A realization.

Today Elizabeth and I went shopping and explored our neighbor of Madrid a little bit.  We went to a travel agency that her parents are using called Madrid and Beyond to see if they had advice for us since we don't have classes on Fridays.  They were very helpful and we are excited to start planning day trips :)  Shopping was a lot of fun as well.  I purchased a black cardigan since I didn't have one and apparently it is a staple piece of clothing or at least that is what my friends told me.  And I always purchased this amazing hoodie:

It is so me and so bright.  I stand out with wearing bright clothes in Madrid - but oh well. I like to express my bubbley personality.

When I got back from shopping today I checked my email - I found out there is another trip going to Morocco for the same weekend as before.  I was really upset when I got this email because I literally booked my flight to Brussels 24 hours before.  As soon as I got the email I texted my mom to see what her opinion was.  Mom and Dad both agreed that going to Morocco would be a great experience - they knew my main goal in coming to Spain to study was to spend a weekend in Africa and experience the culture - but I just booked a flight to Brussels.  I really didn't want to waste the money on a flight, but my parents insisted I sign up for the Morocco trip.  After thinking it over myself I think they are right.  I wanted to travel to Africa and I have the chance now.  My Brussels flight was about 60 American dollars which is not that expensive.  So I have made my decision and I will be going to Morocco :)

However, through this little experience I had a realization - I have the best parents anyone could ask for.  They love me so much and are willing to do anything to make me happy.  I know I have said it numerous times before, but I really can't thank them enough for everything they do for me.  Mom and Dad you will never know how much you mean to me.  You have given me everything I have ever needed and wanted and so much more.  You taught me what i t means to be an outstanding person.  You taught me what is important in life and how to carry myself as a strong Catholic women. You guys are seriously the best and I would be lost with out you.  I love you guys and miss you much!!!

Just in case you guys were missing my face in the last couple of post! This is me at the meeting fountain in Sol - where we went shopping and where the nightlife is.

Miss you and love you all.  Paz y amor. God Bless.

Mango es la palabra mágica

Let me start by saying I am really enjoying my time in Spain, and I can not thank my parents enough for letting me have this opportunity.  Yesterday I was asked by a close friend of my back home if I am glad I made the decision to study abroad this semester where I wasn't going with a good friend.  The question caught me a little off guard for some reason - I mean I have thought about what it would be like to be studying abroad with some of my closest friends and I have come to conclusion that both experiences would be different but amazing none-the-less.  However, for me I believe I made the right choice to come to Spain where I didn't know anyone that well.  And I am please to say I have made friends quickly - which isn't that surprising because I am a pretty cool person - just kidding!! When talking to other students that have studied abroad before some of them told me they met some of their best friends while studying abroad.  Even though I have only been here not even two weeks I can tell already that I will stay close friends with the people I have met here.  I also know I will learn them inside and out because of all the traveling we are going to be doing.

Speaking of traveling - I booked a flight to Brussels in February!!  So excited! I never thought I would go to Brussels while studying in Spain, but oh well I know it will be amazing! Maya (my housemate) is going there when I am going to Paris so she will be able to tell me all about it! It is exciting planning trips around Europe - also my flight to Brussels was 40 euros round trip so about 65 american dollars.  I would say that is CHEAP!! The next step is to plan trips for when mom and dad are here and maybe a weekend in February.  Not really sure yet.  The plan is still to go to Italy for Easter Break and if all possible go to Greece for a couple of days.  I will keep you all posted :)

Classes went well today.  I am finding myself very interested in Ancient Art History - the class I was least excited for I am actually enjoying! I find the methods and techniques used in the paintings to be unbelievable.  The thought and the detail that went into each painting is unreal to me.  Something exciting that happened today - I was actually able to answer two questions in my ethics class.  Philosophy and I have never really gotten along that well before, but I am trying my hardest to understand what these so called "philosophers" are preaching to me.

Today after class me and three friends went to a local bar to get sangria.  This was my third time having sangria and they have all been very different.  Today's might have been my favorite - it was more "winey" then the others but still very sweet.  I think we have a new tradition of going to get sangria on Thursdays after we are done with class.  I would not be opposed to it at all.  It is a nice time to talk and start the weekend off.

Anyways, why my blog is titled "Mango es la palabra mágica".... Well tonight Gloria made pasta and I probably had a little more - no a lot more - then I should have.  And I was pretty full and then Gloria asked Maya and I if we would like mango something - after I heard the word mango I was hooked.  Gloria could see/hear my excitement and said "Mango es la palabra mágica" or mango is the magic word.  It was great.

Well I believe that is all for tonight.  Some of my friends and I are going out tonight - but something low key.  I think we might go to a bar and just hang out.  Not really sure - all I know is I want to be back before the metro stops running - so I should be home around 2.  Tomorrow I will be going to Sol with Elizabeth to find this travel agent place - Madrid and Beyond - to see if they have any recomendations for things to do in and around Madrid, since we both don't have classes on Fridays.  And then some of our other friends are meeting us there to go shopping.  Then I am going to Salamanca and El Escorial this weekend.

Anyways, hope everyone is having a good week and classes are going well for those who started school this week.  I hope you enjoy this post.  Paz y amor.  God Bless.

8 days until Paris. 18 days until my birthday. Life is good.

Life is good. Stress happens and we all need to cope with it.  The girls who I am going to Paris with finally booked a hotel!! It took a lot of stress off of me, now that we have a place to stay.  We will really be in Paris three nights - but we only book a hotel for Thursday and Friday night and not Saturday night.  We have this idea that since our plane leaves around 6am on Sunday will will just stay up late in Paris and then get the airport and camp out until our flight.  The only downside I see of this is having to carry around our backpacks all day on Saturday - if we decide this isn't a good idea I'm sure we can find a hotel/hostel to stay in on Saturday night.  Thanks to all the people that helped with finding a hotel - shot-outs to Paul Coates and Mom!! You guys are great!!

Nothing else really exciting has been happening - just going to class trying to learn something! Ohh... today I wen to a volunteer meeting at SLU and I found there are two main sites I would really like to volunteer at.  The first one is a local soup kitchen about a 4 minute walk from campus.  The other volunteer oppurtunity I was interested in fits me perfectly - I just hope I am able to participate in it.  Here is the link: http://spain.slu.edu/student_life/service_opportunities/docs/bokatas.pdf     Let me know if it doesn't work.  The only thing I am worried about is walking alone to and from the volunteer site.  I will have to contact Ana (the lady in charge and see what she says)  I have always wanted to do something like this and I just hope it will all work out :)

Since I won't be going to Morocco for my winter break, I believe I might be going to Brussels.  I have heard it is wonderful, but I need to do some research!! Everything will work out fine though.  For all you Packer fans out there - I will be able to watch them dominate the Bears on this Sunday at a decent hour.  I have not decided if I will be watching it on my computer or if I will be going to a local bar to watch the game - either way I really want to watch the Packers win! And then they will be in the Superbowl - which is on my birthday! Life is great - isn't it.

I did my reading assignment for my philosophy/ethics class this morning and even though I didn't really understand most of what the philosopher was trying to convey to me, there was one section that really stuck out to me.  For some background information the reading was on the subject of relativism and how two belies, outlooks, or views are appropriated under different conditions - at least that is what I thought the whole article was about.  Anyways, tonight I thought I would leave you guys with a short excerpt from the reading - I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

"If we are going to accommodate the relativist's concerns, we must not simply draw a line between ourselves and others.  We must not draw a line at all, but recognize that others are at varying distances from us.  We must also see that our reactions and relations to other groups are themselves part of our ethical life, and we should understand these reactions more realistically in terms of practices and sentiments that help to shape out life."

Simple but wonderful

Nothing all that exciting happened to me today.  I went to school around noon and hung out with friends, ate lunch, and ran some errands.  I figure out where to get postage to send mail - the tabaco (sp?) shop of all places.  I also bought some post-it notes, because I was literally dieing without them - now I can start making all my lists!! :)

School was good today, nothing exciting.  I think I am really going to enjoy my Environmental class this semester - it is an issues class about Latin America.  My history class on the other hand will be tolerable.  I am just not the biggest fan of history, but I will try my best.  I actually got homework today - I have to read about 30 pages about the Renaissance.  Not too bad, but I am just not that interested in so me of the information, but I am trying to make the best of it.

Dinner tonight was again a lot of fun! Maya and I had some nice conversations - it was just so natural.  For dinner we had "Spanish Pizza" - Gloria wouldn't let us call it pizza, but it was pizza with out sauce basically.  We also had salad and something similar to a veggie burger.  And the best part of the meal was.... wait for it... MANGO for desert.  One night at dinner we were talking about our favorite fruits and I would Gloria that mine was mango, and she explained to me that it is really expensive right now because it is not in season... but then she bought some for me.  It was wonderful :) it made me feel sooo loved.  Also at dinner we got on the subject of sangria and how Gloria would be okay with us drinking sangria at the house and getting a little tipsy.  It was a really funny moment and I felt like we were a family - however, I think it was one of those moments where you had to be there.  Sorry that my story telling skills aren't the best.

Well that is all for today - sorry no pictures.  But for some reason today was just really good.  There wasn't really anything that special that happened today, but I think I felt like this was finally my home.  It was a good feeling to have! Ohh and Dad I had chicken for lunch! More meat just for you buddy!! Love you!!  Tomorrow I have ethics and art history.  Shouldn't be all that exciting, but after class I am meeting up with some friends to finalize our plans to Paris!!! We are planning to make our plans over some sangria.  Most of the SLU friends and other friends start school tomorrow - I would just like to wish all of you luck on the upcoming semester - rock it out guys!! Paz y amor. God Bless.

Toledo - I'm moving

First let me start off by saying how much I appricate all the comments that were left regarding my previous blog - I can not express how much all of your words mean to me.  I want my blog to be a place I can openly share my feelings with people.  It was great to see that when I put myself out there I got a very positive response.

Today I traveled to Toledo, Spain.  Toledo is bigger than Segovia, but smaller than Madrid - the views were wonderful.  Toledo is in a valley, so when we arrived in the morning it was filled with fog - you couldn't even see the buildings.  However, as the day progressed the fog cleared and it was a beautiful day.  The scenery was unreal.  I literally fell in love with Toledo and Spain in general today.  Part of me wants to move!!!

These pictures do not do justice to the beauty that was present in this city.  However, being the geo-nerd I am this city will not last forever since it is built on a hill and the hill will eventually erode away.  To be honest ever since I have taken my Surface Processes Geology class I have never looked at a rock or a land form the same way again - which is good because I know that I was truly interested in the subject.

Tomorrow is my first full (four days) of classes.  Sometimes I keep forgetting that I have to go to school and I am not just here to travel, but I still will have the time of my life.  Hahaha. Sometimes I even make myself laugh.  Ohh I know my postal code so if anyone would like to send me letters while in Spain this is my address:

Victoria Lubner

Calle San Rogelio 7, 1* C

Madrid, Spain 28039

** This symbol is in place of a degrees sign.  AKA insert a degrees sign where * is. Let me know if you have questions about my address.  Also please don't send me packages - it would be too expensive and I don't really need anything.  Thanks!!

Well I believe that is all for tonight! Wait... one more thing... The Packers kicked some Falcon butt last night!!! Go Pack Go. I am still bleeding Green and Gold over in Spain.  WHEN the Packers make it to the SuperBowl (which is on my birthday, February 6th - in case you were wondering) I will be staying up all night to watch the game!! It will be wonderful!! Well as always, Paz y amor.  God Bless.

Segovia and something a little different.

Today was my first day trip to Segovia.  Segovia is about an hour away on a bus from Madrid - I have no idea what direction it is.  Sorry for my lack of geography.  Anyways Segovia is a lot smaller than Madrid, however, it still has a lot of history in it.  I really don't want to go into too many details of the trip, because to be honest I don't remember everything.  One of the most important things in Segovia is the Roman Aqueduct.  This aqueduct transported water from the mountains to the city just with gravity.  I just find water to be so amazing :)

These are two pictures of the Aqueduct.

The next thing we saw in Segovia was the Cathedral and was it ever beautiful :)

That little person is me if front of the Cathedral.

The last major thing on our tour was the Castle.  I don't have many good pictures of the castle.  Please check my Facebook for more pictures.  The view in Segovia was beautiful!! I could have just stayed there all day sitting in the sun reading a book.  

Well today instead of going in great detail of my day's adventures I thought I would express more of my feelings of studying abroad and the experience so far.  Just a warning to all this will be a little personal and I hope all who read this will appreciate my honesty.  I have truly enjoyed very moment of the past week - it seems like way more than a week to me.  I have been so busy I haven't really had that much time to reflect on how I am feeling about the experience.  One of the main things I have realized is I need change.  Yes, I never thought I would say this, but I think I thrive on changes and new experiences.  As much as it would have been easier to stay at home and not get out of my comfort zone and study abroad I know this was the right choice after only a week here.  Tonight Gloria invited family over tonight - there was a total of nine of us.  And they all were speaking Spanish.  I had a nice time, but since I have only gotten about 5-6 hours of sleep the last couple of nights and have long busy days I was not in the mood to listen carefully and try to understand what everyone was saying.  However, Spanish families - at least this one - eats soooo much food.  I thought we Americans ate a lot on holidays, well not compared to what I ate tonight.  I can't even remember what I all ate but it was all delicious.  Having a bigger family dinner tonight made me miss home more.  However, the only times I have really missed home is when I am super tired and all I want to do is sleep - so only when I got here and now other wise I have been good :) 

I was talking with some of my friends today about living in Europe and they all told me they could never do it - they love America too much.  However, me on the other hand I think I would love Europe - well what I have seen so far.  Don't get me wrong, I love home, but something about Europe.  I love the idea that most people walk everyone.  I love the idea of public transportation.  I love the sound of different languages - even when I get frustrated when I don't understand.  I love being in new situations, even though I am a planer and I am scared most of the time.  Something about this short time (one week) has given me a new sense of confidence.  I know I have said this numerous times, but I will never be able to say it enough - how much I appreciated my mom and dad for letting me have this opportunity.  Also I want to thank all of you who believe in  me and have prayed for me over the past week - I hope you can see God working through me.

Tomorrow I will be traveling to Toledo, Spain for another day trip :)  Sometime in the up coming week I want to take the time to explain a couple differences about Spain and back home - but not tonight.  Paz y amor.  God Bless. GO PACK GO!!!  

Sangria, Roller Blade Boys, and Dancing

Today was fun!! However, it did not start off well at all.  I went to the school to pay for my Morocco trip only to find out that it is full and I won't be able to go on the trip.  I was really looking forward to the trip and exploring a little of Africa in February.  I am on a waiting list to see if there will be another trip to Morocco, but who knows what will happen.  One of my friends and I might plan a trip for the long weekend in February now.  It is all up in the air.

After that disappointment I needed something fun and interesting - I got something interesting but not very fun.  A couple friends and I signed up for seeing El Prado Museum and Thyssen Bornemisza Museum - we thought we were going to get a guided tour in English and understand more of the paintings.  Well first we had to take the metro to the museums, which wasn't a problem, but when we got off on the metro stop we were suppose to there were NO signs for the museum.  We had to ask about 5 people where the museum was until we found it.  That is one thing I do know like about Madrid, is the street signs are on the buildings and there are NO signs indicating where things are.  It is a little frustrating.  We finally find our way to the museum to meet our group to find out that our "tour guide" (a professor from SLU) doesn't speak any English. Great.  She talked really fast and we could understand everything she was saying.  We lost half our group in the first museum and my friends and I lost our "guide" in the second museum.  All in all it was not a good experience.  One thing I did notice about the older paintings in some or another they all related to Jesus Christ.  I found it very very interesting that instead of wanting to paint scenary or abstract they mostly all chose to paint a dipication of Jesus' life.  Also all of the paintings had a different image of Jesus.  It was nice to see.

Friends and me in front of a sculpture outside El Prado.

After the museums my friends and I wanted food – they wanted American food and I wanted meat.  We went done to Sol to an Irish bar we went to last night called Dubliners.  First we ordered two apitizers – chips with guacamole and chicken strips – and we demolished these.  The waiter came back and we were like we are ready to order now.  He was really confused and was like “You want MORE food?!” My two friends and I had hamburgers and our other friend had a chicken sandwich.  It was very nice to have some red meat!! The picture is below :)

After dinner we met up with some people and just walked around the Plaza of Sol.  It was entertaining for sure.  We took pictures with Mickey and Minnie Mouse – yes they are in Madrid.  We watched these amazing guys roller blade.  It was literally one of the closest things I have seen.  Ohh… I also danced in front of a Spanish Band! There were people standing around listening to the music and watching the band play in the plaza and I decided it would be a good idea to dance with my friend!! More and more people started to come and watch us!! It was a great tourist thing to do!! Note for Dad: I did not bust of the sprinkler or the lawn mower - I don't think Madrid can handle that right now!

After dancing and hanging out in the plaza for a while we decided we wanted to go and get some sangria.  We found a nice little restaurant in Sol and I experienced my first sangria.  It was  delicious.  I am a total fan!! I had a really fun time at the restaurant just sitting around and talking with some of the amazing people I have met so far.  I am still amazed I am in Madrid! I love it here so much and I seriously cannot wait to see what the semester has to offer me.  I have not been home sick that much at all – but I know it will come eventually.  Well it is 12:30am here and I have to get up at 7:15am in order to get ready and be at school at 8:45am.  Tomorrow I am going to Segovia – a city in Spain. I believe it’s about 30minutes from Madrid.  Also tomorrow night Maya and I are having dinner with Gloria, Gloria’s daughter and boyfriend and two former host students.  I will be a good time – a lot of Spanish.

Sangria

Paz y amor. God Bless.