discovering salamanca

this week i was in salamanca and still cant believe i get to live here. it was my last week of class so that was nice, i got all A's and a certificate. they are big here on certificates its really entertaining you get one for everything you do. 

something very interesting happened this week while me and a couple friends were walking home from class. we were walking our usual route ready for lunch (still not used to the stupid times of meals here) when we came to a huge crowd of people. so we walked up and saw a bunch of fire trucks and then looked up and saw firefighters on top of the cathedral. since in spain no one ever really has to be anywhere they were all just hanging out so we decided to practice our spanish and ask what was going on. luckily we got this nice lady to tell us that there was a young chica who drank alot and climbed to the top of the cathedral, took her pants of and her shirt and continued to run on top of the cathedral dancing and singing. umm what? we hung out for a while to see if the firefighters would ever get her down but she was sitting not budging and threatening to jump if they grabbed her. finally our hunger took over so we left and i still dont really know what happened. 

(This is the cathedral and if you look really close up at the top you can see the men. she probably shouldnt have picked such a historical building to climb up but im sure her brain wasnt really all there)


we made a great accomplishment this week (when i say we i usually mean me, liz and blakely...liz is my roommate and blakely is my other pretty much roommate the only thing she doesnt do in our room is sleep at night) we have always been away from the spaniards that live in our residency, they dont talk to us so we dont talk to them. however...blakely had a crush on one of them....finally talked to him and now we are all friends. its great because now there is no awkward tension during meal times. 


one last thing. church is great. there is a way cute missionary from texas that translates for me and helps me remember america. hahah. but im kind of nervous because people keep asking me if i would like to come to their house for dinner or something and i say yes and then remember i can barely understand what they say half the time. so this will be interesting. 


mom-i miss your cooking. dad-your texts make my day i love you. peter-please update me on your girl situation. patrick-stay cute. patsy-TALK TO ME! preston-i love you get out to utah again soon haha


thats all for now. xoxo

ginebra

well... i went to geneva last weekend and am deciding i should probably put this all down before i forget. it was such a beautiful place i loved it. we went friday morning the journey wasnt very eventful except for the fact that you know swiss chocolate is the best since swiss air had some of the best chocolate i have ever tasted. so anyways we get to geneva and its pouring, but its okay because i have my lovely yellow rain coat. so we just walked around the city close to the lake and just took in the scenery. then we went to the hostel put all our stuff down and then ventured to the other side of the lake..by boat...so fun. we walked, shopped, took in the scenery had lots of fun. then i kind of just had a freak out wishing i was with my papa...so i decided i would go get a great dinner (thanks dad). 

the next morning we went on a heck of a journey to go skiing. we had to take a bunch of trains and buses and im really still not quite certain where we were. but it was BEAUTIFUL. when we finally made it to where we got on a gondola to go to the mountain i was stoked. then the real fun started...we get to the top its snowing like crazy (i have no goggles) and it is so foggy. but its fine. then i get to the chairlift fall doing the splits because the stupid track thing made my skis go in opposite ways..then i get up a little and the chairlift stops because i didnt put my bar down..whoops. 

when i finally got to the top and started skiin it was great. there was so much snow and the mountains were gorgeous. it was an amazing experience and im so glad i got to go.

soccer

last night was a barcelona madrid game. like a yankees red sox game times about a thousand. so we all decided to go out to a bar and watch it. luckily we got there at 730 (the game started at 10) and actually got some seats in order to watch. i was wearing my barcelona jersey and luckily there was about half and half fans in the bar. the jumping and screaming that happened was really entertaining. i have never been so into a game before. although i still think soccer players are a tad bit dramatic (ex. falling over every time someone even touches them, or saying they got hit in the eye when the persons arm wasn't any where near their face etc.) it was a fun few hours.

there is another game next week so im really excited. we are all hoping to get to madrid or barcelona in order to actually go to a game but none of them compare to these two specific teams. it was a great welcoming into the spanish culture of sports. 

preston

its my oldest brothers birthday today and so this post is dedicated to him. he is pretty much the coolest person i know and i look up to him in so many ways. its fun being here in spain and thinking about the last time i was here with him. we had so much fun and we actually got to hang out for once. then he lived in utah last spring so i got to see him all the time. he is someone that i know i can always count on and can actually talk to about things.

 so happy birthday Preston i hope your having fun in Houston 

i love you.

las noches

nights in salamanca are the best. walking around is amazing because your walking around a school started in 1200. the buildings are made of stone and beautiful (plus they have a law against building buildings higher than the cathedral so you can always see it). i love walking around here because you always discover something new. 

the Plaza Mayor. by far one of the most gorgeous buildings i have ever seen. at night its lit up and you can go sit at a cafe and just enjoy the evening talking and experiencing spanish culture. i'm lucky because the plaza in Salamanca is by far the most beautiful and one of the main reasons i chose to come back here. 

one last thing... i wish i could dress the way they do here in the states. all the men including young to old have such suave style and wear the coolest shoes and jackets. the women are such fashionistas. EVERYONE and their mom (literally) wear fur coats and always look so put together. i love it.

first week of school

school started this week and its been really fun. i have realized how much work i have to do but i cant wait to keep speaking the language. there has been some shopping... i think my obsession here is going to zara... its the best and can cure just about anything. 

this is the beautiful river i get to run by everyday

salamanca is beautiful and i cant wait for the next months to explore it all.

finally at my home

my new home

well... we finally made it to salamanca and i couldnt be happier. 

tomorrow school starts and finally i can get busy on my spanish.

this is my room IT IS HUGE! 

we have our beds. desks. our own closets. 

and a huge living room area where we hope to put a couch.

well i love it and cant wait for the adventures

P.S. GREG AND PATSY ITS FREEZING HERE! 

im gonna have to buy another jacket ASAP

my new obsession with madrid

(it is said that if you walk on this plaque you will return to madrid. i did last spring with Preston and i guess it really came true because i got to walk on it again today)

i have been to madrid two times before this- once when i was in a wheelchair from my bull incident and once with my brother while we stayed in a very...strange area of the city. this time around i have actually really enjoyed the place. last night my new friends and i went to this amazing parade in the downtown area of madrid. it was for their christmas and the floats were absolutely breathtaking. plus they chucked candy at your head which provided some great entertainment.

I made it

Well I made it here to Madrid. I already got to use my Spanish with my taxi driver who wanted to know about Obama and if Mormons only had one wife. It was pretty entertaining. Tomorrow is Madrid's Christmas so I get to look at more trees and celebrate again. So far so good on my travels can't wait for more adventures to come.

Newest Blogger!

starting a blog for my semester abroad!