Bird Poop

Never have I ever been so scared of getting pooped on every time I walk outside.

Literally. Every. Time.

I don't really know why getting pooped on would happen so much more frequently here than MN. Maybe because in MN everything is spaced out. Houses are farther apart, buildings are much farther apart, birds live in the many, many trees we have. In Toledo, the buildings are so close together that there's almost no room for a street but somehow they manage having a street and a sidewalk between buildings. Also, there is not much greenery here in comparison to MN. Trees are not planted every 5 feet so the few trees here are old and tall. In each cluster of trees that stands are dozens of birds singing, jumping from branch to branch, and pooping. Many times you'll find chairs and tables from the local bar under these poop prone trees.

Now, you may think I'm just being paranoid. BUT, I have gotten minor poop bits on me while enjoying a tapa and beer. I also have seen friends get pooped on patios at restaurants.

I must tell you this story. My fear will make more sense.
The first week or two of being here I was in my art class. This particular day we had a sort of field-trip to a monastery to view the architecture there. We were getting ready to leave the building and walk outside, my professor led the way. Before anyone knew what was going on (we were still ooo-ing and ahhh-ing at the building) my professor screamed. We all looked and as she was the only person standing right outside the door, she had an outrageous amount of bird poop streaming down her face from her forehead, down her face, and on her shirt and pants. It was hilariously disgusting and I felt horrible for her. That was horrifying for me, imagine how mortifying it was for her. I lent her my water bottle to help clean the caca off. This day and event has haunted me since...

Never again will I take walking under birds or sitting under a tree lightly.

You know what they say about getting pooped on by a bird? It's good luck.

HA!

Well, there's good luck flying all around in Toledo. I'm going to be lucky for the rest of my life at this rate :P

Here's a doodle from while I was hand writing my blog in class today->

Note: I asked my friend Andrew what the verb
was for poop and he answered with poopar. lol

Beware friends. Birds are everywhere. Pooping wherever they want. 

Don't say I didn't warn you. . .

Makin' that Spanish money...€€€

A couple days ago I was offered this awesome job opportunity as an English tutor. I wasn't told many details, but that I would talk with these two kids for one hour once a week and get paid €10 each time. I was super excited to do this because I've always loved tutoring people especially with language, whether it be in Spanish or English. So I jumped at the opportunity!

If you know me at all, you probably know that I'm somewhat of a worrywart so I of course was nervous about meeting the mom, Amparo, and the two kids. I was also nervous about getting picked up in her car since I've never met her before (I could've gotten "taken") and she was a random stranger. I was also a bit nervous about speaking Spanish to her because there is nothing more frustrating to me than not being able to understand someone or worse, for them to not understand me when I speak Spanish. 

So I was a big ball of worry as I waited for her to pick me up for my first day which was yesterday. She arrived a bit late and we small talked until we got to her house. She introduced me to her sons Miguel and Roberto. Miguel is 11 years old and knows pretty decent English already. His brother, Roberto, is 8 years old and knows only some words in English. I started talking with them about school and sports and toys and Playstation and whatever I could think of. I realized however that I was only really talking with Miguel because he could converse with me, Roberto couldn't understand entirely what I was saying. He would scream the word in spanish that he could understand in English laughing and burrowing his head in the couch. He also kept nervously laughing and poking his brother asking him "¿Que ha dicho?" or "What did she say?" I tried speaking slower and using basic words to see if Roberto could understand me better then, but no luck. He was smiling and jumping around speaking to me and Miguel in Spanish. I could understand most of what he was saying but he was definitely having more fun flinging marbles with a sling shot at his brother than trying to learn with us. And hey, I can't blame him. Learning another language is hard especially when you have people speaking it to you and you can't understand a word their saying. 

I could tell he was getting frustrated and I was trying to use different techniques to help him understand what I was saying. Saying a sentence in English then in Spanish, using hand motions to illustrate the action of the verb, etc, etc. He so wasn't having it. He got up, walked to the computer and turned on Google Translator. 

He began typing...

I thought, 'Hey this is kind of cool. He will plug in some Spanish phrase and I can help him read it in English when the translation pops up.' 

So it definitely surprised me when he began typing "Mi hermano es tonto, gordo, gay y un elefante." Not only did he (and his brother) find this hilarious to begin with, but he hit the button to make the computer say the phrase in English, and the speakers were on full blast. So here, I have a boy constantly hitting the button making the computer say "My brother is stupid, fat, gay and an elephant" while laughing hysterically and loudly, and me trying to make him stop for fear that his mom would come in the room and ask me why I'm teaching him how to say that about his brother. Even though I wasn't sure what to do, I thought that this was pretty funny seeing that Miguel and Roberto were laughing too. Ah Google Translator, how you help youth learn new languages... hahaha

That honestly, was pretty much the entire hour of conversation. Getting to know these two mischievous boys and helping them (or trying to) with their English was priceless. It was an amazing help for my Spanish and teaching skills and that was only the first day. I can't wait for the next weeks to come! Hopefully they'll be a bit less crazy... ha

Cathedral in Granada

Ok, I'm terrible at keeping my blog up to date. I try to write in my journal that I carry with me everywhere and turn those notes/feelings/happenings/opinions/etc into blog posts when I get a chance later on. Apparently I haven't had many spare moments to post! I've been traveling almost every weekend and spending weekdays in class, homeworking, and living the Spanish life. I apologize friends and family for not keeping you updated! I'm working on getting everything posted since my first weekend trip in September so here goes! 

Friday September 23, 2011

First day in Granada, Spain:

As I sit in the Cathedral of Granada, Spain I feel obligated to write in my journal but have no words to truly describe its beauty. I am speechless, sitting on the front pew, marveling at each detail of this cathedral. A trend in European cathedrals, everything is made of gold. Paintings of saints mixed with gold statues fill the front of the church. You find new details that have stories and reasons behind them, that you didn't notice the first five times you looked at the same statue or painting. 

I have snapped about a hundred pictures of this Cathedral in a failed attempt to capture its beauty. The chipped paint that wore off over the past hundreds of years, the missing limbs of statues, the tarnished color of pure gold, the creaky sounds of each wooden pew as people sit in astonishment. It is frustrating because although I want to take pictures of everything to show what breathtaking beauty I find myself in front of, it still doesn't do justice.No photo or remake could ever resemble the actual beauty of these works. The scars of time obvious on each statue, painting and piece of gold. That only adds to the beauty of the art.

During my trip I'm taking pictures not only for myself so I can remember what I've done and where I've been, but to share with you, my friends and family. I feel as if I should apologize though. As you see the beauty in these pictures I post, just know that the real thing is a gazillion times more amazing. You will have to visit these places in person to experience what I am at this very moment. You have to be here for this to take you breath away, for it to stop you in your tracks, for it to make you so speechless that you have to actively search for words. You will marvel at each work and notice those details each time you look closer. This is real art, real history, real life. 

My Birthday in España

Vale, vale, I have been slacking a lot on this picture a day thing and updating my blog altogether. I'm going to make a HUGE effort to update this about every other day. I have the worst memory ever so I know that if I don't write about my experiences, I won't remember it next month. This blog is as much for me as it is for any readers.

So today's post is going to update you on my Birthday last week.

Having a birthday in a foreign country a week after you've met the hundred people surrounding you is a little overwhelming. I didn't know where to go to celebrate, what kind of night I wanted, who to invite, no one even knew it was my birthday because I had just met everyone, we're not exactly besties yet. It didn't even feel like my birthday because there was not excitement attached to it, it was just another day. I am a person that gets excited and wants people to feel special on their birthday, so for myself to not be excited for my own birthday was tough. Spain is 7 hours ahead of Minnesota time so it was my birthday that much earlier. I was in the middle of skyping my wonderful boyfriend while two people ran into my room and clobbered me screaming "Happy Birthday!!!!!!" I couldn't help but burst into laughter!

The next day I went to class and as I returned to my room, I saw a sign on my door:

Confetti all over my bed and floor:

and Birthday signs posted on our mirror all made by Kelsey and Lauren:) :

Later on that day Kelsey went for a run. When she came back she picked me some flowers for my birthday:

At this point, I was overjoyed by everything so far and expecting all the festivities to pretty much be over. I was SO surprised because while I was eating lunch, a group of friends carrying a chocolate cake with a lit candle came over to my table and sang me happy birthday in Spanish! I was so surprised and overwhelmed by how nice everyone is that I started tearing up. I cut the cake, got besos from the hot administrator everyone has a crush on (haha) and ate the cake. It was delish!

The only candle the Fundación had was a four. lol Hey, it beats turning 23! :P

Buying a CocaCola Light (Diet) was my present to myself.

 And a small group of us went out for dinner to celebrate. I wanted some food that wasn't served by the Fundación! I ordered a glass of vino blanco and a Cubanito. A Cubanito turned out to be a sandwich with ham, cheese, and a fried egg. It was so good! This is actually my favorite breakfast food at home!

Overall, it was a great birthday. These amazing people made me feel loved and celebrated even though we just met a week before. These are some legit people that I can't wait to spend the rest of the semester with. Thanks everyone:)

♬I'm leaving on a jet plane. I don't know when I'll be back again♫

September 5, 2011

Okay, okay, I'll be back in December but that's still a great song. Other than knowing my roundtrip ticket says my return flight is on December 15th, I do not know much else about this trip. 

As i sit mid connector flight, I think about the adventure ahead. One of the reasons that I chose to study abroad was to overcome a huge fear of mine: fear of the unknown. I am the biggest baby when it comes to being comfortable with ambiguity. Usually I collapse under the pressure, ask for extensive emotional support or advice, or a force myself to proceed into the darkness anyway. I am the kind of person that plans events, writes lists of to do's, and needs to be fairly organized in order to maintain neurological function overall. So that sort of ambiguity completely freaks me out because I can't write anything down if I don't know what to write. The past few months looking forward to Spain has been the absolute definition of ambiguity. Friends, coworkers, and family were asking me questions about the trip ahead "What classes will you take?" "Who will be your roommate?" "Where and when will you travel?" The best answer I could offer them was a shrug. How incredibly horrifying!!! Having to cope with the lack of information made me question why the hell would I agree to this mystery trip across the globe?! I try to make the best of it through my attitude and somewhat confidence in my voice as I explain why or how I could have no idea to my friends, but in my mind I'm thinking of worst case scenarios. I have little experience of airports so I rely on the media to provide me with information so I envisioned me with my backpack strapped on, holding a bunch of papers and running frantically through the airport trying to find the correct gate and make it on time. This scene is from the amazing race if you haven't figured it out yet. 

So I make up these ridiculous and scary "what if" sort of situations and totally freak myself out. Let's just say that I have an active imagination...

My mission throughout life is to become more comfortable with the unknown. This trip will help me stand on my own two feet without help and walk confidently into new lands. In other words, grow up. 

I have an amazing person in my life that literally flies by the seat of his pants and he is absolutely calm and collected about it at all times. We are complete opposites in this way but I wish to be able to be more like that starting with this trip. I'm going to have to force myself to fly by the seat of my pants more often if I want to do anything other than go to class or sit at the university.

So far in the war of me vs. fear, I'm winning. I've gotten my tushy on the plane without knowing much about the next three and a half months that lay ahead of me. Send me warm thoughts and love while I'll be abroad. I promise I'll find them, bask in them and allow them to help me throughout my trip. 

Chau,

xo

P.S.

As a way to help me constantly taking pictures and blogging about my experiences I've made it a goal to post at least one picture per day of what I did that day. Here's the first picture- a view out of my window from the first plane ride to Newark

Four Makeup Must-Haves

Have you ever gone to Target (or Walgreens or M.A.C. or wherever you buy your makeup) and bought something you were super excited about, and went home to try it, but was so disappointed by its performance? AH! I've done this so, so, so, soooo many times. I am fairly gullible and I believe with all my heart that every mascara that says will "extend your lashes 10X!" or "lasts 24 hours" or whatever the impossible claim may be.
So, as I sit in front of my mirror every morning, I realize that I will go frantic if I cannot find any one of these four items in my makeup stash and I wanted to share them with you because it has taken me trial and error and countless dollars to find my favorite items. Hopefully this will also save you from wasting (some of) your time and money on useless items. Also, I don't believe in wasting money on expensive makeup (especially 'cause I'm a poor college student). Creating the same looks with drug store makeup is feasible and affordable. These four items have made my MUST-HAVE list for an everyday look:

1. Eye Shadow Quad

This is my absolute favorite color scheme because it is neutral. You can keep it light for day and darken it up for the evening. Either way, its cheap, its easy and its versatile.
Revlon 12-Hour Colorstay in Coffee Bean. $4.99 @ Target.


2. Eyeliner

I need my eyeliner. I think that eyeliner is the most important art expression when it comes to makeup. You can do so much with it and change it so drastically depending on your mood or time of day. My absolute favorite eyeliner is Maybelline Line Stiletto. I am in LOVE with this line of eyeliner because it glides smooth, it is easy to control when drawing thin or thick and it lasts.
Maybelline Line Stiletto in Blackest Black. $5.94 @ Target.


3. Mascara

Similar to the perfect boyfriend, every girl is on the lookout for the perfect mascara. We take our makeup seriously and mascara is the most serious of it all. Mascara can make or break a look in my opinion because it must extend lashes above the eyeliner no matter how dramatic the line. I love wearing a dramatic look which usually requires a thicker line of eyeliner and I need my lashes to look as fakely long as possible while still remaining real. This mascara has accomplished this for me without the clumps.
Maybelline Lash Stiletto Ultimate Length in Blackest Black. $6.94 @ Target.


4. Lipstick

The finishing touch to a look. Whether it be a fierce red, berry pink, or a nude color, it is still definitely a necessity. I prefer a berry pink color most days but will opt for a bright red when I'm feeling risky. My fav-
Mac Lipstick in Girl About Town-Fabulous Fuchsia. $14.50 @ Mac.


chao mis bellezas ❤

To Recent High School Graduates,

With pictures of caps and gowns scattered across my Facebook newsfeed this summer and the fall college semester beginning for many this past week, a rush of thoughts came to mind. The most important one: I wished someone warned me about life after high school. You know, given me useful words of encouragement and wisdom. As a seasoned college student and life-liver, I feel that it is my responsibility to offer my wisdom and willingness to answer any questions I can about the "real world."

Here is a short list of things I have learned/experienced since I graduated from high school...

1. A high percentage of your friends from high school will become pregnant, get married or do something extremely stupid over the next four years. Don't worry, it'll all be on your Facebook newsfeed.

2. Learn to say "yes" more often. Don't be afraid to try new things, meet new people, and have new experiences. Explore the world around you. My own rule: try everything three times. There are plenty of things you'll hate the first time, ex. coffee, red wine, dark chocolate. I LOVE all of these things now, despite my hatred for them the first time around.

3. So you're going to college. That costs quite the pretty penny, so remember that you are paying professors to teach you and help you. You are paying for advisors to make your life easier and guide you. You are paying for tutors, resources, and all this extra help that you probably haven't even realized existed on campus yet. Make use of them because you deserve to succeed and you deserve to get worth out of every penny you're paying that college.

4. The freshman 15 is no joke. You'll be studying constantly, eating at random times, and suffering from a lack of sleep/partying too hard, and (if you're old enough) drinking regularly. Calories, calories, calories+lack of sleep+stress=15 extra pounds. Have fun but also be smart if you don't want the extra weight. Party hard but also workout hard if you wish to avoid the unnecessary lbs.

5. College is hard. It will test your character and your dedication to education, yourself, and your interests. The best advice I can give for this, is to persevere. Tough it out! The first two years of college were the absolute hardest of my life because there are so many life decisions to make. There is no way to be sure of any of the choices you make about your major, your relationship, your family, your living situation, etc., but just be sure about one thing: it will all work out in the end.

6. Making "major" decisions. I switched my major about 6 times. There is no penalty to changing your mind about your path in life. The worst that could happen is that you end up taking a few extra classes. In the end, this is no big deal as long as taking those classes helped you decide your interests/major. For me, I started as pre med. When that kicked my butt I realized that I didn't have the interest and passion needed to pursue med school in the long run. I changed to business, marketing, spanish, blah, blah, blah, until I took a class I thoroughly enjoyed within the communications department. I decided to pursue it since I really liked it instead of forcing myself to do it. So my advice is to take the time needed to figure out something that you truly enjoy to major in. It may take a little while to figure it out but be patient.

7. Don't take roommates too seriously. Rooming with friends you already have is typically a bad idea but it could work if you don't take everything personally. He/she may not do her own dishes everyday or take out the trash as often as you like, but just remember that asking and being forward about it is better than passive aggressive remarks or actions. Be yourself. Be mindful of your roommates and recognize whether or not you would be irritated if your roommates didn't clean up after themselves. I mean come on now, you are an adult and you're smart enough to have gotten into college. Dishes and/or cleaning the bathroom should be a piece of cake.  

8. Don't regret. Like I said previously, this time is going to be huge for you to grow as a person and into yourself. The decisions you make may lead to some mistakes. Learn to accept these mistakes and not regret a single one. These mistakes will help you learn from them and achieve success in the future.

9. Don't forget to celebrate. You are going to be (hopefully) working harder than you've ever before. Work toward achieving high grades, recommendations, establishing good relationships/connections, overall success. When you pass that test you stayed up for all night to study for to ensure you got a good grade, GO OUT. Splurge on dinner with a date, drinks with friends, that shirt you've been eyeing at the mall, or even something simple like time for yourself. Work hard, party hard. You deserve it.

10. Have fun. Be safe. Reflect. Love.

My favorite quote I would like to leave you with:

"I've come to believe that there exists in the universe something I call "The Physics of the Quest"- a force of nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity or momentum. And the rule of Quest Physics maybe goes like this: If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you in that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared-most of all- to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself, then truth will not be withheld from you."

You're beginning a great season of life and enjoy every single minute of it. Make mistakes, have fun, and most importantly, learn as much as you can about yourself and your interests.

Good luck. XO

The Confessional: I'm Jealous

No one will probably even read this blog post since I deleted my Facebook account two days ago. Pretty bad ass right? I must say, that these past two days without Facebook constantly chirping at me through my phone application, iPad application, online and in my head have been GLORIOUS. I have gone to bed early, woken up early, gotten my homework done in a timely manner, and have found time to write on my blog! However, it is thoroughly embarrassing to admit that I spend that much time on FB. It never seemed like I was constantly on the website since I am usually multitasking at all hours of the day. I always had my FB open on one tab as I checked my email, watched a show on Hulu, while I did homework, or worked. Uh, I mean when I was off the clock. Every since I got a smart phone with internet I received a notification when someone "liked" my status, wrote on my wall, or invited me to something. It was exciting at first to know that one or five of my friends liked whatever was on my mind that day, or comforting to have someone respond to my melancholy posts with words of encouragement and positivity. Unfortunately, it was so easy for me to use it as a way to keep me "busy."

I've struggled the last couple weeks with this pestering frustration and left behind feeling. I have family, I have friends, but life gets busy. Maintaining friendships when it seems that everyone is moving so quickly around me and progressing so much sooner than I am is frustrating. Seeing friends get married, have babies, houses, promotions, grad school, traveling, experiencing the new, grown up jobs, etc. etc. etc. are all the things I'm not doing (yet) and what everyone else is doing. I never before felt like the one behind. I was always the over achiever, the first one to get a car, a job, into college, a this, a that, a blah blah blah. (I'm so guilty of comparing myself to others and being privately competitive, ugh). And me? Babies? HA! I still try to figure out how I will survive the day babysitting. I still feel too young, too inexperienced for these major life choices, yet I feel behind in life.

So, here's the confession- When I'm bored, bummed, or procrastinating on homework, I FB stalk friends that are doing what I so deeply desire for myself: traveling the world. I am so internally jealous of your bravery and ability leave everything you have behind (at least for a while) to explore your world and yourself. I honestly don't know how you do it, and if you have any advice please send it my way. When I'm seeing the world behind my computer screen, I'm persuading myself that I don't need to do it myself. It's easier to suppress my wants and stay within my zone of comfort than deal with the fear and anxiety if I step outside the zone.

Though, the result of staying in the comfort zone, turns out to be jealousy.


I gave up my FB hoping to also give up this jealousy. Creating new time for myself to explore my true friendships, meet new friends, and make these life goals of mine happen. To stop dreaming and hiding behind my fears. I am challenging myself to be the culmination of people I am jealous of. In other words, be the person I want to be. It is so easy to get lost in the busyness of life (in my case: work, class, homework, laundry, repeat), lose feeling for your passions, and fall into a rut. Well, no more ruts for me. I'm beginning the process of digging my way out and rejuvenating my life to be able to feel passionate again. Not sure how long it'll take me to get there. . . I think I'll start with a cookie.

peace and love