finally, a breath of fresh air!

Just so everyone knows, waking up after walking and sweating for miles but not being able to shower before bed because there is no water, feels disgusting!  Oh my goodness I didn't know I could feel that gross lol!  Running water is a wonderful luxury that I didn't like living without last night.  But it was ok, because I woke up to water that was brown haha... Its almost never-ending, but I can't help but laugh because I'm in Espana!  I was proud of myself for having the energy to get up, run my water til it was mostly clean, shower, go get breakfast, and still be on time for class.  Our morning started with a 2 hour lesson in Spanish, with essentially no English to help me out.  Our teacher was very helpful though because she spoke slow and used hand motions.  I would really love to be able to pick up more Spanish, but my 3 credits of Spanish don't seem to be worth a whole lot at the moment.  I am listening though, and I heard enough to know that tipping is not required and rarely accepted here.  They include tax in most things, so it's wonderful to know that the price you see is the price you pay.  It almost makes up for the exchange rate.  After a ton of classes, we got a little while to rest before heading out on a guided tour of the "Cathedral de Toledo"!  Holy gothic cathedral, it was B-E-A-UTIFUL!  I have visited old cathedrals / churches in London, but this was entirely different.  The ceilings went on forever and there were amazing stained glass windows at the top and tombs and details you couldn't begin to believe!  Unfortunately, I only got pictures of the outside because we weren't allowed to use cameras inside. BUT i did buy a souvenir book on the history of the cathedral and it came with pictures, so don't worry, you all will have the opportunity to see them.  I am almost positive that my mouth was hanging open then entire time.  The architecture and attention to detail is unsurpassed.  Our guide told us that this cathedral is the second most important in Europe second to the Vatican.  Not sure if he is just saying that because he is Spanish, but I definitely wouldn't doubt it.  To make my day even nicer, we were done around 6:30 today so I had an entire evening to sit at a Tapas bar and enjoy myself!  I'm really enjoying the people and the city and as always I'm thankful to be her!

Love to everyone!

 hard to be in class with a wide open window leading to a beautiful city

 cathedral!

 and again...

 mojito... 

 ... and a shared pina colada

 i loved this place!

I've literally seen this guy several times and he is adorable! so i creeped... yeah i know....

I definitely hiked several miles today...

Oh my goodness Spain is busy!!!  Maybe thats just me, but it is hard to wake up at 7 and go to bed after midnight lol... Thats ok though because this city is absolutely beautiful!  The views I've seen just walking around town are just breathtaking... Everyone should probably be jealous lol jk (but seriously).  We started the day off with a breakfast that at least lasted me until lunch lol...  The way they eat here and the times are so off so I'm definitely still adjusting.  Next we got to see the university whose facilities we are using while here.  Buildings are so different here!  The university has a mix of old structures (old enough that they are falling apart a little) and new structures that help preserve the old structures.  Never seen anything like it, but it sure seemed cozy.  (even if we did get some strange stares for being such a large group of americans!) after getting a tour we got a break before starting 2 hours of survival Spanish.  I DEFINITELY don't remember enough Spanish!  Those 2 hours were intense... But I made it through and got to each lunch at the Spanish time of 2 o'clock.  Again, cultural differences are easy to spot.  We were assigned a scavenger hunt after classes ended for the day and that was a chore.  Its hard to walk around in city that is entirely built on a hill haha.  We got most of the places, but gave up for the last few so that we could join the entire group to hike a couple miles (ya know, no biggie) to see the sunset while viewing the city from a different hill!  We made it though and got some amazing pictures to prove it!  I love being here (even though I would have brought some people with me) and this city is just amazing!  Many thanks to everyone that helped me get here and I'll continue to keep y'all posted!

Muchos Love to All!

 amazing cathedral in the background

not really sure lol

 had to get a picture with that view behind me!

 statue of the guy that wrote don quijote... i know i should know his name, but.....

 this is toledo...

 ...with a river around it...

... and then at sunset-ish

3 terminals, lots of aggies, a few bus rides, and no electricity later...

So I decided to go ahead and write this blog even though my Internet in the dorm in Toledo is choosing to hate me.  Today/yesterday has been extremely eventful but I finally feel like I’m HERE, in Spain, ready to soak it up!  The day has been full of running around trying to figure out what I’m supposed to be doing.  After getting to DFW, I found my gate right off the bat and thought surely this must be a good sign!  It should be an easy flight and I’ll get exactly where I need to be in the Madrid, or so I thought.  The flight wasn’t bad except it was 9 hours and sleeping on planes is definitely NOT one of my special talents.  I tried taking some Nyquil and that just made me sleepy but it didn’t’ help with the comfort problem.  Thankfully, I had someone very nice next to me on the plane and they gave me their window seat.  Without that, I couldn’t have survived…  I met another Aggie on my flight and he was kind enough to help lead me from terminal 4 of the Madrid airport to terminal 4S to get my luggage and then help get me on the right bus to terminal 1.  The aggie network helped me out and the icing on the cake was he spoke fluent Spanish so the process was fairly quick =) After waiting around terminal 1 for hours and meeting other Aggies that weren’t even in my program, I finally was able to get on a bus to bring me to Toledo.  I tried my hardest to stay awake for the bus ride, but there was no way that was possible.  I’m afraid I may have missed some amazing scenery but I guess I’ll never know… Anyways, Toledo is GORGEOUS!  It’s absolutely beautiful.  The campus/ town (I haven’t quite figured it out) is set upon a hill and looks (and probably used to be) a castle! OMG you cannot even begin to believe how amazing it looks.  Also, I got my own room!  That is kind of exciting, also kind of disappointing, but I do know that when we get to Ciudad Real I will be with a host family!  The dorms here are very nice (it also doesn’t hurt I have my own bathroom)!  I managed to shut the electricity off in my room, even though I made sure to have adapters AND converters.  But it came back and I got to shower and feel clean for the first time in a while…  We had Chinese food for dinner so my first meal in Spain wasn’t even Spanish lol… Oh well, I am here, I am happy and I already miss everyone! 

Love y’all muchos!

 view from my window

 different angled view from my window

 my dorm room

 my bathroom (yeah, it's huge)

 dorms!

 random sights

 beautiful structures

 pretty flowers

love!

T-16 Hours

Well I know I'm not officially in Spain yet, but I figured it would be better to start a blog now rather than procrastinate as is my usual course of action...  I am almost completely packed and ready to go.  I cannot believe that its already time for me to go.  I can remember a couple months ago not even knowing if I would be able to go on this trip of a lifetime.  Thankfully, I was able and had people that saw to it that I could afford to do it!  This trip is truly a blessing and the opportunity of a lifetime so thank you to everyone for encouraging me to go =)  now, just stay on me so I can post pictures and keep everyone updated!
Love y'all muchos :)

Just to show off my handywork, here is a picture of my bags... also, kinley is convinced that if she lays on it or close enough to my luggage i will either stay or take her with me...