Third time's the charm.

Over the weekend my group did a few fantastic things.

Schedule:
Friday -- Parque de Ciencias (Science Park)
Saturday -- Sevilla
Sunday -- Córodba


Friday we met at about 9am or so, and went to this science park and it was quite fantastic. It reminded me of the Fernbank museum, but it's a little smaller, and doesn't have as much fun interactive stuff... those bubbles really make the trip worth it.
They opened this brand new exhibit about the brain which was REALLY cool. It was filled with a lot of wiring that was supposed to signify the neurons or whatever in your brain... it was really cool, but you kind of had to be there to experience it I guess.

I saw this really cool Astronomy exhibit about how the early Andalusians used Astronomy to build religious buildings so that they were facing the right direction and what not. It was really cool to see how scientific everything was.

Saturday we left at o'god thirty to get to Sevilla, seeing as how it was my third time I wasn't quite as excited as everyone else, but I was still pretty stoked. We got there and went on a quickfire tour that took us through everything that I'd already seen. When they left us to do our own thing, I explained a few things to the people on our group. My real highlight of the trip was buying my Sevilla mug, which is a bull... because Sevilla is super into bull fighting. :) It's so cool.

After all of our travels and what not we headed back to the hotel, where I skyped with my semi-dysfunctional family. ;) Love you guys.

The next morning we got to sleep a little longer because of daylight savings time, Thank JESUS! We left to go to Córdoba and everyone slept a LOT.
We got there and took yet another quickfire tour through some old Jewish neighborhoods, saw the big mezquita/catedral, the one with the big arches, google it or check out the album on my facebook. That one is still pretty impresionante to me.

When we were done with everything and I got my mug from Córdoba we headed back to the bus and were on the road back to Granada.

The moon was super pretty on the mountains that night. The sun was setting and it made the mountains look purple, and the sky was pink and blue. The moon was just hanging out like "hey, i'm gonna make a pretty picture for you"... and it did. :)

For those of you who don't know, Luna is my favorite astronomical thing, aside from the Orion Nebula. :)

*fun fact*

That was my trip.

Lot's of repeats, but still really beautiful.


My internship is going really well. Last week I helped a girl with a worksheet one on one, and she's really good at English. Today I taught them how to work through a word problem that was kind of confusing, but nothing major. Some of them were confused because it was a problem about food, and "chicken" was a character, and they thought it was a type of food. Easy mistake to make, nothing major.

I love the kids I work with. I still don't know them all by name, or on any deep personal level, but they're all really great.

:) They all say "Hello Megan!" in the hallways and it's great. BLAH I want to be a professor. :) SO BAD!

All of my students will call me Megan, and use the tú form instead of usted, and it'll be great. GAW
I can't wait. :)


.... i'm dreaming big. Time to go get tapas with intercambios again!


<3

Buenas Noches. 

Do ya wanna be jealous?

Welp, just planned my two big trips of the Fall. I didn't think I'd get to do these, buuuuut I am. So I'm excited. 

I'm heading to the following cities; Paris, Florence, Venice and Milan.

Here's my game plan:

3 1/2 days in Paris seeing every main attraction: (My friend AJ says it's totally possible)

Hotel de Ville

Notre Dame

Sainte Chapelle

Quai de la Megisserie

Bridge with locks

Louvre

Eye of paris

Jardin du Tuileries

Place de la Corcorde

Arc du Triomphe

Moulin Rouge – just the outsideeeee

Eifel tower

Versailles

Boat tour on the river at sunset :)

  

Then I'll be spending Five days in Italy:

Florence:

Ponte Vecchio

Boboli Garden and Pitti Palace

See the Sights in Duomo Square

Piazzale Michelangelo

  
Venice:

Visit St. Mark’s Basilica and Square 

#1 Vaporetto for a Grand Canal Tour (boat tour on river)

Festival de San Nicholas

Christmas Markets

Milan:

Spin on the Bull’s Balls

Eat a Panzerotto from Luini

Canals in the Navigli

San Abrogio Day

Feast day of the Immaculate Concepcion

So yeah, that's my game plan. 

Everything will cost my first born child, but lets be real. It's worth it. 

Four cities in Europe that I've been DYING to see, with some of my best friends, like c'mon, what more could a 20 year old ask for? 

:)

I'm gonna head to sleep. 

Gaw I hate planning, but this, this is worth it.

<3

Buenas Noches

 

A little blue shadow called homesickness.

Again, for some reason, I'm struggling with homesickness.

I can't tell if this is my subconscious trying to tell me that I'm not quite ready to leave home yet, or if it's my nerves telling me that I'm growing up and becoming independent.
I haven't felt homesick in a month, and I thought that I was doing really well. Today wasn't the best day of my life, it also wasn't the worst, but I definitely felt a funk creep in late last night/early this morning. It isn't anything major, I'm just finally over the high of being in Spain. And I mean, that sounds so stupid, and so ungrateful, but it's kind of like when you overstay your visit in Disney World... well, I'd probably never get sick of Disney World, I mean.. princesses everywhere? ... Anyways, I really am getting used to Spain.

Words that I never thought I'd say.

Granted, I did just find a bunch of WONDERFUL places, that I know I won't be able to visit in the states, but I mean, there has to be some sort of equivalent somewhere. The Shawarma will never be as good, but I can live with that... kind of. Alibaba's isn't bad. :)

So, yeah, as of right now I think that I'm officially coming down from my Spain high. It's kind of disappointing knowing that you really can get used to anywhere. But humans are adaptable, so I guess I figured at some point that I'd eventually get used to this place... I just didn't expect it to happen so soon.

Being that I am finally accustomed to Spain, I'm really starting to miss Atlanta... I miss the noises of down town, I miss seeing my friends, I miss the smells of snuggle and down town smog. I miss the sounds of neighbors mowing their lawns at o'god thirty. I miss hearing my cat wake me up at 7am because she brought in another effing animal. I miss hugs from my mom and daddy. I miss going to Steak and Shake with my brosef. I miss a lot of things at home.

I didn't realize just how much I missed everything until I had a small inkling of hope that my mom might have been coming to visit for a weekend or so. (this is not me saying that you are now obligated to come mom, I'm a big girl, I'm just having a childish moment) But I was really excited when I thought she was coming, I planned out everything and looked at plane tickets... I was a little over zealous with everything, I just got to thinking about how awesome it'd be to show her my second home, give her some things to take home so that I don't have to pay overweight charges... it would of been great.... and thinking of all of that just got me to missing everything.


But honestly, I really should just be fucking ecstatic that I'm in a different country, on a different freaking continent right? Unfortunately I'm an ungrateful kind of person...


Meh, it's just one of those days. Missing my family, missing Atlanta... and I know that the second I get home I'm going to want to turn right back around... but the grass is always greener.

Nadie está contento con su suerte.

<3

Buenas Noches

The Series of Fortunate Events

Today started off on a not so high note.
Well didn't start that way, but had some low notes.
That stuck with me...


Anyway, on my way to the Dry Cleaner Man's shop place, I listened to some Sinatra and Astaire, and got myself into a better mood. When I arrived at the man's shop with my bags full of blankets he instantly put a smile on my face. He really just had this old cheery glow about him. I don't know if it was just that he was happy to be doing his job, or if he's just an all around nice guy. He was super sweet though. I want to take him something baked. Like, that's how awesome he was.

I digress...

After that I walked home at leisurely place, still not really wanting to see my roomies. Sometimes you just need space, ya know?
So I stopped in a few stores because I was still in desperate need of some sweaters and long sleeve shirts because I only brought summer clothes, like doofus. (sp?)

So I stopped in a few places, unhappy with the selection and prices of things, so I kept on walking into places that I knew would have what I was looking for. I landed at H&M, stereotypically. I found everything that I was looking for though. I'm still pretty convinced that H&M is better in Europe, just in general.

I bought three sweaters, two shirts, and a pair of warm socks, because I failed to bring my warm ones. But now I have some, so I'm happy.

Once my retail therapy was complete I headed home with a huge grin on my face and a partially empty wallet. But I mean, I needed winter clothes, so it's really acceptable.

When I got home I started on homework to get my brain to focus on something. After that I left with A and K to meet with S and K2 to go to the Jazz Club that S told us so much about. It's called "Bohemia Jazz Bar" in Plaza de los Lobos. I need to take someone else here. PLEASE

It's so fantastic. When you walk in it's almost as if you've entered strait into the 50's or something. There's a wall full of books that greet you right when you walk in, everything is made of really dark wood. There are three pianos in the place. You can sit at the piano and drink. There are shelves lined with nostalgic things, walls covered with posters and photos of old movies. I saw Humphry and Clark everywhere, along with Marylin and Audrey and Billie. AW it was fantastic.

I had a drink called "Ella" after Ms. Fitzgerald herself, and it was basically 'grown up nesquik'. It was Chocolate Liquor over ice with Brandy and something else. It was delicious, fuerte but delicious.

It was really the time of my life. I enjoyed myself tremendously...

I'm probably going to go there again. If not to enjoy the atmosphere, to at least look at the walls a little more closely and to get to know the guy who runs the place. Gaw it was fantastic.


I'm going to go to sleep on a happy note now.


<3

Buenas Noches

Rain or Shine.

I've learned that you're never going to be 100% happy in any living condition that you're in.

It was no secret that my freshman year I only got along with one of my room mates, and there were five of us. It was terrible. But really, it was just about cleaning... which isn't really a little thing.

My sophomore year I was pretty content with my room mate. We never had any real problems, though cleaning was still kind of an issue.

Over the Summer I had a completely different personality than my room mate, and that caused a few unspoken issues, but those are issues just the same.

Right now I'm facing a lot of issues with personality differences, a lot of passive aggressive behavior, and over all different interests and goals. Different home lives, different socioeconomic classes, a lot of things. And because I'm a) too immature to really talk to people and b) afraid that I won't be tactful about it, I'm going to rant about it on here.

I'm having problems dealing with just how different my two room mates are. One has a very abrasive personality. When somethings wrong, she won't exactly say it, but she'll let you know that there's a problem. The other one is extremely sensitive, as in she doesn't want anyone to be mad at her ever.

Both personalities remind me of people that I'm very close to. However I know them more than I know these people, so I know how to deal with them in their respective manners. But these girls, I'm not about to start a fight about nothing by trying to say something and sounding like a malafolla. (don't translate that, it won't come out right)

Anyways. It's just getting frustrating.

I'm trying to find things to do outside of the apartment. I'm not trying to subject myself to an atmosphere where I feel unwelcome.

Time to find an inetercambio.


I'm gonna go do some dry cleaning errand now.
Deuces.


<3

Buenas Tardes. 

New Self Discovery.

This weekend was really relaxed. We didn't do a whole lot.

Thursday and Friday I stayed in because I had a small infestation problem... but yeah, it's all taken care of now :)
I stayed in pretty much all day yesterday, but finally left the house to go to dinner with K, A and R.

We found a hambuger place called Dakota's which is RIGHT down the street from our house, it's literally a five minute walk, which yesterday seemed like a fantastic thing, but now that I'm really thinking about it it's probably really dangerous. Having an American burger place right there with Spanish beer... Oh man. My two favorite things for a very reasonable price with two very nice british guys running the place. Oh man... What bank account?


Anyway, I had a fantastic burger called the "Clint Eastwood", I was feelin pretty lucky.
*BaDumCH*
So we had amazing burgers that were literally the very thing that my mouth had been asking for since I'd arrived in Spain. They have really weird burgers here... they're like... pink, even when they're cooked. STRANGE

Anyway, after that I walked around with K and R for a little while and A went home. We found the shortcut to all of the tea houses, which again, was probably not the best idea.

We found one with a bunch of good tea, that was a little different that the Arabic places. I've discovered that my favorites thus far are "Cuentas de la Alhambra" and "Sueños de Invierno", both of which I will be bringing home. :) Promise.


So on to this Self Discovery Topic.

That night I came home with everyone and was really in the mood for Jazz music of some reason? I think we'd talked about it a little at dinner because we talked about New Orleans. Anyway, I went on a crazy downloading spree last night and downloaded the following:

Del Paxton -- from That think you do!, not real, but still good.
Billie Hollidy -- The Best Of
Frank Sinatra -- from the "where have you been all my life" sound track...
Connie Francis -- amazingess
Tony Bennett -- Duets
Duke Ellington -- about five CD's worth
Carmen McRae -- Only 1 CD
Ella Fitzcherald -- "Greatest Hits"... all four CD's
Fred Astaire -- the best of
Miles Davis -- more best of
Sarah Vaughan -- pretty legit stuff.


And that's how my computer hard drive became full. :)


But I love it, and I can't get enough of it.
I really think that I was born in the wrong time period.


I'm buying flamenco CD's while I'm here, because I'm told that Flamenco can be called the Jazz of Spain. I'll give it a look.


Just a simple update about my life right now.
If you think you can give any other advice about good Jazz from way back when, I'd love it :)



<3

Buenas Noches