Monday FunDay.

MY WOUND IS MUCHO MEJOR (much better). :)

Ciudad de Las Artes y Las Ciencias in Valencia.

That being said, the rest of my weekend was very calm while I rested and tried to encourage my darn foot to heal. Miguel has kept a careful watch over its progress and cleans and wraps it everyday. I also had to wear a bag over it when I showered the last two days, which has left me reminiscing on when it didn’t hurt for me to hold my leg above my head that long…. Oh how I miss you dance and cheer.

Fillin' her up!

Today was busy and wonderful because a group of six of us from ISU headed to Valencia’s science museum after classes. It was a fun walk for Katie, Matt, Christian and I from school to the museum area because we walked in the 9 km strip of parks which was once a main river through the city. Although every bakery in town was closed for siesta, we happily waited for our other two friends at the outdoor café in the beautiful Ciudad de Las Artes y Las Ciencias.

Doing the impossible - standing/walking.

After around three hours in the 3-level museum, we were worn out from acting like the 11-year-olds running around with their tour guides ahead of us. We spent a solid 15 minutes if not more watching a baby chick hatch out of its shell and learn to stand (How did I never see this as a kid!?). Another bulk of our time was spent in the “chromosome forest” doing a million different interactive activities.

Resting in my little bubble of fun.  

Leaving the museum was great because of the most exciting activity of all…WaterBalls. In the middle of the area, four of us paid our 5€ apiece for 10 minutes of playing in giant bubbles. I have got to tell you, it gets very hot in there, but I advise you to never pass up a cool experience like those waterballs. As my mom says, “When else will you ever get the chance to do that?!” So. Much. Fun.

Up for 2 seconds then right back down. 

Lastly, I just want to get everyone excited about this weekend when Katie and I will be heading to Marrakech in Morroco, Africa! Be thinking of us with our money belts and pepper spray in a city that speaks Arabic…(we don’t) Hope your week has started off with a bang and thanks for reading! :)

Falling in our bubbles. Crazy fun!

Highs and Lows

It’s been an interesting past 1.5 days for me here in Valencia. On Friday, Katie and I’s 9:00AM class was cancelled, so we were able to sleep in. However, at 8:30AM Miguel (host dad) jolted us out of our sleep by loudly knocking and announcing our breakfast. Yikes.

Katie and I near the museums in Valencia.

We headed toward school for our film class and stopped to enjoy some café con leche. (Seriously, why hasn’t America caught on to the whole using milk instead of water thing for coffee? AMAZING.) At school, the only thing we did was finish the movie “Pa Negre,” about terrorists in Spain… I didn’t understand the terrorism part so much, but it was good! Easy day.

Our fancy meal.

After class, we rushed home for a big meal. Miguel was very excited about us being there because their two friends and a little 5-year-old girl were coming. I was pretty nervous about the meal purely because it is very difficult to understand a crowd of chatting Spaniards sometimes, but Katie and I kept up the whole time! I even contributed to conversation!!! It was so great and we ate a Valencian dish, paella, that was muy bien. We also got wine, the most delicious watermelon for dessert, and café con leche with chocolate. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to finish my coffee because Miguel poured his brandy into it and I nearly died… Not fun.

Our host mom and dad (both in stripes) and Katie at our meal.

Last night, after an American meal of hamburgers and fries, Katie and I went out with a CROWD of people from our program. It was fun until I wanted to come home early and has to spend all my money of the multiple taxi fees. I was alone and sobbing. My poor mom got the most dramatic phone call of all time, but sometimes you just want to go home to Iowa and not be holding pepper spray alone in a dark and massive city at 2:00AM. Rough moment.

Picture taken by Lorenza BEFORE going
out and ending up crying.

Today, I slept in incredibly late and woke up to both Miguel and Lorenza outside my door rattling off Spanish. I showed them my alarmingly large blister on my foot (I will not being wearing my wedges for walking again) and they sprung into action. Lorenza ran to the market for more supplies and Miguel became a doctor for my painful wound. For the next 20 minutes I sat in my pajamas in the kitchen crying as he put what I believe was hydrogen peroxide on my foot and trying to distract myself by eating the Oreo treats my mom sent with me. I was also given a juice box to focus on instead of the screaming pain. Good morning.

An American bar!! FULL of study abroad kids.

Instead of going to the beach (you can’t walk on sand with an open wound on the bottom of your foot), Katie and I went to a plaza to shop for the first time. Unfortunately, we live at least 20 minutes from anything in this city and to say it was a struggle to walk that far would be an extreme understatement. It was worth it, though, because I bought the most beautiful dress of all time at Zara!!!! Score!

Don’t worry, everyone, I’m still enjoying life here in Spain, but I am having a bit of a hard time without having constant access to my mom, because we have no internet at our apartment. Healing prayers for my right foot are welcome! And more adventures to come!

Lost and Without Words

Most of Tuesday was spent lost on Valencia’s bus system. It was the first official day of classes (not just orientation) and our lovely host mom (Lorenza) took us to school via the bus. After “dos besos,” which means two kisses, we were on our own with only her long spiel in 100 mph Spanish about what route goes home, what stop we need to get off at, and a million other questionable words that I just replied “sÍ” to.

Me and my loaded bus pass! Heading to school...

So, after class Katie and I took the route she suggested, and panicked and got off crazy early. Once again we were the girls holding the giant map on the residential streets of Valencia, which by the way is a gigantic city. Later today, we rushed behind Lorenza again to a bus stop in a completely different part of the city to board yet another route leading to the beach. On the way home from the MEDITERRANEAN SEA (you read correctly), we boarded our bus on the wrong side of the street and spent 20 extra minutes watching kids in their school uniforms hop on and off the bus.

The beautiful Mediterranean! 

Have I mentioned that I made it to Valencia? As an update, I am all settled in with Katie in our host family’s home on the ninth floor of an apartment building in Valencia. Our room has two twin beds, a balcony with a table and two little chairs, a rack for all our cosmetics (YES), a wardrobe, and space for our two giant suitcases. The only thing we’re lacking is Wifi, which I’m too frazzled to discuss at this moment. 

Our beds! Mine is obviously the un-cluttered one...

Our host mom, Lorenza, is from Columbia and speaks not a word of English. She also has a lot of trouble not speaking overwhelmingly fast and loud. It’s actually entertaining to listen to, but I can understand only about 3% of what she says. Our host dad, Miguel, is hilarious and knows a very small amount of English, but loves to learn new little words. To better communicate and help us, he tends to dance around acting out what he is saying, which makes learning WAY more fun. He also has claimed the rolls of both our chef (which he prounouces “jeff”) and our teacher. Miguel says Katie and I have 10 days and if we can’t communicate with him by then, we will only get water for lunch.  :) Well, at least that’s what we think he said….

Our wardrobe! (Right side is mine)

Life is getting crazy over here on the coast of the Mediterranean, friends. I wake up every morning knowing I have to actively try to understand and respond to only Spanish words. What a wake up call!  

Our completely full cosmetic rack... #Impressive

The BEAUTIFUL Cities Near Madrid

Maddy and I resting during our visit
to Segovia, Spain.

I've been through handfuls of cathedrals, monasteries, ancient cities, and even places where Spanish royalty once lived, but that's all not that exciting unless you are here soaking in the history. Check out these beautiful places we toured while we stayed in Madrid this weekend!

Miss Brynn and I eating lunch in front of
Segovia's infamous aqueduct!

Castle that Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand used to vacation at in Segovia. 

The famous aqueduct in Segovia!

Best Part of Saturday: Getting to visit El Escorial (no pictures allowed inside), which was massive and impeccably crafted including gorgeous ornate ceilings, beautiful handcrafted tiles in all different shades/patterns, graves and coffins made of fine metals and stones, and my favorite part, a statue of Jesus Christ hanging from the cross carved completely out of one giant slab of marble. It was given to Spain by Italy and was even made with white marble with swirls of muted blue to look like the veins under a dying Jesus’s pale skin.

Picture of my favorite Jesus Christ so far at El Escorial! Pulled from the internet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benvenuto_Cellini

Funniest Part of Saturday: Katie, being the rebel that she is, touched the most beautiful coffin in El Escorial, so naturally I poked it to be as cool as her. The security guard saw us, laughed, muttered something in Spanish, and ruffled the sculpted hair of the tomb showing us it didn’t matter…. LOL.

Where some of the most elite Spanish royalty are taken after their passing.
Stunning! Pulled from the internet:
 http://perroviajante.com/2011/07/12/patrimonio-iberico-monasterio-y-sitio-de-el-escorial/

Worst Part of Saturday: Waiting on the buses for 45 minutes, which were steaming hot, for a girl who dropped her precious iPhone. That’s over 90 people who had nothing nice to say about her holding us all up before our journey back to Madrid.

Church on the main square in Segovia. 

Katie and I on the streets of Toledo, Spain. 

Best Part of Sunday:  Getting to see the gorgeous and immense cathedral in Toledo, Spain. We were able to see crowns from Spanish royalty, a handcrafted bible printed on lamb skin (a gift from the King of France back in the day), stained glass windows all done in sections, and the window opening in the ceiling that lets light shine upon a wall of carved marble figures during sunrise to show that “God is light.”

A very confusing picture of the unbelievable cathedral in Toledo. 

Fancy crowns presented in the cathedral. 

Funniest Part of Sunday: As we entered a room full of portraits of all of the cardinals and with walls painted with enormous biblical scenes, the security guard quickly grabbed his Spanish trash magazine (tabloid?) and shoved it inside his little security desk. BUSTED.

Worst Part of Sunday: Trying to sleep on the bus… There are only so many ways you can contort a body. If you have any questions about those ways, my sore self will happily fill you in. 

The outside of the sky high cathedral. 

Places Visited:

El Escorial - a monastery, chapel, school, burial site, and home

Segovia, Spain - home of the famous aqueduct built by the Romans and of a castle formerly used by Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand

Toledo, Spain - built to mimic Italian cities and was formerly a border city when Spain was split, also home to many different religious structures because long ago that city was home to Muslims, Jews, and Protestants all living happily together