i have found where i am going to retire...Torresillas, Spain

So on this trip to Torresillas, I basically planned out the rest of my life. When I am old and rich and done working I am going to retire here. The decision has been made. I am going to live on a city surrounded by this view on one side: 

And with this view on the other side of the city: 











And I am going to drive this adorable European car:

And I am going hang out in the plaza mayor with cool elderly people that have random bands playing and are just dancing in the cobblestone streets and call out to Americans to join them as we walk past. They just seemed so happy and chill in the sun, chatting and joking around all day.

And I'm going to live in a beautifully warm-colored house just like this one:

 

Oh and here's part of our little group of city explorers j chillin, having a lovely time:

Avila, a cold mountain town

Avila was absolutely beautiful from indoors. In all honesty the only thing it has going for it is the sick stone wall around the city perimeter that may (or may not) be the oldest one is Spain. Anyways with me being pretty sick all week this was a rough trip. We were expected to trudge through this three-hour tour [all outdoors while it was snowing and no one brought umbrellas] and I discovered my shoe had a hole in the bottom pretty early on and snowy sludge would seep through and drench my socks. So after talking to the director that my sickness was only getting worse, we snuck off and went shopping and to some little cafes and met up with the group after the tour. I stole these top two pictures from someone in the group but I'm a wimp when it comes to being cold, especially when I'm sick. But with our adaptation to the plan I had a lovely time and even enjoyed the heated floor in the visitor's center as we waited for the group to catch up.

Sickly, sick, sicky in Spain

So all through this trip I've been humoring myself and describing everything with a "in Spain" tacked onto the end on the sentence, as if to imply its just that much better! Well there is definitely one thing that doesn't apply to the Spain=better format. Being sick in Spain is much worse than at home for a number of reasons:
1. I can't just call my mom and say, "hey i've had a fever on/off for a few days. should i go to the doctor?"
2. i have no idea what medicine to find/use/take from my host family. pssht why didn't they teach us medical jargon in university Span 105?
3. my host mom is STILL constantly trying to feed me. You'd think she'd understand that when i use the phrase "pienso ir a vomitar" (i think i am going to vomit) she would understand that my stomach hurts and no i don't want chocolate and churros in the morning no matter how dang good they look.
4. you have to endure herbal remedies that are supposedly necessary for my health. i know she is just being so nice and there are some truths to them but the discomfort factor>result. i was trying to get some warm water with salt to gargle away my sore throat and she replaced it with a strong hot lemon and honey replacement, emphasis on the lemon. my stomach was a little unhappy with that. and bless her heart she forced me to put on these thick PJ pants and a thick sweatshirt to sleep in so i could "sweat it out" through the night. now idk if there's truth in the ability to sweat out bacteria out of my system but lemme just tell you it makes for a long night.
5. spanish is just that much harder to understand when your head is spinning
6. you miss out on seeing and doing fun things with the group like going on a Madrid walk or to ikea with the family...

...Anyways that's enough whining for now. It's a little rough.

HOLY TOLEDO! -yes this was the joke of the weekend

View of the city of Toledo! i pronounced it the tourist way but the Spanish way is just a bit different- "Toe-ley-tho." It is absolutely beautiful there!

This is the lower view from inside Toledo. Note the $10 million house in the top right. It was so beautifully sunny and peaceful there. They have such rich culture and several beautiful museums and cathedrals as well. We got to see some El Greco masterpieces as well as some beautiful architectural feats! This was our trip last weekend (sorry its an overdue post) and we were there all day and back before the night had begun. It's a pretty small city but definitely has some breathtaking views.

the heart of Alcala

This is my daily morning view from the bus stop after school. Alcala is so beautiful with its rustic buildings and usually sunny days I couldn't resist snapping a shot of the beauty. This is at the corner of Plaza Cervantes in the center of Alcala. Every Spanish city is centered around a plaza (most of them are called their plaza mayor). But Alcala's is named after the author of Don Quixote, who was born there. During siesta time when all the stores are closed (2-5pm) tons of people just sit in the center and chat, visit and soak up the sun.

Getting Ghetto in Madrid

a little rain in spain

Me and my roommate on our way home from class in Alcala

Lost in translation

Okay now that my first week in Spain has passed I am ready to post my list of words to look up. I would write a word down in Spanish (or English) and find the definition next time I had wifi. So go ahead and enjoy my troubles. This may be telling:

 

Confused-confundido

Manta-blanket

Maricon-fag

Loud-fuerte

Noise-ruido

Heels-tacones

Diablo-devil

Matar-to kill

Bruto/asco-gross

Pesa-heavy

Guay o guau-cool

Estas seguro-are you sure?

 

Anyways there's the bulk of them but add in all the misunderstandings. Like Americans pronounce wifi as why-fie and Spaniards pronounce it whiff-iee. That one took a while to catch on...as do many others.

Presh

Bus rides with mi hermana, Mikaela

view from my bedroom window

So I live in the beautiful town of Alcala de Henares, which is just outside of Madrid. I have a special affinity for this town already where everyone lives in apartments and goes for evening walks around town with their spouse before dinner. This is the view from our tiny tiny bedroom's window. I don't live in the ghetto but often we hear loud noises at night, which I swear are gunshots. But supposedly its pretty safe but I hope I never come close enough at night to realize whether or not either of these are true.

Catedrals y Edificos

I just had to share the beauty of the colors of this cathedral. The frescoes are breathtaking and you can see the color reflections of the rosette windows on the pews. The tradition of rosettes in cathedrals are symbolic of Mary and they intended the color refractions to be symbolic of her presence. It sure effectively evokes emotion.

Portal to Madrid

This is the courtyard of the metro station in Madrid, Spain! It is beautiful and if you get a closer you can see a little pond with tons of tortugas (or turtles) in it. People come and just drop off their pet turtles they don't want anymore! Werid. But this metro station just set a precedence for the beauty that lay ahead outside these walls. Madrid is muy hermosa. [notice the Swedish mittens...]

The Best Host Family Possible!

This precious little five year old is my hermana. She has endless energy and loves to play dress up but her favorite is "esconde las pelotas" (hide the balls). She is a sweetheart and her little Spanish voice is adorable. Her parents are just as wonderful, with their endless supply of food at meal times and such welcoming attitudes. I love my host family!

IM IN SPAIN!

Traveling to Spain was no easy task. The flights (2) were long, the layovers were long and I think the woman next to me was actually dying. Or at least her frequent coughs and keeling over across our seat line indicated so. On that plane I had my first of many humorous "Americana" moments. I boarded pretty late and when I got to my seat the overhead storage compartments were full with oxygen masks and room was scarce. The flight attendant was saying any bag that didn't fit needed to be checked so I was getting pretty nervous. As I fought across the tons of people looking for space there were several individuals telling me different directions in Spainish I understood but was too timid to respond to. Finally some nice soul took pity on me and he told me in English where the last space was and I was able to slip it in! Bless his heart. Traveling is rough. Jet lag is rougher. But by the end of the day it was already worth it.

Becoming a blogger

Okay so I have always been reluctant to create a blog because I figured how could I be vain enough to assume that people want to know exactly what I'm thinking, doing and care all that much about me. It's like those license plate frames "I'd rather be dancing" or whatever. Sitting behind them in traffic well you just wanna respond, "Nobody cares! You're driving. Suck it up." (no offense to you avid bloggers. don't worry. i've still stalked you all along...) But after being assured to by several people and deciding to finally give in, I've consoled myself with the notion that it is the most efficient, necessary means of communicating all the happenings in Spain to mi familia and a few friends. So be patient with me while i figure this out and enjoy!