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!