Back in Media, PA, USA

I'm back in the United States of America! After starting my journey home at 11:45pm on Tuesday, December 20th with a 5 hour bus ride to Madrid, too many goodbyes and 5 more hours in the Madrid airport plus a final 9 hour flight home, I was greeted by my dad and brother at Philadelphia International Airport around 5pm on Wednesday, December 21st. Everything went as smoothly as it could have. On my flight into Philly we were put on a few holding requests so, according to my GPS map on my personal screen on my seat that showed our journey on a map, we were making some circles around southern New Jersey for 20 minutes. Before heading home, we went to Vinnie's for dinner! I got one of my favorites--chicken cheesesteak with onions and mushrooms with a Dr. Pepper :) Boy was I a happy camper heading home after that.

          Right now, I feel like Spain was one of those dreams that is so realistic but went by so fast, you're not quite sure if it's real. I'm thinking back on my four months and all I did and it just seems like a dream! I really cannot get over it. I don't know if I've fully realized that everyone I said goodbye to, I won't be seeing this weekend in the streets of Granada. They are some of the most amazing people I've ever met and could have spent these past 4 months with. Granada has my heart and the city is incredible but it wouldn't be half of what it is to me without the all the people I met because of it. I could not imagine not being able to go back for another 4 months-- I am thrilled with my decision of staying a year. I cannot wait for another semester of more traveling, learning, exploring, and creating memories.

          But right now, IT'S NAVIDAD! I'm home with my family and friends and I love it. It was incredible to see my family again. Today, I'm off to get my hairs cut and stop by work--I start back up again tomorrow! Then maybe lunch with my dad and brother y luego, decorating the Christmas tree! My family has a tradition that wherever we travel to, we get an ornament or something that can be made into an ornament. I have my ornament all ready to be put up (I'll share what it is later, considering my family doesn't know what it is yet!). I also have all my regalos de Navidad that I need to wrap to be put under the tree for Sunday aka Navidad!

          Here's to a sure to be amazing 3 weeks in Media and then a one week vacation to PITT!


Happy Holidays, everybody!!!

Besos,
Katie

TWO DAYS?!

I don't quite understand how it is currently Sunday night and I leave Tuesday night for Madrid and then Wednesday afternoon for Philadelphia, PA, USA. I just got back from a little party at Hannigan's that they had for all API people. It was so great to have a majority of our group together to hang out, dance, sing, and cause a ruckus before we all had to leave. I just had to have my first hasta luego and I did not like it ONE. BIT.

It still hasn't hit me that I actually leave Granada in 2 days and all the people that come with it. A lot of us are leaving out of Madrid on the 21st so the bus from Granada at 2am on the 21st is packed with API people--talk about an obvious future cry fest. I'm tearing up now just writing this, thinking about it.

This past weekend was a great last weekend in Granada. The API Farewell dinner was on Friday night. It's rare that, literally, everyone from API is together at once so this was just so cool to have EVERYONE be there. Marcela sang O Holy Night and it was pure gold flowing from her mouth--so beautiful. We had a little voting about a few superlatives of the group such as Social Butterfly, Cutest Couple, Most Likely to miss the bus home, Most Likely to stumble home as the sun is rising over Granada, and Most Improved. Lots of fun and laughs!

I'm off to go study for my last 2 finals and my final paper for Spanish Art.

Christmas in a week and home in 2 days!!!!!!!


Besos

1 week left!

**Originally written in my journal on 14 december 2011. Just now being documented via the computer **

I leave in one week. How?! It's crazy because these past couple of days have been just so amazing. On Saturday, I went on a random intercambio with a guy I met at a bar except not quite an intercambio because he doesn't speak Engligh. Rachel P and Allyson came with and we all went to tapas and then to watch the Barça and Madrid game (Barça won!!!) It went very well! He speaks very fast with a very heavy Andaluz accent so it was good practice. Also! I now have my first apartment option! His childhood friend is looking for 2 people in her apartment for next semester. Rachel P and I are going to take a look at it tomorrow. I'm excited! I also found another option last night at Hannigan's Christmas dinner. She knows some of the workers at Hannigan's so we started chatting and it turns out she is leaving Spain at the end of January and will need someone to fill her spot too! She's from Italy but has been living in Spain for the past 2 years. I'm going to go see this apartment next week right before I leave. I'm so excited and I think it's so cool that I'm apartment hunting for the first time in España! It'll be interesting to do it my first time in a different language. Yay!

Well like I said before, such a good last week and a bit. Last night I was at Hannigan's Christmas dinner that was so much fun. It felt like a great big family meal. I'm so happy that I'm still meeting new people even though there are only a few days left of this semester plus with apartment hunting and then going home in SEVEN days.

I'm sad to say 'hasta luego' to all my amazing friends here that aren't staying the year. At the same exact time though, I cannot wait for next semester. It's going to be amazing, I just know it! I'm so lucky to have another 4 months in the great place.

Looking forward to another semester of crazy adventures and learning and memories.

xoxo a todos!
Katie

2 weeks left?!

**Disclosure: this post was written into my journal when there were actually 2 weeks left. Now, I finally have the time to type them up haha **



I really think it's physically impossible for 4 months to go by this fast. I'm so sad that I have to say 'hasta luego' to all these incredible people I've met these past 4 months. I really can't grasp the aspect/idea of not seeing them all the time and not being in Granada with them. Furthermore, I can't begin to fathom has 4 months have passed by already. I'm so sad. I'm currently half ignoring it. I'm part getting so excited to go home but the other part reminding myself all the time that even though I'm here next semester, the same people won't be here.

So grateful, sad, excited, nervous. So many different emotions all at once!


Katie

Germany & The Netherlands

             I was in Germany this past weekend! Slash the Netherlands! Rachel P, Kat, and I went from 2 Dec - 5 Dec. We got there Friday morning to Eindhoven around 9:15 after our flight from Malaga. We had gotten to Malaga at 11pm the night before and had a nice 7 hours to kill in the airport. Yaaaaay. Rachel and I slept on the hard ceramic floor and Kat slept on the metal seats. AKA not a good night’s sleep. I apparently almost got my head waxed over by a floor buffer and I didn’t even wake up. The 7 hours finally passed by and we were on our way to Eindhoven!

                My friend, Michelle, lives with her boyfriend, Jim, in Kleve, Germany. They were nice enough to have us stay with them and even pick us up from the airport. It was so great to see her because I hadn’t seen her in a while. Her last trip to the states, I was never in the same city as her so we didn’t get to see each other. After she picked us up from the airport, we drove back to her town of Kleve and just relaxed for a little bit. We then went to Nijmegen, where Michelle and Jim work. We walked/explored the city centre. It was a very cute little city. We went to go pick Jim up from his internship after meandering through the city. With the car full, we headed to the supermarket to pick up our food for the next 3 days, all of which was INSANELY good. We had homemade pizza the 1^st night with all kinds of toppings on it: peppers, 2 kinds of salami, onion, mushrooms, and lots of cheese. So so so good. Jim is an awesome cook. I also tried this mixed beer that they have there. There were all sorts of combinations from energy drink to cola to lemonade. I had the Cactus Fruit mix the 1^st night and had grapefruit the second night. Both were surprisingly good! I got the Cola one to try for kicks and giggles the last night and it was not good. Not my favorite combination ever. Then I had some blackberry Greek yogurt for dessert which didn’t taste exactly like the Greek yogurt from home but was delicious none the less. 

                On Saturday, we got up around 9 to start getting ready for Amsterdam! Rachel, Kat, Michelle, and I went while Jim stayed at home for the day. He had some stuff to do at home and was making us cannelloni’s for dinner that night! We left via car and got there a little later than expected because the 1^st park & ride we were at was full but we made it! Park and Ride is a system where you can drive to a outer part of the city, park in a garage there and then get free metro tickets to go into the city centre. It was very very convenient. We got lucky with the weather too; the night before there was a huge storm and the whole drive to Amsterdam was on and off rain showers. Once we got there, we started with a boat cruise/tour around the whole city. I hadn’t quite known about the Amsterdam-being-strewn-with-canals thing. VERY cool. For the beginning of the boat tour it was raining which was fine because we were covered in the canal boat. As the tour drew on, the weather changed to sunnier skies with breaks in the clouds. I’m very glad we did the tour because it allowed us to see a lot of Amsterdam. It is such a cool and pretty city with all the buildings/houses along the river. Tons of house boats too! Varying from very ratty looking to very nice looking, there were all kinds. We saw the 7 arch bridges, the famous skinny bridge and Anne Frank’s house (which was nothing too special but now it’s made me want to read her diary!) I also found out from our tour that the name Amsterdam came from the river Amstel Dam = Amsterdam. I think there’s more history to that but I don’t quite remember it. We also passed a bike garage. Yes, a BICYCLE garage. It was so big, it originally seemed like it held almost all the bikes in the city but nope. It felt like only a fraction once we started walking around the rest of the city. When our boat tour ended, we went straight up from the train station and went to a souvenir shop where I bought my obligatory post cards. We continued walking around and got the apparently very well known fries of the city. For me, they were very good but nothing too special.

                I had wanted to see the I Amsterdam sign so we started on our quest to find it. The sign is literally read as I Amsterdam but the I AM part of it is red while the rest is white, giving the illusion of it saying I am Amsterdam. The journey there ended up taking a big longer than expected. Eventually, we found it and took lots of pictures with it. We headed back towards/through the shopping streets to stroll around. We went to a cheese shop which was had all sorts of delicious cheeses: pesto, spicy, cumin, aged. I bought a balsamic mustard spread that was very tasty. My plan was to use it as a stocking stuffer for my dad but I came across a slight bump in the road when I realized that it was 190 mL and the max for carry-on luggage is 100 mL. I, dumbly, tried to get it through security anyways and lo and behold, they found it and threw it out. So, sorry Dad! It was really good though!

                Después, we went walking through the Red Light District. I guess I had never really thought about there actually being red lights above glass doors with half naked girls in the windows but, sure enough, there are! We also passed a lot of coffee shops aka a shop where you go and can smoke a lot of weed and get baked goods. Even not in the coffee shops, you walked through the streets and could smell weed everywhere. I’m glad we walked through the RLD because it’s definitely unique.

                We made our way back to the train station to hop on the metro to get back to the P & R garage and drive home to Kleve. We got back at 9 and walked into a wonderfully smelling apartment. I had my grapefruit beer with delicious homemade cannelloni. After dinner, we played Scene it! and Trivial Pursuit. It was so much fun; it was a nice break from student life because it felt like I was back at home. It was nice to enjoy such simple pleasures such as cooking in a kitchen again and playing video games in a living room with friends.

                Sunday was the Christmas Markets in Cologne! We left around 10:30 for Cologne which was only an hour away –much closer than Amsterdam. We really lucked out with the weather. It was chilly but not rainy. We did a P&R like we had done in Amsterdam and it worked out really well. We first went to the markets by the famous Cologne Cathedral. Just like it was in Paris, Christmas made things magical. There were lots of stands adorned with gold stars, pine tree garland with loads of Christmas trees strewn around with a giant one in the center complete with white lights coming from the top and making a pretty circle around the market. The smells of the markets were divine. I wish I could have bottled what it smelt like. There were many baked goods, bratwurst, hot mulled wine, garlic mushrooms, and the list goes on and on. Mmmm. We ended up bringing a little Granada to the markets when we did a tapas deal when we returned to the market to eat. More about that later…

                But, primero, we, of course, went to Starbucks. This time was especially special though because they had Lebkuchen. I will save you the trip to WordReference.com and inform you that that, my friends, is Gingerbread! Need I say more? I got myself a Lebkuchen Frappuccino. So good. Then we walked down some streets and headed toward the river and another Christmas market! This one was just as adorable as the first. Here we ate lunch; I got a bratwurst that was so good and flavorful. It was crispy on the outside with a toasted bun around it. Add some spicy brown mustard on top and it was the definition of perfection. We also went to an assorted roasted nut stand where Rachel, Michelle and Jim got some nuts. Luego, we walked toward the river to go along it and head back up to the 1^st market.

                Once at the fist markets again, we started off with some Glühwein, mulled wine. They also have different things you can add in so I got mine with some Amaretto in it as well. I thought it was very good (a vast improvement from Paris’s). They serve their Glühwein in an actual mug that you pay a little extra for on the front end and if you want to keep it, then you’ve paid for a mug, but if not you can bring it back to where you bought it and get part of your money back. I decided to keep mine because it was really cute! It said Christmas Markets at Cologne 2011 in German and had cartoonish drawings of the church, the huts, the trees, etc. 

We began our tapas adventure shortly after that with fried potato patties with applesauce. We also had a baked bread loaf topped with vanilla and cherry topping, a baked apple with spices and a vanilla sauce, baked apple strudel, and AWESOME cooked mushrooms with a garlic cream sauce. I also got a chocolate covered banana on a stick.  We stayed at the markets until around 5:30 and then headed home.

 The last night, Rachel, Kat, and I were cooking for Michelle and Jim! We made them stuffed chicken with feta, arugula, onion, and garlic. Our salad was lettuce, chick peas, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Kat made a cheesecake for dessert (that had the best of intentions of tasting like vanilla but ended up tasting like butterscotch haha. Lost in translation: vanilla extract edition). They all were very good though. While we were cooking, Michelle and Jim were watching Friends re-runs so while we ate, we continued to watch. I LOVED it. I haven’t seen Friends episodes in so long, it was so much fun to sit there and crack up at old episodes. 

Finally, we went to bed and set our alarms early because our flight was early morning. Michelle and Jim were kind enough to drive us back to Eindhoven for our flight and then head to work after. There was traffic so we got there later than expected but still in plenty of time to make it through security (sin my amazing balsamic mustard) and get our gate #. Since this year is strange and the CLM didn’t have Puente, I still had class on Monday. I had missed my first 2 of the day but was attempting to make it back in time for my 4pm and 6pm class. After literally dropping all my stuff off at home, dumping my backpack out and refilling it with my school stuff, I booked it over to the CLM to only be 20 minutes late for my 4pm class :)

 

This was an awesome last big trip of my first semester abroad in Granada. It was a treat to see Michelle and Jim too! They were so nice and hospitable towards me as well as my friends. I can’t wait until they can visit Granada and I get to show them around my cities! Here’s to looking forward to the many more trips I have in my future as well as my last 2 weeks with this amazing group of API Granada Fall 2011 people. I can’t even begin to imagine Granada without these people.

Bonjour, Paris!

             I just got back from Paris and I can’t get over just how magical it was. I was there form 24 nov – 27 nov… yeah, that’s correct, I got to spend Thanksgiving in Paris! Qué suerte! It was my first Thanksgiving away from home and although I missed being at home with my wonderful family, API did a good job of jiving us a nice Thanksgiving in a home away from home.

                As opposed to waking up in my house, watching football with my family and having a big Turkey Day feast at our house, I spent my morning/afternoon preparing for Paris, France. We left Thanksgiving Day from the Granada airport flying directly to ORLY, arriving around 5:30 pm. Luego, conducimos durante una hora al centro de Paris. We arrived around 7:30 at the hotel because the airport is about an hour away but there was a lot of traffic so it took a little longer. As we rolled into Paris, I got my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower that I will never forget. Against the night sky, the tour was lit up in the distance with the sister Statue of Liberty in front of it. As we got closer, the twinkly lights came on and it was magical—like nothing I had ever seen before. I felt like a kid in a candy store – pure happiness and giddiness; I was in awe. As we drove around Paris to get to our hotel, I got even more excited to be blessed enough to be in Paris, let along to be there for Thanksgiving. 

                As soon as we got to the hotel, we dropped our stuff and immediately headed off to our Thanksgiving dinner. The restaurant we went to did an amazing job on our dinner. I wasn’t expecting it to be too much like Thanksgiving at home because, after all, we were in a Parisian restaurant and I was guaranteed to not be consuming my families’ Thanksgiving dinner. What we were served though, more than exceeded my expectations. We started with squash soup followed by a plate piled high with turkey with cranberries, mashed potatoes, corn, and cooked carrots. Topping off a great meal was a warm mini pecan pie with a scoop of some of the most flavorful vanilla bean ice cream I’ve ever had. I had a great Día de acción de gracias with a new family of mine.

                After dinner, everyone went off exploring Paris. Blake, Rachel, Kristen, Jiela, Justin, Tyler, & I went walking all around, getting a little lost, but finding our way eventually. We found the “Love Bridge” of Paris: a pedestrian bridge that is llena de cerraduras (locks)! These locks are put on by couples in hopes of locking their love and making it everlasting. It was cool to stroll up and down this bridge looking at all the different types of locks –big, small, old, new, colored, black, gold, and silver. Very significant of all the types of love there are out there—okay, a little mushy but I’m a bit of a romantic so I loved it. 

                On Friday, our 1^st full day of Paris, we all started with a trip to the Louvre! I’m now officially traveling throughout all my old computer backgrounds. The famous and controversial Louvre glass triangle was previously one of them and now, I have pictures of myself standing in front of it! We had a tour to see little bits of the Louvre including the Big 3: the Mona Lisa, The Winged Angel, and the Venus de Milo. It was almost overwhelming the amount of art that we saw (and we didn’t even see a fraction of it! Looking at every obra at the Louvre for 30 seconds would take 3 ½ months!)

                After the Louvre, Kristen, Rachel, Jade, Blake and I went out to lunch at a little café cerca del Louvre. I ordered a salmon and avocado tartar. It was DELICIOUS. Very fresh and flavorful. Luego, andábamos mucho por la ciudad. We went to the Eiffel Tower to go check it out. After taking our fair share of pictures, we decided it was the perfect time to go to the top. There was no way we could have ever planned what happened next. While we waited in line, it was around 5 o’clock and still light out (as much as it could be with the amount of clouds there were). By the time we took the lift (yes, the lift. Those stairs were not going to be climbed by me in that weather) the skies had cleared just enough for us to have an incredible view of all of Paris. Además, as we got up there, the sun was just beginning to set. The setting sun shone through the thinning nubes (clouds) in colors of light pink, gold, and deeper tones of pink and purple. It was windy and cold but completely worth it. We could see all of Paris in a few gazes over –pure belleza. To add to the already amazing time we were having up there, the Tower lit up while we were in it and then it started twinkling as well. We were also lucky enough to see the transformation of Paris from day to night – we literally saw Paris light up right before our eyes. Talk about perfect timing. We left the tippy top for the 1^st level where there was a café. We warmed up with cappuccino and hot chocolate before heading all the way back down to ground level. We made our way back via Metro (which is awesome and so efficient. We had practically aced it by our 2^nd day there). 

                That night, Blake, Rachel, and I went walking around Paris to see the Christmas lights at the Galleries du Lafayette. All the windows to the shops were so cool and extravagant. There were ones depicting NYC (complete with a mini King Kong atop a building) to ones filled with—what I considered—spazzing marionettes. I think the desired effect was dancing/singing/having a blast but it came off a tad bit creepy. We were heading to a restaurant that looked absolutely precious, decorated with Christmas trees and lights, when we ran into Rachel P. and Allyson. They decided to join us for dinner! Rachel P. and I split French Onion Soup and puff pastries with goat cheese and tomato. All very good. The goat cheese was very yummy. After dinner, Rachel P. and Allyson headed back to the hotel and Rachel, Blake, and I went to try and find this cool bar Kristen had heard of. We found it and it was cool inside but not quite what we were expecting. We think there are 2 of these bars or the day pictures and what it is at night are just a little different. We walked in and it was packed so we decided to decir hasta luego a esta bar. We walked to a few others on same street but everything was muy caro (although, most of Paris is pretty dang expensive) and the crowd was a little older. We were all beat anyways so we headed back to the hotel.

                On Saturday, I had to get up early for the API bus tour of Paris. At first, I was apprehensive about spending 3 horas on a bus but decided to give it a go. I’m glad that I did because I got to see a lot of sites that otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to see. After the bus tour dropped us off at Notre Dame, I went to go find some lunch. Chelsea, Tyler, Curtis, Kristen, Justin, Jade, Blake, Rachel, Jiela and I went walking and saw the café where Hemingway wrote some of his works. We walked inside but it was packed and not accommodating to 10 people. Blake, Rachel, Ji, Jade, Kris and I ended up at a restaurant that was to die for. I got a curried chicken salad that was so fresh tasting. Mmmm. I could have easily eaten 3 more.

                I left the restaurant early to go meet up with the one and only Marina Crouse at the Louvre!! I was so giddy leading up to 2:30, I could barely contain myself. Before meeting there though, I kind of got stuck underneath the Louvre. Yes. Literally, I could not get out. I kept wandering around, passing beneath one of the small glass triangles where Marina probably was waiting right next to. Finally, 10 minutes later and many laps around the underground Louvre shopping center and the Louvre parking garage, I managed to find the exit. At last, I was reunited with Ms. Crouse and it was so great. It was very surreal hugging and chatting with her in front of the Louvre. Pure craziness that the last time I saw her was at my house in Media and the next time we saw each other was in Paris, France!

                After our wonderful reunion, we went to Starbucks for coffee and to chat (current trending theme in my travels is obligatory trips to Starbucks. Seeing as we don’t have them in Granada, it’s a luxury to get a Starbucks fix. It is also currently Christmas cup season so that just adds to the excitement). It was so amazing to see her again and talk with her. We walked around Paris for a bit and then headed over to Notre Dame to meet up with her brother and her friend, Yila, from Nantes where they both study abroad. They were hungry for dinner and I had to head back to the hotel so we decided to meet up later at the Christmas Markets for a little bit at Champs Elysees. 

                At the hotel, we got ready and headed off via metro to the end of Champs Elysees where the Ferris wheel is. We walked down the street lined with markets/huts selling crepes, mulled wine, handmade trinkets, fresh oysters, and scarves/hats/etc. Kristen bought some of the hot mulled wine and it was, in my opinion, disgusting. Some people had better experiences but the place we got it from was not good. I was able to meet up with Marina for a little bit at the markets. The timing didn’t quite work out so that we had just walked through the markets and they had just gotten there. We agreed to meet up the next morning to get breakfast and then spend the morning juntos. 

                We departed the Christmas markets and walked over to the Eiffel Tower. It was still just as stunning and breathtaking as the first time I had seen it. The twinkly lights are like an instant mood pick-me-up. It’s impossible to look at them and not become happy. Some people I was with hadn’t gone to the top yet so while they went up, Kristen, Blake, Rachel, and I went back to the hotel since we had already been up. 

                On Sunday, I rose & shone early to go meet with Marina and Yila for breakfast. We got a wonderful Parisian breakfast consisting of a fresh croissant, freshly squeezed OJ, café au lait, and an omelet du fromage (cheese). The croissant and OJ were by far my favorite part of that breakfast. After we ate, we went back to Marina’s hotel to grab their luggage and check out. We then decided to go to the Panteón, where many famous/influential people are buried. We climbed down a series of stairs to reach the labyrinth llena de cadávers. There were so many well known people! Many of the tombs were also elaborately crafted while others were quite simple, adorned with some wilting flowers from visitors past. 

                We left the Panteón and headed for the Luxembourg Gardens. They are gardens and a large park that houses a large lake as well as many chairs to sit and watch the mini boats, powered by someone along the edge, sail by. We hopped back on the metro and Marina and Yila headed off to lunch near Musée d´Orsay while I rode back to Saint-Lazare to go to the hotel because we were leaving for the airport at 1:45. 

                I left Paris in a flurry of emotions. I’m always excited to come home to Granada but I was sad to leave Paris. Even though I’ve heard some horror stories of Paris, I had an amazing experience there. The city and all the people I got the chance to meet treated me very well and were muy amables. Además, I don’t speak French but, with what I experienced, if you try, that goes a long way. I can’t wait to be able to tell my kids about my amazing time abroad but also about my first Thanksgiving away from home in Paris when I was 20 years old. In the words of Jimmy Buffett, I’m counting my Lucky Stars.