20 you were good to me!

I am finally 21... doesn't feel spectacular, I guess it never does. I do keep thinking about this past year and everything that has happened.

• I got to work at Lake Junaluska where I met some amazing Christ lovers who were honestly seeking God in the ministry that we were doing.
• After my sophomore year in the I-House I really didn't think that it could get any better, I was right, it wasn't better just great in its on respect. I met some incredible people and had some incredible experiences.
• I was finally able to make it to Spain and have basically had the experience of a lifetime.
• Yesterday I chatted with friends in the states and last night I was able to celebrate my birthday with friends that I have made here.

Thanks everybody for blessing me every day and making this past year sooo amazing. I love you all and cant wait to see what 21 has for me!

Thumbs up to Barcelona, Thumbs down to Spanish projects.

• This past week me and a group of friends went on a trip to Barcelona and it was A-MAZING!!. We stayed at this hostel that was full of Americans and Canadians on vacation with mommy and daddy's money (I realized that I judge people who aren't here on study abroad). We went to see some of the landmarks like The Gaudi house, Sagrada Familia, The Picasso museum, The soccer/football stadium (for free), and the beach of course.

• While in Barcelona I was surprised by the amount of old and naked that I witnessed.
• On the way back from Barcelona we had to spend the night at the airport and then catch the 6:30 a.m. flight to Madrid. We got back home around 10:00 a.m., went to class, and worked on finishing the work for the presentation we had to give at 5:00p.m...It was a long day.
• Now I am working on finishing the corrections on this project for geography so that I can get some rest.

That is all for today...These guys are pretty boss!

Sooo...it's been a while...

I realize that it has been about three months since I have last blogged...my bad:). A lot has happened since then.

• I have traveled to Italy, France, and seen more of Spain.
• I have met a lot of new people that I now call my friends.
• I've been practicing and improving my Spanish (sort of).
• I have missed all of my friends and family from home.
• I have wanted to stay in Spain forever.
• I have wanted to go home and move on.
• I have spent waaay too much money.
• I have had some incredible spats with God, and been proven wrong.

But, most of all I have grown. I miss you all and can't wait to see what is going to happen next for me...Hasta luego:)

I have recently been getting back into Ray Lamontagne...he's pretty great!

P.S. I do promise to be better about this whole blogging thing from now on....FELIZ CINCO DE MAYO!!

Mi Ciudad

I FREAKING LOVE IT HERE!!

I have met so many great people here which has eased the transition from America and all of my friends back home. So far Toledo has been like one big I-House set in the back drop of an ancient city and in Spanish. I live in an apartment with Michal and Jan from Slovakia, Anna from UNCG, and Edgar from Mexico who is moving in sometime this week...I hope. My neighbors are also international students from South Korea and from the States. My Piso is also kind of like the party house where everyone comes to hang out before going out so I meet a lot of people that way. Here are some of the adventures that I have been on.

• I have a gym here in the city and it is a twenty minute walk from my piso. In the states I would NEVER walk twenty minutes up and down hill to go to the gym but there is something about walking there and feeling like a part of the city that is just cool.
• The one thing that I really miss from America is grass...not just grass but clean, green, thick grass that you can lay in and walk barefoot in. On our tour of the Fabrica de Armas where the majority of the Spanish students study I saw the first patch of GRASS!!
• Yesterday we ( the Americans) decided that it would be a good idea to get out of our Pisos (Apartments) and go for a walk (get lost) in the city. On our adventure we ended up outside of the walls of Casco Historico and across the Rio Tajo where there were so many breathtaking views of Casco.
• I LOVE TOLEDO!

Night out!

I have been in Toledo, Spain for about a week and a half now and I still feel like I am in a dream and could wake up at any moment. Every morning I get up and look out of the balcony in my piso (Spanish word for apartment or flat) to this view...the fact that I am living in a piso in Spain still blows my mind.

I do want to say that I miss my UNCG family (current, post-grad, international, and all)and I cant wait to get back and give you all a big hug. Having conversations with you on skype o just seeing that you left a comment asking how I am doing really means more than you will ever know.

Here are some updates for those who I havent spoken to yet and I really like to make lists so just deal with it:

• I am living in a piso with two Slovakian guys...we are supposed to have two girls from Chile move in with us but...we will see...
• Classes dont start until next Monday.
• Things have been really slow around here yet so i have just been learning my way around the city which means frequently getting lost.
• I have surprised myself with how easily I have been able to communicate with people.
• I found a gym!!!:)
• Spanish kids are freaking adorable.
• MacDonald's tastes better here.
• umm...I think thats it for now.

Hasta Luego!!

Ghangstas Paradise

Today we sat in a coffee shop that was very....European. In the middle of it all Ghangstas Paradise started to play...