Reall Tiny Info On What I Am Doing

This weekend I am super busy again! First of all, yesterday we had another strike so I didn't need to go to school. Unfortunately, everything was shut down too - public transport, shops etc. So I couldn't do very much. This weekend I am having a sleepover with my friend Gemma on Friday and I am going to Monsterrat (a mountain) and to a Barça vs. Zeregoza game! Sunday I am singing at church and then going to my tutor's house. I am really excited! It will be fun!

Qué estoy haciendo!

Yesterday I went to the apartment of all the Americans I talked about before. In case you didn't know, there are a bunch of Americans that are here for a gap semester and they came to our school. Now, some people from my class and I skipped the school day and went with our English teacher to their apartment. They gave a presentation in Castellano about the USA and what they have been doing and where they were from etc. It was really fun! Tomorrow we have another "strike" and I don't have to go to school because EVERYTHING is shutting down. The metro, the buses, the funicular and all the stores and shops. I am going to study English with my host brother and mom and then hopfully watch a movie with my friend because we can't go anywhere! This weekend I am probably going to go to Monsterrat (essentially the Mount Zion of Barcelona) and a bunch of Christian monks and nuns live there. I think it will be really cool! I also want to go to another homeless outreach with my church here. Then as normal, on Saturday night I go to the church choir with 2 of my friends and we are finally having our concert on Sunday! I think it wil be a fun weekend! It is starting to get a little colder here and I can't feel my feet most of the time. One thing I am picking up on, is that my style of clothes is changing a ton! I have been wearing things I would have never thought of in the USA. It is really fun! Well that is a quick sum of what I am doing :)

More Stuff!

I am SUPER excited for tomorrow because for English class we have a bunch of Americans coming and they want a tour of the school! I am just excited to speak English with them and all that jazz. They are going to be a little older than me I believe (doing some sort of gap year here). I am hanging out with all the people in my grade who speak fluent or very good English before and we will give a presentation about the school. It is in English so I am not worried about anything at all! It is really fun actually! I have been going to Plaça Catalunya almost every day recently because I go with friends or I meet up with friends with AFS that live in other parts of Catalunya etc. My favorite thing that I ALWAYS buy when I am there: Nutella Crêpes. They are AMAZING. I seriously think I could eat one every single day. Today I went shopping with my friend Julia and it was really nice to her! I bought some clothes that I am excited to wear tomorrow! I can completely understand Castellano (for all you out there that is Spanish) and I think I can speak it pretty decently! Catalan...well that is another story. I still can't understand ANYTHING! Like, I fail all my exams and I can't do the homework or even understand math. The only thing I am not failing is English. I am becoming very concerned for my grades actually. But I just can't understand, I wish I could. There is so much more going on everyday that I just can't remember! I will keep you all updated!!!

English Class

My favorite thing to do at school is hangout with other people in English class! It is so much fun because I don't have to work or do anything the whole time and people are asking me questions about English, America (and today about Halloween). I have had to read out-loud a few times in the past and it was kind of fun. I miss home. And English and it is fun to have something you know better than everyone else! We watched the song "This is Halloween" on YouTube today and we had to write down the lyrics to the song. Everyone sang it together the third time we watched it and now it is almost an inside joke with everyone in the class. The teacher asked me about Halloween at home and I told him what I normally do for Halloween. He asked me what the coolest outfit I ever wore was and about pumpkins etc. The best part is that what was normal to me, high school, halloween and people dressing up etc. it super cool here! A LOT of people ask me about high school and I realize my school in the USA is so much like high school musical. Compared to here, they don't have school pride, colors, a mascot, teams, dress up days or anything. It is just school. That is it. I personally find it a little boring because high school in the USA is so cool!

Halloween - Castañada

This week is only a 3 day week in school and I am so happy! Halloween is tomorrow but they call it Castañada here and I think people just go around and handout castañas or something. Can't quite remember the description someone gave me... Anyhoo, I might go to France again this weekend or just stay with a family friend. Normally, every Thursday night I go to church. It is actually a cute little Evangelical church with some of the most lovely people you would ever meet there! The pastor speaks English so we talk a lot! It is really fun to go there because I walk past one of the best smelling bakery's in the world on the way! You can smell the amazingness from a block and a half away. I do admit, I always buy a sweet little pastry on my way and it is just precious. I think I might go to a party on Friday if I can stay here for the weekend. Then, Saturday I am planning on going to a HOMELESS OUTREACH thing with a different church I started attending. I have to go to Plaça Catalunya during the day and we are handing out clothes and food to those homeless and in need. My friend's Nuria and Mo are probably the people I am closest with here and I hangout with them almost everyday. They speak English so I have a bad habit of switching to English when I get tired of speaking Castellano. But, we are probably going to watch a movie (like The Lion King or something) for Halloween because we all get scared really easily. But we are going on Saturday night to the church choir together and they came with me to the youth group! They said they liked it a lot which is really good! I actually felt like I was in America for a while during the youth group. When I went to the International Church of Barcelona last Sunday (SO similar to American church) I ran into an Asian girl about my age who started freaking out because I was from Minnesota. She said she knew a guy who was going to go study in Minnesota soon and that he wanted to learn the accent. She then proceeded to run off screaming and looking for him. It was awesome :) I have realized lately that my Castellano is definately not as good as I want it to be, so I am starting to actually study it. Kind of. When you hear a different language all day the last thing you want to do is go home and study it. I still don't understand ANYTHING in class. Nothing. It is really boring and now I am just writing letters or staring blankly at my desk. Yesterday after school, I didn't want to just go home and sit alone for a while so I asked my friend Emma and Gemma if they wanted to go get some crêpes with me in Plaça Catalunya. We ended up going to Burger King and ordering like everything off the menu. They have different options here and different foods. The chicken was was WORSE. It was so much...healthier. Then we went shopping and I bought a cute shirt, some earrings and leggings. I told them I wanted to look really pretty on Halloween so while we were shopping we called it OPERACIÓN GUAPÍSIMA. I still laugh whenever I hear Emma saying that in my head... Today I am going to Plaça Catalunya again to meet up with my liaison! I think we are going to eat somewhere but I am not sure! Time flies here, it is already November. I really hoped my Castellano would be a lot better by now, but maybe it is and I don't realize. So many people like to here me say "Minnesota" with the accent (which I can't help by the way) and they laugh. I think it is pretty funny too. It is turning into winter now and I have to say it is actually legit cold sometimes. It makes things a little easier when it comes to missing home though. I don't need to be reminded of the freezing weather even though I like it sometimes. Quick note for those people who are reading this who want or are planning to be a foreign exchange student: actually listen to AFS. They know what they are doing, when it comes to sleep and contact with the family. If you need to talk to your mom, talk to her but don't if it isn't necessary. It makes you more homesick. Here are some random photos: Mo, me, Nuria. Castanas, and a sign I took a picture of!

Friends!

Okay, so I am finally making friends and hanging out with them! I have been going on walks with them or studying or watching movies. This weekend I am staying with a friend at her house and I am really excited! Not much else has been happening other than school and home. My parent's have noticed that I have been skyping a little too much with friends from the States so now I am laying off talking to them so much. AFS was right when they said it makes you homesick. Some other things about the culture I have noticed: everyone likes everything to be clean here but they were shoes in the house and sit in the middle of the streets during manifestations. Everyone is so nice and friendly and very sincere. Everyone will be your friend, you just have to start the talking. When Spanish girls start yelling all you can do is laugh because it is so dang funny, you can't understand a thing but their faces tell it all. Everyone does their homework and they study a lot here. I don't know about you, but the teacher doesn't even check the homework and I don't think I would it then. Everyone is always studying and I just don't understand why. You either smoke and love it or you are opposed to it. Parties don't really start until early in the morning and don't end until the morning transport comes. All the same steriotypes are here too. Like the loner, the popular one, the cute one, the smart one...etc. But the classes are so small that everyone is friends and no one really has a group. Everyone hangs out with everyone.  People kiss people. Like, girls will just go kiss guys on the cheeks for no reason. I guess in America we have huge space bubbles. They take pills for everything. I think they feel like a pill will solve the problem but all I do is pray :) They always make the table before eating (whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner) and it is very strict. People just generally grow up later in Spain. Like, the parent's do a lot more for the kids than in America. The parent's will bring you food, make your food, cut your meat for you or even do some of your homework. They always make your food! I always had to make my own food in America. There are more but I am at a blank! Adios!

What's Up

This week has been quite an odd one. So Monday was fairly normal but that night I got really sick and stayed home for the next 2 days. So I missed half the week of school. I can honestly say that I can understand a lot more of Català now and I am starting to pick up on little spanish sayings. I took a History test today and the whole thing was in Català and we had a new teacher today and I don't know if she knew I was a foreign exchange student or not. But, a guy behind me who speaks English told me not to worry about the test and just draw or something. So I drew some shoes, dress, trees, trucks, ties... yup. Also, it is SO humid here right now. Like if I take a piece of paper and crush it in my hand it sticks together and just walking up the stairs makes me sweet. My hair is always a little wet too. I have been receiving letters in the mail from friends and family and it just makes my day! I love getting pictures too! The language is getting a little frustrating and I can't understand as much as I hoped I would by now but I know it will come eventually! Last night when I was coming home from church I started talking to an older lady and she thought I was Italian! Score! Someone didn't think I was American the first time I talked to them! She then proceeded to rant about her opinion on politics and taught me a few French words. Quite interesting. For first hour this morning, in my English class I had to write an essay. It was super funny because the teacher kind of told me that he couldn't really correct me because I was the better one at English. I also found out I am going to London with my school in May! Super excited! :) My friend Mo and I go walking sometimes and she wanted to go to the USA for 1 month so I invited her to stay with me in my house next summer for a month! My mom said yes and now it is just up to her family! I pray that it works out! Hasta luego! God bless!

Some Photos

Here are just a few random photos I have taken I thought I would put out there! Some of them are from the orientation last weekend! :)

França

So this past weekend I went to France. I got last Thursday and Friday off of school. Thursday because of the student strike and Friday because of holiday. Everything is very pretty! Their second home is really close to the border and you can see Spain and Andorra from their balcony. Yesterday I went on an excursion with my host dad and we biked to a nearby town. There is the location of the oldest pharmacy in the world. Started up in 1640 or 1670. Can't remember which one. Then for dinner, my host mom made some typical French cuisine. We would melt cheese and drip it on bread. We picked some blackberries too and ate those with Oreos for dessert. Right now I am sitting in a cute little café that has free wifi. Everyone thinks it is freezing outside and wearing all their winter coats and I am walking around in my shorts. I can proudly say I am not cold at all. Not much else is happening! Here are some photos of just France!

AFS Orientation

This past weekend I went to an overnight orientation with AFS. It was a ton of fun! I was so happy to see everyone and just talk. I can't fully remember everything we did, but on Saturday night we went out in the city. The volunteers wanted us to take them to La Casa de Gaudi. We had to take them there and they pretended to be drunk the whole time. It was actually a little funny, and they would try running away whenever they could. They were screaming and dancing and falling over - people from apartments we walked by tried throwing water balloons at us. One of the volunteers said people fill them up and wait for drunk people to walk by. I thought they were eggs at first actually. But then I saw one of the volunteers walking on a fence on the side of the road. It was a tilted fence and that had a sharp metal edge. For some reason I thought it would be fun to try walking on it and I totally lost my balance and fell off hitting my collar bone, knee and side on various medal parts, the fence and ground. It hurt so much and I can't talk like normal, carry my backpack on my back and I have a long line bruise along the side of my stomach. It is pretty bad, and my knees are swollen and red. But I am fine :) We eventually got to La Pedra (I forgot how it is spelled) but we lost two Americans on the way. Everyone was thinking "of course it was the Americans that got lost..." Before we went our adventure then guys from the volunteer group with AFS gave a quite serious presentation on sex. It was one of the most awkward things I have ever been through, they asked us if we knew how to put condoms on and all that jazz. Super awkward, I don't think I can put anymore on here about it. The next day we went to Park Neguell (I can't remember how to spell that either) and we had to do a list of things AFS assigned us. We had to go around and ask people to write the word smile in their native language. I think the languages we ended up with were Russian, Korean, Catalan, German, Czech, English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and French. Another assignment was to find a girl with brown hair wearing a red shirt and take a picture with her by the dragon. We did that, and she asked if she could take a picture with us after too. It was fun. We had to find out a bunch of information on the place too. We did a flash mob in the middlbe of the park and EVERYONE could see and we had to come up with it in 2O minutes. We had to dance the Macarena with 3 random strangers and get it on tape. We had to dance around someone who was singing or playing an instrument. That was fun because the guy playing the guitar was really cool and he pretended to not know English at first but ended up being fluent in it. Going back to last Friday night, I went to a party. It was a huge fiesta in Sarria. Most of the kids in Barcelona that are teenagers were there and they had live music and I danced with my friends and it was so much fun! Last night was the Barça vs. Real Madrid game and they tied. My host dad were getting into a pretty intense game of chess too. And that was how my weekend went. This week, I will get Thursday and Friday off of school and I am going to go shopping! I skyped with my friend yesterday and we were talking in Castellano and I realized how much better mine was That was fun. :) I will update again soon! I really like it here.

Randomness

This weekend is the first orientation I have in Barcelona with AFS. It was supposed to be two weekends ago...but it's Spain... So I have it this weekend! I get to see a lot of the people I met on the way here and I am excited! I have been sick lately - not fun. I realized that I need more sleep here than at home because of the change and language. I have been studying Català a lot with other people my age and a teacher and it is so tiring! I want to sleep all the time, but I can't! All the food is so healthy here, I don't have to watch what I eat as much and I normally run, some people say I already look a little thinner. Yesterday, I skyped with my friend Benjamin and he is near Madrid on exchange too and we just talked about all the things we missed and like about here! Things I miss about home: American milk, carpet, peanut butter, water fountains, grass, rain, snow, the colors of autumn etc. But the things I like: watching the sun rise everyday over the Meditterranean (probably spelled wrong), public transport, bread, bocadillos, and much more! I just can't think of right now! I have been talking with other people on exchanges and everyone is going through different things. By now, the end of the vacation phase has happened and the reality set in. There are definately people who I don't think will leave the vacation phase, but I know I already left it. I am pretty used to it here now, but now the reality of being here hits and you don't know how to count. You think "already one month!" then you think "oh, nine more!" It is a little strange. But everyone I know who has been an exchange says when you get back you think everything was just a long dream. My friend told me after a few days when you get back, everything is normal again. I like it here a lot and my family is so nice, so I want to remember as much as I can! And enjoy it!

Daily Schedule

So here is just a quick peek at my daily schedule! I wake up at 6:30 en la mañana. It is horrible. I need to leave my house by 7:15 where I meet up with my friend Laura and we take this thing called Funicular (it is like a weird bus on rails that goes down the hill) and we sometimes take the subway and bus after to school, but some days we walk for 30 minutes down and uphill to the school. I then remain in school from 8-2:30 and we have a half-an-hour break at 11 to 11:30. I eat a bocadillo and hang out with some of my friends. A bocadillo is a sandwhich with normally ham or cheese in it. After school, I go home with Laura normally, but we take the bus and subway and then funicular again. I am home alone after school for a few hours and I normally go on facebook, run, read my Bible, go to the library etc. and then my host brother Marc gets home. He does homework and I just keep hanging out until we eat dinner and go to bed! But it isn't as boring as it sounds. I normally skype with someone throughout the day. And that is the quick version of how a normal day for me goes. Of course everyday is a little different, but in general.

1 Month Already

I can't believe I have been away from home for already more than a month! Time has flown! I can't even remember very much! So I am finally used to being here. When I don't think, I respond in Castellano now - which is good, except for my English is started to fail quite miserably. I said the word "foots" referring to the word "feet" yesterday. Native English speaker here! This isn't supposed to happen! Anyhoo, I still don't understand much at school, more than before for sure, but not much. I don't have to do the homework, and I sit there staring at my desk for most of the day. I honestly think my brain has an "on" and "off" switch. 2 days ago, I decided I wanted to tour Barcelona by myself after school. I took the subway to Provença and just started walking. I bought a cute little ice cream and bun from a fresh bakery. It was fun. Until I couldn't figure out where I was. Every street looks the same, they are all super gorgeous and you feel the urge to walk down every single one! So, I started asking around "¿Donde está Provença?" I got several different answers from strangers. They would point in a direction and tell me it was 4 blocks up. It never was what they said. So I was lost and ended up near La Sagrada Família. I called my host dad (Ferran) to ask if he could pick me up. He did and dropped me off back at Provença because he had to go back to work. Where I was, was a 1O minute drive by car. I walked 3 plus miles. But it was fun. I love the subway system here. Very clean and organized. Then, yesterday, I got lost going home...kind of. Peu de Funicular is where I get off, but the station is too tiny for all the coches to fit. I was in the front and couldn't get off. So, I headed to the next station. It was very cool, I went from being in the city to being completely in the country. It was a huge station with no one there. Next to a park that made me feel like I was in Africa. But it was fun. This weekend I have an AFS retreat thingy. Not quite sure about it all, but I was invited to hangout with some friends Friday night and go to a concert with my friend Laura. I hope I can go to everything! Some other things I have noticed: people never fart or burp here. I have done it a few times in my house and the look I got from my host brother said it all. Clocks on the wall never work. Ever. Everyone smokes, and I actually don't cough anymore. About once a week, the bus drivers just don't drive their buses for some reason. So I have to walk to and from school. I need to go to a riot with my school for Spain to highten their teacher wages. Yes, this is required for credit I believe. Welcome to Spain. Last night I went to an observatory and we looked at some stars in the distance. I just thought "wow, God." It looked like the sky was covered with a black blanket, with holes in it that poured God's light into the world. I have never looked through a telescope that big before. The stars had red and purle and blue colors in them too. It was pretty cool! I will update about more later! Adios.

Update!

I haven't posted in a while so here is just a big update! The past weekend I went to La Costa Brava and the weather wasn't too nice so we only went to the beach once. But it was really beautiful. My family and I stayed in a house on the border between France and Spain and everyday you could look out the window and see the God made mountains in the distance that were so breathtaking. Everything was very...French. The house was really big and everything was antique. The little town was beautiful too. The house we stayed in is my host grandfather's. He was in Madrid for a vacation. This week FLEW by. I didn't have school on Monday because of La Mercè. I went to La Sagrada Familia and they portrayed the 7 days of creation from Genesis over the front and it was very pretty! The next night, I went back to Barcelona and saw some fireworks! They lasted for a long time and we different than the one's in the States! I stayed home from school on Wednesday because I was feeling sick, I had a cough, and needed sleep badly. Then yesterday, my friend Caroline (with AFS, she is in Lloret de Mar) called and said she was coming to Barcelona! We met up in Plaça Catalunya and went sight-seeing! We saw La Casa de Gaudi! Some awesome sculptures I can't really name for you, and walked through Gothic Square! Every single street, church, shop, whatever you can think of was beautiful! Every single ally looked photo-worthy. It was so much fun running around Barcelona with my friend and having such a good time! We talked in Castellano the whole time and bought crepes. We also went to this very famous market and ate some fresh fruit. Today is Friday and this night, I am going to France with my family! They have a second home in a place called La Cerdanya. It will be fun! I recieved a letter from one of my bestfriends a few days ago and she asked me a bunch of questions in it. Here are a few I thought I would put on here! 1. Spain smells like... First thought. Smoke. Cigarrettes. It is honestly the only smell I can think of. 2. The food here is... The food is all very good, and normally very healthy or organic. The eggs are amazing and I love how I always eat bread with oil at every meal! 3. The worst food is... My host mom makes something called carbasso. It's like cucumbers meshed or grinded into a soup. It is horrible. Never try it. You might die...I'm pretty sure. It is weird because they eat it like it's...cake or something. I just can't even stand smelling it...I don't understand why you would ever try doing something like that. 4.The shopping here is... Amazing! There is a long strip in Barcelona and area that is all just like super vintage shops that are affordable. I went to an H&M that had 6 floors. Like yeah. Amazing. 5. The people here think I am... American. Everything about me. They ask me about what school is like in the USA and what the guys are like etc. 6. I work out in Spain? Y or N Yes. I normally run, but I have a membership to a gym called Can Caralleu and it is right next to my school and it is super nice. 7. School is difficult because... The only thing is that my hair always gets stuck in the chairs and gets pulled out. I think I already lost quite a bit. They have homework...I think. I don't understand anything all day so I can't do the homework and that is hard. But the social part isn't that bad! I feel like a lot of people are interested in me - being an American. 8. Learning Català and Castellano is...ç Difficult because I hear Català all day and I speak Castellano. I feel like my mind is trying to mix them together. Hard to explain. 9. I really miss my... Bed? No the one here is more comfy Friends? Yes, but not badly American food? No. The only edible thing I miss is milk Family? Yes, especially my dog Christian fellowship? YES. I just want to find one other person who is my age and a Christian here! I talk with a lot of older people from my church here though! Okay, I am at my school right now so I need to get off! I will post pictures soon! If anyone wants to talk to me about something feel free to post a comment or e-mail me or facebook! Whatever you want! God bless!

Català.

Okay, for everyone who doesn't know what Català is. It is a regional dialect spoken in Catalunya, Spain. That is an area in the north east - kind of like a state. Everyone wants to separate and become their own country in Europe instead of being part of Spain. Catalan is it´s own language but very similar to French and Spanish, it is one of the latin routed languages. Here is a quick example of a general sentence in Català: Jo estic força bé. Vull anar a la platja. Tinc setze anys i tens 15 anys. L'edifici és blau. Ens agrada Espanya. L'educació és bona per a vostè. M'agrada raïm i pomes. Okay here is the translation: I am really good. I want to go to the beach. I am 16 years old and you are 15 years old. The building is blue. We like Spain. Education is good for you. I like grapes and apples. :) I am actually getting pretty used to hearing it all day - hearing Castellano is a relief now. I have one class in Castellano and I can actually understand a little! Today in school, during FILOSOFÍA, the school counselor came in and started talking. I didn't understand but then all the sudden I heard my name and "Estats Units" and everyone looked at me. My friend next to me whispered that she was talking about me and how I would start tutoring someone in English and they would tutor me in Catalán and they were wondering if anyone was interested. It wasn't that bad but I was really embarrassed. When I got home, I went to the library with two other friends and we studied and it was fun! Then I went on a walk with one of them (her name is Mo - its her nickname) and I ate dinner at her house! It was really fun to get out of my house and be with other people my age for a while! I am starting to study Català outside of school with books and a tutor. It isn't that bad but super irregular and much harder than Castellano. There are so many things I like here! The public transport is super nice! I can go anywhere I want when I want! I haven't yet, but probably in the future I will use this opportunity! Before I came here I knew that there would be many things I would learn here...I just didn't know what. I am starting to understand that the things you go through are things you would have never expected! I miss the weirdest things about home! It's not bad, I just notice that I miss them! For example, I miss knowing things, where I am going, how long it will take, understanding everything... Its normal but it is still super weird! Sorry I don't have any pics right now! My next post will! Okay one last story, today at school something happened in first hour! Well for starts, I got to school awkwardly late. But about halfway through the class I looked over to see some boys looking at me and touching their noses. Then a girl said my name, and I looked at her and she touched her nose almost motioning that I had something on mine. Then she pointed to her nose and said something but I assumed I had like a booger hanging out. So I heard a few guys and her ask something like "do you have a tissue?" but it was in Castellano of course. I freaked out! Well not really, I just got the most red I have ever been in my life and turned away and covered my nose and didn't talk to anyone for the rest of the class. It was horrible! And it seemed like everyone was laughing! After, the girl came up to me and said she was sick and that she needed a tissue and was asking me if I had one. She said no one was laughing at me but it was still horrible! I mean, if I can't understand you speaking Català clearly to me how can I understand mouth words? But its over now haha... good story I guess. Another thing is that in History, we have assigned seats and I sit next to people who laugh at me whenever I speak because I sound funny. I know its fun to impress their friends by laughing at me, but I will always remember them as the kids who made fun of me! Its everyday too. It makes me appreciate the people who are really nice to me too! I am started to get a little more comfortable...I have a few friends now and when we can just hangout during school it is pretty fun! :) I got a letter from my grandma back in the States today so I am looking forward to reading it!

Just Your Normal Update

Everything is so vintage here! Every street, every building, just everything! All the views from my house and houses of my friends and host family's relatives are just gorgeous! This weekend I am going to La Costa Brava! They are these beautiful beaches on the southern coast of France and northern coast of Spain! I will stay with my family in my host grandfather's house! They said it is 5 minutes away from the beach. School is fun because I talk with a lot of people! But I have been laughed at a few times for making mistakes in the language... it's best just to ride it off. The funny part is that the teacher's assign homework and I don't understand...so the next day they are looking for it and I never knew we had any! There are a few advantages to being a foreign exchange student; first of all I have an awesome tutor at the school that says I can always go rest in the library if I am tired or have a headache, or I can always go eat something in the cafeteria. Also, I never have to do full assignments. Everyone was assigned a book to read in Catalan Literature and my teacher said I can just pick a small book to read that is in Catalan and English. I never have to take notes either because at the school they have chalkboards and they write in cursive so I can' read it. It makes sense, don't know what the word is and I can't read their messy cursive. This past weekend, I went shopping in the center of Barcelona with my host mom. It is so much fun to speak rapid spanish with her and see all the tourists look at you. For Catalunya's Independence Day, Aura painted a Catalunyan flag on my cheek and on the way home a bunch of American's told me very loudly that my flag was "sick" thinking that I couldn't understand them. Also, when we were shopping I noticed that the store clerks treat the locals MUCH different than the tourists. I got a card so I can check out books at the library, they have a bunch of banners in there of activities you can do so I grabbed one and I am going to look into it! I have been running lately, it feels good and hills and empty roads up here in the mountain are perfect for it. A few other quick things, it seems like everyone smokes here. I definitely stopped coughing by now. Normally it's not indoors, but outdoors is like 6 inches away from the door with the door open. A lot of guys and girls my age smoke during the break at school too. I like my school, but it takes up to an hour to get to school everyday. A 45+ minutes to get back sometimes! By the time I get home I am exhausted! Yesterdady, I went to a party/BBQ that was held for me! It was so much fun and in this HUGE house with like 10 floors! The kind of house where if you fall asleep on a couch on the 4th floor NO ONE will ever find you! Yeah that kind. They had a pool that was pretty and a really nice piano! I haven't been able to play the piano in a few weeks and it was so nice! I missed the tune very much! We ate all kinds of meat and foods that are very good! They live really close to us so I can go over there whenever I want! I am really starting to learn "The European Mindset" and it is very different than the American one. My host dad told me boys here aren't competitive because it makes them unequal. I honestly don't understand, I think being competitive is good and it bugs me a little. I was close to the most competitive people in my gym class...and I am the new girl. I don't know what the word is, but it seems like everyone here likes Obama. Now I don't want to get into politics because I don't know anything about it. Another one, God is very important to me. I try to bring up Jesus and the reaction is "I don't care if you worship a brick, as long as you don't drop it on my head" and this isn't from my host family at all. This is from society. You can just feel the attitude. Moving on to happier subjects, when I was shopping with my host mom I was trying to explain how I was frustrated. I was frustrated with how I couldn't say anything because I didn't know how to say it! And she couldn't understand me saying that one single sentence! Okay it is funny looking back but at the time it wasn't. Here is some photos! One of them is of the weird milk here! It doesn't have to be refreidgerated.... I don't understand... oh and one of costa brava!

Colegio

Yes I am writing another post right away. I am kind of using this as away to also keep track of a few things! There is so much more that I have noticed that I didn't put in my last 1 or 2 blogs that I just happened to forget when I wrote it! Okay so today was my second day of school was today and it was actually pretty good! I prayed that I wouldn't feel sleepy and everything would go well...and it did! Yesterday, I didn't really know my schedule until I arrived to school and no one knows where their classes are so you have to ask a teacher between each hour where to go. I guess I made a few friends, I don't really know what classifies as that but I talked with a lot of people. English class was super fun for me! He was talking in Català so as usual - I wasn't paying attention and staring at my desk. But then all the sudden I hear a loud movement and I look up to see everyone turned around looking at me. Then I heard the word "Americana" and I turned so red! He asked me a few questions in English, and then he told the class it was their first assignment to explain what he just said before to me. No one did of course, except many people asked me for help on another assignment he gave. Today I knew what I was doing more so everything was a little more... "smooth". One thing I didn't think would happen when I came here, would be that I am so frustrated so much of the time! I honestly can't understand anything sometimes - especially in school - and I constantly have to ask people to repeat or go slower. When the teacher gives instructions on how to do something, I don't understand so I always mess up. Also, in History of the World today, there is like a teacher assistant and she sat down with me and talked to me the WHOLE time. She explained what we were learning and what the assignment was (I think). I didn't understand anything, and I kept telling her to "speak slower, speak slower" but she never did. So naturally, I tuned out and nodded frequently. But I realized that if someone is directly talking to me in Castellano (don't even start with Català) that I get a headache and crave a nice soft bed after about 10 minutes. Probably less. The teachers I have suggest I start being tutored in Català. But I will do this thing where I study with another person from my grade and they will teach me Català, and I will teach them English! I actually think it will be interesting because I love to teach! Also, Ferran said in a few months I can find a bunch of awesome babysitting jobs because people will pay to have a babysitter who is a native English speaker. I would speak English with the kids.

First Day of School y Más!?

Okay I am aware that I just posted like 2 days ago but here's another one because so much happened! I had my first day of school today - it wasn't a full day - only 2 hours! But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, for some reason I didn't think it would be that bad. The school is big in terms of Barcelona schools, but compared to my school in the USA it is super tiny. There is about 20-some people per class and a total of 50ish for my whole grade I think. My host parent's' drove me and picked up my friends Laura and Emma who are our neighbors. They also go to Costa i Llobera and they helped a ton! I actually was assigned a locker with Emma (prayers answered here!) She also sits next to me in class! Laura isn't in my class but she is so nice and helps me a lot too! The school is all in Català and I couldn't understand ANYTHING!!! After about 30 minutes, my started hurting really really bad and I couldn't keep my eyes open. I was exhausted and all I wanted to do was either a:hear English or b: go into a quiet secluded place and not hear anything. After school ended, a teacher wanted to talk with me about my schedule and how I was and what I was thinking etc. By this time, I couldn't comprehend anything and he had to talk really slow in Castellano and I just nodded at everything pretending to understand. He showed me my locker and I opened it faster than he could (his expression was pretty priceless I have to admit). We walked downstairs and went into a room where my host dad was waiting and the teacher and him talked for a while. The school is actually pretty big! I like the layout and how all the classrooms have walls that are windows. It is different! To get to school in the morning, I will meet Laura and walk with her to take this thing called Funicular - a down hill train and then we get off and take the subway to school. It takes a while and is much different than just driving to school like I used too! Here is a few photos of my house and the neighborhood!

Arrival!!!

I am finally here! I felt like I have been waiting for this for so long! I finally got picked up by mi familia at 8 o'clock, Saturday night! We went to a castle-like building and had to pull our luggage up a hill, then we were met by our host siblings! They were all holding a large welcome sign, and my host brother (Marc) told me that our parent's were inside waiting. We then had to wait for everyone to be individually called out and introduced to their family. I have to admit, it was a little awkward at first. I was scared to speak Castellano and I didn't know what to say - but it goes away quickly! The plane ride from NYC to Zürich, Switzerland was 7h and 10m and overnight. I didn't sleep at all and I was exhausted. On the plane ride from Zürich to Madrid I slept the whole time but one thing I realized is that my sleep schedule was so messed up that it was really easy to adjust to the one in Spain! I barely had any trouble with jetlag! Yesterday was my first day with my host family and we went to the beach, and their cousin's house. It was super fun, and they ate all this food that I have never seen before! I felt pretty stupid asking what everything was though... The constant spanish 24/7 has its effects already. I am tired ALL the time, and I am getting headaches after an hour or tour of having to speak! One thing I started doing (Ferran my host dad suggested) is watch movies in English with subtitles in Spanish. Here is a list of some of the things I have already noticed that are different between España and the USA! -You can sit wherever you want at the table, in the USA normally my dad the heads of the household sit at the ends -The milk comes in paper carts and it smells like cheese. It's thick..and weird..... -You push in a button to flush the toilet - not pushing down a handle -There is no carpet in an house, all the floor is wood -Pencils don't have erasers -They don't have line paper -The light switches are 2 inches by 2 inches wide and thick -It's normal to not ever have your air-conditioning on and keep all the doors and windows open -People drive in tight places, with tiny cars only holding on with one hand looking at you trying to explain something with the other hand - miraculously never getting hit or hitting the several European bikers wearing spandex shorts -You kiss everyone. Even that guy you run into on the street who you have no connection with. Yes. You still kiss him. -This is more well known, but everyone stays up late here. At home, I was always the one who went to bed late but now, its normal or I am the one going to bed early! There are several more, but I will stop here!

España Here I Come!

I am in NYC right now! Everyone with AFS is here (as in all the kids going to Italy, Bosnia, Turkey, South Africa, Ghana, France, Belgium, Egypt and España!) The Orientation really isn't as bad as some people have said in the past and it is super nice to see everyone and get to become close with a few other AFSers! Todas las personas are super excited and right now about half the people have already left for their flights to their host countries! We stayed here in the JFK Hilton Hotel last night and had to wake up at 8:30 this morning for breakfast. Okay, I have been waking up at 10:30 ALL summer and it was hard waking up that early! We had to check out at 10 o'clock - so we have been sitting around all day essentially. My flight to España leaves at 8:55 but we are heading to the airport at 5! It gives us plenty of free time. There hasn't been much we have done other than sit around and have someone talk to us about our flights every once and a while! That is pretty much it! Saying goodbye to my mom was hard but the lonely feeling goes away after you meet everyone! I got my Travel ID and an AFS t-shirt that we have to wear. My host dad and I were texting and he said that this Saturday night (the first night I am there!) he will take me to an amateur version of the play Spamalot and he will introduce me to everyone going to Costa i Llobera. I am happy I will get a chance to meet them but I hope I am not too exhausted! Like the Spanish say "un beso!" Adios for now!

Packing - It's Hard

I feel like there is more to packing than just putting clothes into a suitcase. Everything started feeling more real after I finished. Now all I have left to wear is T-shirts and sweatpants that I'm not bringing with me! I have been talking about this for a year or so bye now, and packed seemed so far away! Now it came and I finally bought all the things I will need during my experience - outlet convertors/translators. Those were all things I would possibly get (if I was going at all) in the distant future. But it became a reality! The whole friend situation is hard, I want to see everyone before I leave but there just isn't time! I will have a going away party on August 27th, where I can see everyone for a last time and give them my contact information. It is hard though, I will miss them so much! I leave so soon and so much is going on that I feel like I won't get a proper goodbye. I keep thinking "one week from now" or "one month from now" situations and I am excited but it makes me feel like I will be gone in a flash! I don't know how everything will go but I will trust that God will take care of me! Oh, here is a quick little fact: St. Paul, Minnesota is exactly 4525 miles distance from Barcelona, Spain! Adios for now! Here is a photo of my suitcase!

Everything is Happening So Fast!

So much is happening all the sudden! I think a lot of people know that my host family and my real family are switching daughters. My host sister got here on August 10th and I can't wait until I am finally with her family on September 8th! Also, I got my passport back with my visa in it! Only took 2 weeks! And the tags for my suitcase are coming along with the information about my travel in España! Next week I will start packing, and I am not worried because my host sister (Clara) will help me. We speak Castellano together and every once and a while she teaches me a little Català. We are sharing a room right now, and I actually really like it! We get along really well, which is nice because I have heard some stories of sister's not getting along. I am glad she is here because it gives me a taste of her family, and I know that I will be with some awesome people while I'm in Barcelona! On August 30th we will go to New York City and hangout there until September 3rd. That is when my brother, Clara and my dad go back to Minnesota for work and school. But, my mom will stay with me until September 5, when she drops me off at the hotel! I can't believe I leave for New York in less than 2 weeks! It is all happening so quickly! I guess it is because I have been talking about this forever and I will finally go! I am sad to say goodbye to my family and friends though, but with today's technology I will still see them over skype, whatsapp, viber, facebook, etc.

Getting My Visa

So I had to go to Chicago for my visa. I flew there a few days ago and walked there from my hotel. When I was sitting and waiting a bunch of girls in front of me started asking me why I was here and I told them the whole story "AFS.." And then I asked them what they were doing here and all 4 of them said they were going to teach English! That is what I would like to do when I am older! So we talked while we all waited for the family that didnt have their paperwork! Short and simple. To be honest, I didnt fully understand why it had to be and in-person-appointment because the whole thing was talking to a man behind glass. He didn't even look at me! Oh and he only needed like half the paper work we were supposed to bring. Right now, I am super relieved that I know I will get my visa!

Costa i Llobera

I FINALLY got accepted to the school I will attend in Barcelona! Costa i Llobera is a public school only a few bus stops from my house and I will be attending it for the next school year! In Spain you can choose between a few subject areas to base your school studies on - at first I picked SCIENCE but it took a few weeks to learn that that option was full and the alternative was SOCIAL. So I am officially taking the route of SOCIAL. I was given the options of what classes I wanted to take and I chose: -Spanish -English -Philosophy and Citizenship -Science for the Contemporary World -Physical Education -_- -Tutoring -Mathematics and Social Sciences -Economy and Business Organization -Contemporary World History -Psychology/Sociology And that is my schedule as far as I know! In Spain the classes change every day, there isn't hours or periods like in the States. Each class is just a certain amount of hours per week! Also, I think I stay in one classroom all day and teacher's switch, but I am not 100% percent sure. My host dad and sister both went to Costa i Llobera and took a bunch of photos for me! I am so thankful to have a host family that I already know is awesome. Here is a bunch of photos my host family sent me of my school!

Where Will Everyone Else Live?

Here is a map so far of where others will live!
View AFS Spain Placements in a larger map

My Visa

Getting a visa to live in Spain is extremely stressful and overwhelming at first! I need to apply with an in-person appointment at the Spanish Embassy in Chicago. AFS gave me dates I could sign up for an appointment (the week of July 20-27). I signed up on the 25th because my family and I already made plans to go to San Francisco and we would get back the day before! So my chaotic week in July will be fly home from San Francisco, the next day I will fly to Chicago and the next night I will fly back. So many flights in one week! I talked with AFS on the phone and they said the Chicago consulate takes longer to get visas sent (4-8 weeks) so I am hoping I will get it before I leave. I was reading a girls blog who is in Spain this year that had to go to the Chicago consulate and she said she got hers after 2 and a half weeks so I am positive! The school my host family applied me for in Barcelona still won't post the official list of people who got in until June 28th! Apparently I am number 22 out of 20, but my host dad , Ferran says that people drop out and he is hopeful I will get in!

My Flight Info :)

I woke up this morning to my mom telling me that I got my flight information because she got it sent to her e-mail too! I don't really know what I am going to do yet, because my mom and I might fly to New York together a few days before and go see a show or two and just spend a little more time together before I leave. But all I know is that I have to Arrive in New York no later than 4PM, September 5, 2012.  I then have an over-night orientation at a hotel. On September 6, I will fly over night to Zürich, Switzerland, and then have a layover to Madrid! And my last orientation in over-night in Madrid, where the next day I will take a bus to Barcelona!

Why I Decided to Be a Foreign Exchange Student

Last September, in the first week of school, I started searching for study abroad programs online. Before I even thought of studying abroad, I wanted to go on a mission trip over the summer but wasn't going over well - with my parent's. Since the beginning of my freshman year, I knew that I was going to live in Spain someday, and for some reason, I knew I would be fluent in Spanish someday too. This thought was before I even started Spanish 1, and I didn't know when or how I was going to live in Spain and speak Spanish, but I knew it was going to happen. Actually, my first year of Spanish school was horrible! I hated the class. I never really hated the language, but learning it was hard when you never studied! I quit halfway through my year but I knew I was supposed to learn Spanish. That summer I went to Ecuador on a mission trip with my church and I fell in LOVE with Spanish! When I got back I started studying every day, and I still knew that someday I would be fluent in the language. So when school rolled around (last September), I thought it would be a cool experience to live in a foreign country. At first I was looking into 4 to 6 months, but after a little research I decided a year would be better! And I found AFS and liked that program the most, so I signed up!

More Documents!

I recently got a TON of information! I am still working on my FBI Background check - it has literally taken a couple months - mainly because it is a government thing. But, now I have to get my official transcript from the school office, have it signed by the principal, stamped by the school, translated into Spanish by an "Official Translator" and authenticated with Apostilles! I know it is all worth it so I am able to live en España next year, I am just wondering what else everyone needs to do before we leave!

Where Cataluña Is!

Cataluña Region! I started teaching myself Català, it is a perfect mix of French and Spanish :)

A Picture Comparison

Where I will live

Where I currently live

Pretty sea view! I hope to go to the beach all the time!

My School

So right after my host family and I started talking they asked me about schools and all that. I had two options: Costa i Llobera or La Institut de Montserrat. I originally chose Institut de Montserrat, but after a while they suggested Costa i Llobera. The reason being they have hosted other exchanges there and know how to help me. Ferran (my host dad) said that ot was easier too. Also, I had to choose between three types of areas to study: Science, Technology or Art. I chose Science because that has the most classes I can take that I will be able to transfer! Apparently the school is 20-30 minutes by bus away and I will be home in time for lunch.
I really like my host family! I have skyped with them a few times already and they gave me a tour of their house with a video camera and they are all so nice and fun! I spoke in Spanish to them and it was really embarrassing on my part! But whatever, I will improve! I am super excited - especially because they are awesome and Barcelona is pretty dang awesome!
Actually, my family might host Clara (the host daughter) because she is coming to USA with AFS the same time I will live with her family - it is just a possibility! But that would truly make it an exchange! I will post more if any new bundles of information come to me before I leave!

I Got My Host Family!

Today I got an e-mail from an unknown address! I decided to take a look at it and found out that it was my future host family! They live in Barcelona and I am very excited to hear more about them. One of the weird things was AFS hasn't e-mailed me telling me that I have been accepted yet, but the host family said AFS-Spain said they could contact me so I guess I am! I also know that learning who your host family is this early is also weird, so I guess am I happy about that! A lot of the people I know who have been on exchanges didn't learn until right before they left. Hmm strange, but I am very happy!