We should embrace the bad day's, because without them good days wouldn't feel so precious.

So all I wanted to blog about today was how great today went. Absolutely nothing special happened, it was just one of those days that went really well. I just thought with my last couple post being about how horrible school was, I thought you guys should know things are getting better. :)

My classes are still hard and I'm not understanding much, but when people talk to me I can understand more and I can follow some conversations that go on around me. Yay!

That's all. Bye

ps this weekend we're going to go hiking

in the mountains near Santander

should be funnnn :)

Thinking of an original title takes too much work..

 "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will." -Vince Lombardi  

I think by now all the exchangers in Spain have realized just how hard school's going to be. For me school is exhausting, I get so frustrated that I can't follow what the teacher is saying. Math is the only class the only class I can kind of follow, but even that I only get the general idea and have trouble doing the homework because I didn't catch how to do the little step. I'm realizing how lucky I am to have the classmates I have, they are all so helpful and I doubt I'd ever be able to thank them enough.

I'm also realizing how similar American schools and Spanish schools are besides there basic differences. Students still text in class (even though you're not allowed to have phones in the classroom), in boring, pointless classes (Philosophy) nobody really pays attention and everyone just kind of goofs off, people whisper and talk to each other instead of listening to teachers ramble, and of course you see the same crafty methods of copying homework.

Enough of school, it's hard, but I'm handling it and I don't think the teachers expect much from me. Yesterday, (Saturday) Patricia had her 13th birthday party (2 months late). It was fun, I learned how to play the strange Spanish version of hide-n-seek tag and I played volleyball with a flat, soccer ball. (why didn't we play soccer.. I'm not sure) And then later that night all the parents came and didn't just pick up their kids and leave, (another thing that's different from the US) but they all stayed and had dinner. So it was like a whole other party. One of Patricia's friends has a brother that's in my class, so he came at the end too. At first it was awkward, because I haven't really talked to him. But then all the kids began playing a really intense game of basketball (with the same deflated soccer ball). It was really easy for my because the hoop the really low and I could dunk the ball without jumping, so eventually it ended up being me and Pablo (my classmate's name.. I think) against 13 thirteen year olds. Even the extremely unfair odds and some rules added on to even more help the other team, me and Pablo held our own. 

Then slowly, people started leaving and it was starting to get cold so we started playing some card games. First we played a game very similar to Spoons, called Burro (I think.. not 100% sure) it was basically the same and you hit the table instead of grab a spoon when you get four of the same cards. (Spanish cards are different, they don't have an Ace, instead they have a 1 and the picture are different too... instead of Hearts, Clover.. etc. they have swords, cups, coins, and I don't know what the last one was..) Next we played a game that was 100% the same as Kemps, only it had funny name that started with an 'M'. I managed to make myself look like an idiot in this game, because I misunderstood what sign we were using.... And finally Pablo, his brother (Patricia's friend), and their mom tried to teach me a really complicated game that I didn't get at all. It was kinda of like a complex version of War, each person lays down a card and the card with the highest point value wins the card. And at the end of the game you count up your points. But I didn't understand how many points the cards were worth, therefore I failed miserably :(

Today, we went to see more bull chasing and then ate, what I'm pretty sure was, a 5 hour long lunch with a ton of my host parents friends. The next closest person to my age (besides Patricia) was a one year old baby who was adorable. And he amused me and Patricia, while we were insanely bored. Then he cried when had to leave.. :( he was so cute

School Tomorrow.

Adios, Lotte

Colegio San Agustin

I've had two days of Spanish School now, and pheww what a difference there is between American and Spanish schools.

First of all I don't understand anything any of the teachers are saying (expect for the English teacher when he speaks english). Luckily my wonderful classmates either repeat anything important more slowly, using smaller words or translate it in to English.

Second of all, the class I've had so for, I only switch rooms for so far is my information technology (aka: my computer class) and that to go to the computer lab. The rest of my classes, the teachers switch rooms not students. Also it helps get to know people better, because you're in the same room with them the whole day.

Third, there are no computers in any of the classroom, it teachers want to use the projector, they bring their own laptop.

Fourth, there isn't enough computers for everyone in my info tech class, so some people share a computer.

Fifth, you have different classes every day of the week
      (here's my schedule if anyone cares:

)

Sixth, you don't have lockers, but you don't really need them either because you stay in the same room most of the day.

Seventh, in my English class then teacher enforces only the 'only speak English' rule, therefore it's the only class I can follow. I think (if I understood everything my host family was saying right) I'm going to be helping him teacher the class... not quite sure how I feel about that..

We got our first homework assignment on Friday, read the first unit of our philosophy and citizenship book (20 pages). It took me 2-3 hours to translate and understand the first page. But the second page (I only got the first two paragraphs done) went faster.

But hey! I'm pretty sure it can only get better and better from here! :D


  Hasta Luego <3

TOROS

    I've been in Spain for 13 days, but it feels like forever. My host family and I are getting along fantastically and they've been keeping me very busy. :)

    Yesterday we went to see a bull chasing thing called 'Encierro Por El Campo' for the second day in the row. It involved first people riding horses to herd the bulls to a village. Then once in the village, people chased the bulls down streets to the ring.  So, that's what happened two days ago.... yesterday, was a bit more interesting.

      So yesterday we were watching to horses bring the bulls to the town and then all of a sudden a bull a got away! (Which is apparently normal and part of the reason people watch these things) The bull kept running and running and 4 or 5 horses chased after it until we couldn't see them anymore. After a bit of waiting and watching the rest of the horses and bulls leave for the village, we took the car and drove through the fields to find out what was happening with the bull.


      And the bull managed to find a field with sprinklers and didn't want to leave it.

        The horses made no progress with baiting the bull into leaving the fields so the cars, dirt bikes, and four-wheelers took over.

            Finally they caught the bull and a tractor took him away. It was very exciting! :)

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Tomorrow is the fist day of school.....

     My classes are as follows:

• Language arts
• Philosophy and Citizenship
• English 1
• PE
• Religion
• Science in the Contemporary World
• Math
• Physics
• Geology
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Information Technology 

            Let's just say they don't sound fun. :| School is probably the scariest thing I have to face yet! Wish me luck!!

Hasta Luego!

ps. I'd like to introduce you to an additional member of the family I don't think I've mentioned yet, Black!

   And you see his favorite toy (el pelota) with him in the picture :)

PICTURES! :)

 Hey, here are the promised pictures :) I'm trying for a least one post a week, so I'll post again next week or so.

Fellow AFSers going to Spain in Zurich

Kat in Zurich

Erika, also in Zurich

Noelle & Erika on a bus in Madrid to the hostel 

On the bus to Valladolid

Also on the bus to Valladolid, Sunflower Field
(Spanish people are crazy about eating Sunflower Seeds)

At Guerras Cantabras

Roman Side

Roman Side

Roman Side

Spanish Side

Spanish Side

    

(video of bagpipers in the Spanish side)

One of many 'armies'

On the ride back, aren't the mountains beautiful :)

Still on the ride back :)

We stopped in my host mom's home town and went raspberry picking

Raspberry picking :P

(my host mom)

I hope the videos work :)... somebody comment if they don't and I'll fix it.

I'll write soon--- Hasta Luego. 

¡ME ENCANTA ESPAÑA!

I've been in Spain for FOUR days now. Some of the longest, yet shortest days of my life. Let's start at the beginning....

Thursday- Saturday (August 25 - 27): I had a blast in Chicago spending time with my sister! I saw a mass Zumba going on at Millennium Park

Sunday (August 28): I spent some more quality time with my family at Lake Huron and then hung out with one of my friends. (The water was crazy that day because of the hurricane that was going on in the East Coast!)

Monday (August 29): I drove to town to meet up with two of my friends, Megan and Jessica,  we walked Marlette (which didn't take too long) to take pictures to show my host family and then we went and play Monopoly with some other friends (Ryan, Nick and Jared). GUESS WHO WON??? Me!

Tuesday (August 30): I began the long, horrible process of pack. I had to pack, unpack, and then repack... I started with everything super nicely packed and organized. The suitcase closed, everything was going fine and dandy, until I weighed it. It was well over the 50 pounds limit (more towards the 55 or 60 pounds!!). So everything came out, I compared my clothes... only the lightest ones made the cut, and got to begin repacking all over. On my second attempt my suitcase weighted 50 pounds exactly... cutting it close? Maybe, but did I care at that point? nope. I had just enough time to run to all the neighbors say bye, clean up my room, and eat a little dinner before my friends started showing up. Then all to fast it was time to stay goodbye.
           *Note to future exchangers- Don't have your going away party the night before you leave.. especially if you have to get up at 4 the next morning*

Wednesday (August 31): I got up at 4... I was so confused when my mom first woke me up, "huh? what's going on?" haha. Then I quickly got dressed and we put my suitcase in the car and before I knew it I was half way to Detroit. At 6 I said bye to my family, made through security, and was bored at my gate. My flight didn't leave until 10. (the other girl I was supposed to fly with dropped the program :( ) Finally we were boarded and I watch How I Met Your Mother on our personal TV's. In Atlanta I didn't need to wait long because by the time I found my gate they were almost boarding. On this flight their were on personal TV's, but I sat by a very talkative guy and we talked the whole 2 and 1/2 hour flight. Now JFK is one complicated airport... I almost couldn't find the AFS meeting point. But I did, and we left for the hotel for the orientation.   I met SO many awesome people, it would take almost an  hour to list them all, so I'm gonna be lazy and not list any :P

Thursday and Friday (September 1- 2): The orientation continued. We left for the airport at 4:40 pm and our plane left at 9:00 pm. At first we were all wondering why in the world we needed to be at the airport 4 HOURS earlier, but the lines were so long at JFK we had just enough time to get our food and eat it, before we boarded the plane. It was a 7 to 8 hour flight to Zurich Switzerland, I spent the whole time talking to a girl named Erika... and then I slept half of the flight to Madrid because I was so tired from staying up all night. We landed around 3 pm, but had to wait for a bus until 5. We stayed at a hostel with a ton of other AFSers from around the world for yet another orientation. Strange thing #1 in Spain: They put boys and girls in the SAME room. I was in a room with another girl and a boy.... Another room had 3 girls and one boy... of course everything went fine. Nothing bad happened, but still it was strange....

Saturday (September 3): I left by bus for my host family at noon, it was an hour long trip. I rode with a boy from Germany (the same boy who stayed in my room) and his host mom, who was an AFS volunteer. When the bus pulled into the station and we were met by both our families holding signs with our names on it. From the bus station I went to my house, where we ate another meal. (I was probably given 6 to 7 different meals) I give my family their presents (American food cook book, a hoodie from my high school, candy, and a jar of peanut butter). Later that night I met same of their friends and we played Rummikub and I lost miserably and ate pizza (MORE FOOD)

Sunday (September 4): We had to get up at 8:00 to drive 2 hour to a festival near Santander in the Northern part of Spain. The festival was called 'Guerras Cantabras' and had something to do with the Romans invading Spain. It was really cool. There were a ton of 'Roman' booth and Spanish hut that offered free food and drinks. Then my host family took me raspberry picking.

Monday (September 5): We did a lot of little things, we went to Valladolid to run errands and I played Wii with Patricia. It was a nice slow day.

I'll upload some picture later!

adios <3