To Catch Everyone Up....

So I realized I haven't posted a blog in like 2 months!! Sorry!!! Been pretty busy. Went to London, Granada, Barcelona, Valencia, and now I'm in France. Classes are over and I'm just relaxing now. Only a few more weeks and I will be home!!!!! Before then, I will be in Dublin and back in Spain for a week. When I see everyone, I will elaborate on my adventures and share pictures....keeping everyone on the edge of their seat! :-D Well just thought I would fill you guys in....felt bad that I hadn't written anything in so long. Until then.....

Kristen

Sevilla

Hello!!!

This past weekend I went to sunny Sevilla!! I actually got a little bit of color because the weather was just that amazing. I went with pretty much the entire group from University of Maryland which was great. We really enjoyed ourselves and we got to walk around the city and pretty much do whatever we wanted. I got to visit the Plaza de España and el Parque de Maria Luisa and lots of other things. I took a TON of pictures. It takes a while to load them all up, so I'm thinking I will just show everyone pictures when I come home, OR if you are really dying to see some pictures let me know and I can email them or post a few. I got to see a flamenco show there as well which was absolutely incredible. There is so much emotion in the songs and the dancing is mindblowing. I think that gazpacho is now my new favorite thing. Gonna have to learn how to make that!! This week is finals week...so I'll be doing some studying for that and then this weekend I go to London. Hope all is well in the States.

Os echo de menos
the travelling Fontanella

A Sunday in Madrid

This past Sunday I went into Madrid with my friend Bruno and met up with some of his friends while we were there. Awesome day!!! We walked around the Reina Sofia. Really great museum and Sundays are free so what could be better. We then walked through the Rastro which is really just a giant flea market. Not my cup of tea but hey, I enjoyed the culture. After that, lunch and a nice walk through the Retiro. Gonna have to take Dad, Aunt Hildee, and Barry there. It's beautiful. We then went to a show called Mayumanu. It was AMAZING. It is like Stomp and it just a huge drum show. Just what I like!!! After the show was done, the actors went out into the lobby with the audience and just kinda freestyled with the drums. It was awesome. Me and Esther (one of Bruno's friends) were dancing around to the music. So much fun. We then went to a Hawaiian bar and then an Irish bar just to relax. Really great night. Just a typical day in Madrid I guess!!!

with love

Ávila

Hey all,

This past Saturday I went to Ávila. It was great. No missing the train or anything along those lines which was nice. The trip there was about 2 hours though which wasn't all that great. It is pretty much in the middle of nowhere!! But it was fun. We got to see the Muralla, the Catedral, and the Casa de Santa Teresa. The Muralla was by far my favorite. We got to climb up it and walk around up there. Very interesting and very cool. It's interesting walking across something that was built hundreds of years ago. It was like the other Great Wall of China...just in Spain. It was fun. After the trip, I got to have dinner with Julio and Ángel. Always a good time!! Pictures to come!!!

Miss you all
--Kristen

Flamenco

Hello all,

So last night I went to a flamenco show with some friends. It was GREAT!!!!! The singing was really impressive and the dancing was amazing. I plan on going to more shows because my host mom can get free tickets for me. After the show, we got to meet the singer and she gave us autographs. It was really a great night. I love Spanish culture!!!

Missing you guys,

Kristen

Noelle

Noelle,
I love how your info says "just here to follow Kristen." Makes me feel so special...you're adorable.

Oporto, Portugal

HOLA!!!
Well now I can add another country to my list. This past weekend I went to Oporto Portugal with my friends Stacey, Emily, Kristen, and Rosa. We had a great relaxing weekend. I got to try some typical Portuguese food and the infamous Porto vino. It really was a great trip. The girls I went with were really laid back and we just did whatever came to mind, which was really just walk around and soak it up. We got to see the Atlantic Ocean from the other side!!! We watched the sun set over the ocean with our bottle of wine and ice cream. It was really spectacular. I really got to appreciate everything that we saw and did. It truly was an amazing trip. And best of all, I only spent 40 euros while I was there!!!!! I enjoyed exploring the city without any set plans. Everything was really just extraordinary. I was however very glad to get back to Spain!!! I missed the norm of Spanish life and my host family and just everything in general about Spain. Portugal is a poor country and it was at times a little depressing seeing all of the destroyed buildings. It was an awesome experience and I'm really glad I went!

Miss you all,
Kristen

El Día de los Enamorados

Hola!!

This past weekend was great. Went out on Friday night and bar hopped (sorry family but it's the truth!) Learned how to merenque and rhumba with my friends Stacey and Rosa and Bruno. What a great time. And the best part was was that I spoke in Spanish the whole night and Bruno and Stacey and Rosa's host dad could understand me! Very exciting. Saturday I went into Madrid and shopped during the last day of rebajas. Got some nice clothes and had a good time walking around with my friend Lyndsey. I then made dinner for my host family and they loved it!!!!! I was nervous that it wasn't going to come out right or that something bad was going to happen but they enjoyed it very much. Just got done with classes and after lunch I'm going into Madrid to see a Titanic exhibition with Chus. Talk to you soon. Miss you all

Love,
Kristen

Las Cartas

Buenos Días a Todo,

if you have received a letter from me, please let me know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i want to know that my letters are not getting lost in the mail or whatnot and that my precious 78 cents for the stamp is not going to waste. gracias

besos



mañana, voy a escribir más con fotos también!!

El Fin de Semana Pasado

Friday night I went to my host family's friend's house for dinner. How fun!!! They are all really nice (Gloria, Angel, Manu, and Isabel). Great food, great company, and I was able to contribute to the conversation!! Such an improvement from the last dinner we had with friends of the host family. Jaime's friend Pasqual came over with his wife one night and I barely spoke and now, I was able to contribute at times. Very rewarding. Dinner again this Friday night I think at Manu and Isabel's but not 100% on that. Saturday didn't get to go to Segovia. The other Springfielders didn't get to the train station until 9:40 and our train left at 9:25. The next train was at 11:25 so I went back to the station at 11 to find out that Barbara had lost her bus/train pass, bank card, room key, money, and Alcalingua student ID. So instead of going to Segovia, we went to the police station. Oh well. Another day for sure. Nothing much else happened this weekend. Kind of a dreary weekend. Things for this week:

Wednesday: lunch with Julio and host family, visiting Julio's clinic, going away party for the Germans
Thursday: maybe going out with Chus again
Friday: potential dinner, if not going to Sevilla with some Springfielders

Well that's it that's all.
Safe in Spain
Love
Kristen

Hola Familia Americana y Amigos Americanos

Hey everyone!!! I am so glad I got to talk to you all on Sunday. It really meant a lot to me and I am happy to hear that everything is going so well. Also, its awesome that you are checking out the blog!!!!! I will post another big blog probably on Monday with pictures from Segovia. Last night was fun, went to a bar with my host sister Chus and her boyfriend Alex and his friends. Kinda different going out with people my age and only hearing Spanish. Definitely difficult because I don't know all the words they are saying and all the words I want to say. My host family says I am improving and they want to hear me speak more. Tonight I am going to a dinner with my host family and 4 of their friends. Should be fun and interesting but I am going to try to talk a lot. I just don't like sounding like a five year old. Oh well. I miss you guys!!!!!!

Love and Besos

Kristen

Still Does Not Feel Real

Living here still does not feel like it is actually happening. I feel like I should be going home next week or something, but in reality I have another 4 months to go. One month is almost completed. I cant believe it. Really feels like a dream, I know Im going to look back on this and it still wont feel real.


Things to come:
Out with my host sister tonight
Friday night dinner with friends of the host family
Segovia Saturday

With love,
Kristen

Toledo

Hola from España!

Hope all is going well over yonder. This past Saturday (24 enero 2009) I went off to Toledo with the other estudiantes americanos. I am going to attempt to post some pictures of what I got to see. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!! I recommend to anyone who travels to Spain to go see it. The whole city is surrounded by a river and although I do not have pictures of the Catedral de Toledo, it is incredible and a must see. The detail is amazing. We walked all day around Toledo, which was pretty intense considering how there are a lot of hills and such. There are tons of shops with authentic jewelry and I actually got to see someone working on a piece of jewelry. Every turn you make there is something amazing to see. Ok here are some of the pictures. I can´t but up all of them, there are too many...but here are some of the highlights. Enjoy!!!

Besos

Kristen

Settled In

Hola!!

So I am all settled in and have been living in Spain for about a week. Everything is going really well. I have a great family that takes really good care of me. They have taught me some Spanish card games and have cooked some amazing food that I now know how to make for everyone back in the States. For all you chocolate fans out there.....you would die for what I had for breakfast one morning. They are somewhat like churros called porras and they are like fried dough that you dunk into thick melted chocolate. It was FABULOUS!!!!!!! I traveled to Madrid once thus far and went to the Museo del Prado and El Puerto del Sol. My house is close to everything!! Alcalingua (my school) is about 10 min walking from my house and there is a small shopping mall about 5 min walking and the train station is 3 min walking. It's really awesome. Classes are a little slow right now because everyone is getting acclimated. Definitely different than those Spanish classes back at home!!! Everything is in Spanish from the time I get up to the time I go to bed. I'm forcing myself not to write in Spanish right now...! Everything is much more relaxed here though. I don't feel like I'm really going to school, I feel like I'm on a vacation. Everything is very laid back and no one gets stressed about anything. It's really refreshing. Well it's 2pm over here (8am your time) and I need to get home to eat lunch! Hasta luego amigos.

Besitos
Kristen

El primer dia de escuela

El primer día de escuela: Jan 8 2009

Hola todos de mis amigos y mi familia!!

Hoy llevé un examen para mi escuela (Today I took an exam for my school). Ví la escuela y desayuné con mi profesora y los otros estudiantes americanos (I saw the school and had breakfast with my professor and the other American students). Tenía un buen día con ellos y andamos alrededor de Alcalá (I had a good day with them and we walked around Alcalá). A comida, había un camarero muy guapo y las chicas del grupo sacamos una foto con él (At lunch, there was a very cute waitor and the girls of the group took a picture with him).

So my Spanish is not the best and I talk like a 5 year old but so what!!! Tomorrow I start classes which should be interesting and exciting. Until then…

Hasta luego
Kristen

Arrival

Hola todos!!

I have arrived (after traveling for about 21 hrs including the time difference)! I wrote this on Tuesday 6 Jan 2008 at 1:31 a.m. (7:31 p.m. on Monday 5 Jan 2008 for you all in the States) but I don’t know when I will be able to post it considering how I haven’t figured out how to get onto the Internet here yet. I haven’t really figured out much yet so I’m thinking that I won’t get onto the Internet until I start school, which will be between Thursday and Monday coming up. I am probably going to attempt to write some of my blogs en español so be aware of that (I will translate it for you at the end don’t worry). I’ll be posting pictures de mi familia y el piso (of my family and the apartment) so you can see where I’m living. Voy a dormir ahora. Hasta luego y buenas noches.

Besos,
Kristen

The Night Before

Hey all!

So it's the night before the big leave and I made this blog so I can let everyone know what is going on and what I'm up to. This doesn't mean I don't want to talk to all of you though!! So please still send emails via spfldcol or on facebook or drop me a line on AIM.

I'm going to miss all of you!!! <3

~Kristen