it to be, so i guess it was kind of authentic.. Our director told us it would be better to eat something we were familiar with starting out, before we try the local fare (which i have heard takes a lot of getting used too.. like we're talking fish with the eyeballs and antennae stil on.. im a little nervous.) after that some of us went to a little place near the hotel and got churros and sangria (both of which i am a big fan..) churros are these little fried bread things, kind of like funnel cake, that you dip in warm chocolate and roll in sugar (i know...) and sangria is red wine mixed with sugar, fruit, and like 5 different kinds of rum (yum.)
So.. after about 17 hours of travel and lots of information and walking and food, i think i am going to take a nice, not so warm, not so long shower (as i am told is custom here, the shower "door" only covers half of the shower, its kind of strange) and then relax. Tomorrow we are touring the city, and i am sure I will have lots and lots more to share :)

la primera

So, I started this blog so that I can keep everyone updated on my upcoming adventures in Spain. I'll have a cell phone there, but Spain is 7 hours ahead of Memphis, and minutes are crazy expensive.. So, this way I can let everyone know what's going on all at once and in as much detail as I please, for free!

It still hasn't quite hit me that I am leaving in two days. Granted, I've been running around crazy this past week trying to get everything together, and I'm still not done. But for some reason it still doesn't seem real that very soon I will be half way across the world and living with people I haven't met. Kind of scary, but really really exciting.