Quick Breather!

Classes of the day are over! (thank goodness!) I had my presentation this morning on modernism...which was ehhhh. I didn't feel overly nervous, but my voice started getting awfully shaky, which in itself started making me feel nervous. I also successfully turned in my movie analysis! (unfortunately, I am feeling the affects of that analysis...I may or may not have been up till 3 to finish that...eek!...I'm hoping to not make a habit of that). Oh, and I got back my paper this morning....BOOM. 85! (In case you're thinking that doesn't sound great, I'm gonna need you to readjust your perspective, because I'm feeling like a gold medalist right now!) It's really odd, because my "Wake perspective" shouts "hey Rachel! that's not an A!" but there this absolute peace in feeling like I worked as hard as I could've on that paper, and met with our tutor to go over it (twice) and had it completed a week before it was due...Its kind of funny, when you feel like you've honestly put in your best effort, the grade doesn't matter so much. (Finance tried to teach me that...but this is reinforcement!)

On a not so happy note, I am absolutely fed up with my host siblings, and I really wish I was going away this weekend just to get away from them...Last night I walked in the door and walked into my room took of my coat and hung it on the coat hanger. I literally am standing in my room doing nothing for 10 seconds when my host siblings come in and say, "let's play" and I was like, "no I can't I have to prepare my presentation and finish my paper". They respond, "you're just standing here. Obviously you aren't doing anything, so we're playing" and I again was like "no. I have to work. please leave." Natalia plops her little butt down on my rug, "Raquel, we're not going to do anything" (implying that they aren't leaving). So I sit on my bed and pull out my work and completely ignore them. They get onto my bed and start jumping off, "please leave, I'm working" (I used what one of my friends here calls my "RA voice"...aka a serious and firm tone, which I reserve only for the situations which call for the voice). Let me make a side disclaimer at this point- I honestly don't have anything that's like private here that I would mind the kids seeing, but I do have things that are very special to me, so even though people can see them, it doesn't mean I would want them to like fool around with my stuff. So I keep things that my friends gave me and stuff and my little doodads to remind me of people from home in the desk drawer. So Natalia opens the drawer and pulls out this drawing that one of my friends had drawn for me before I left. Natalia asks me who drew it, and I was like, one of my friends from back home. I don't know why, but she was convinced I was lying, and started telling me I was a liar etc etc, and throwing names around. And then she crinkled the paper. I know I know- it's just a drawing; but that is one of my favorite things that I brought with me...not okay. I stood up opened the door and asked them to leave and stood at the door...Natalia pulled out a quote page and started ripping it. I raised my voice extremely high (this was a near yell at this point...) and said, "QUE HACES?!" that just means  'what are you doing' but it's in a scolding way. (this is one of those statements where it just basically says through intonation, 'who the heck do you think you are?' and also just potrays anger towards the individual) She started yelling at me that she can do whatever she wants; this is her room and her house and nothing is mine and I don't belong here. I feel like I'm a pretty patient person; but right now every drop of patience I previously possessed has been drained out of me...Natalia stood up to leave and looks at the desk, where she sees the calendar page that Maite had given me (she asked me to try and draw it if I had time...which I really wanted to do for her...) and says to me, "THIS IS NOT YOURS! YOU STOLE THIS! THIS IS MY MOTHERS!" and then she starts throwing some figting words. I told her her mom gave it to me to draw, and she told me I was a liar. She went into the hall. I closed door. In this moment, I despise these children. It's one of those days...I know that kids are kids, but I think these kids are actually monsters in the disguise of small children.  In this moment I envy all my Wake friends who get to have a Spring break and disappear to wherever they want for a week. What I wouldn't do to disappear for a week.

Sorry to blog with such a negative mood, I just gotta get my anger at those children out of me, or I just might blow up at them later...On a brighter note; it is Wednesday: what does this mean? This means that I am leaving for Bible Study in 5 minutes. I hope that I can regain some composure and motivation there today.

Hasta manana,
Rachel

I think I forgot this is still school...

This week I have all of a sudden just hit a wall of stress and now that wall is just crumbling down right on top of me! Classes haven't been easy til this point, but it's a different kind of hard than I'm used to- and it's kind of hard to explain. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the volume of work had been less, but having it in a different language added a lot of difficulty. But this week feels a lot like the Wake load I'm used to...I just printed out my 6 page movie analysis which is due tomorrow, and now I have to prepare a 15 minute oral presentation on modernism (which I'm giving tomorrow.uh oh)...I think it's a struggle to talk about something that long in english, so I am feeling extremely anxious about this experience... Which- weirdest thing; I get SO self-concious about speaking in spanish in classes. It feels weird, because when I have classes in english I have no issue speaking up and giving my opinions, but now basically everytime I answer a question my voice gets shaky and I feel myself turn red. I do not like that very much. (And I don't really know why it happens) I also have yet to begin studying for my Spanish Literature midterm (which is Thursday). Then next week I have 2 more midterms and a paper due, and the week after that another paper and another midterm. THINGS ARE GETTING CRAZY!!!

Okay, sorry about that, just had to let that out of me. It's the first time that I've really felt stress and anxiety linked to work since I've been here, and I'm not a fan. But come friday morning (after I submit my Art hw), I'm gonna be feeling much better!

What has been great is the internet that has been reaching my room the past 3-4 days...It's sad because I'm fairly confident that that is not going to function for much longer...but I'm making the most of it while it's there! It's outrageously slow, but yet so enjoyable nonetheless!

Anyhow, I gotta go put together a slideshow on modernism, so ttfn!
Hasta pronto!

Rachel

Daytrip to Bejar

We made a last-minute decision to take a daytrip within Castilla y Leon and ended up going to Bejar for the day yesterday. Bejar is so beautiful! It looks like an old-fashioned quaint little town and you can see snow-covered mountains. It's so perfect.

We decided to hike a "mountain" and picnic. It was so fun. We ended up going off trail (I know...that's not a rule to break...) and tried to cross a river to picnic on the other side...after a good 20 mins or so of struggling with that we resorted to turning around getting back on the trail and continuing until we found a nice place to stop. It was really great to get away for the day and do something in nature! What wasn't so nice was me falling on our way back down, and cutting up my knee. At the time it didn't hurt, but a couple hours later it was burning like crazy, and cleaning that up last night was zero fun. I also ripped up my favorite pair of jeans in this experience...so that was sad. :( But still couldn't take away from the wonderful-ness of the day!

Something else that's just absolutely great news: sometimes I can get internet in my house...it's outrageously slow and not overly functional...but I was able to look up something for hw, check my e-mail, and skype (until it died) with two friends via my bedroom last night!! And that was a beautiful thing. Today I decided I wanted fast functional internet, so I'm at a cafe across town.

On a not so happy note, I woke up sick today. :( I have a really really sore throat, and I was all congested...but that kind of faded away, so it's just the throat. I really hope that this passes soon, and doesn't progress to anything worse than a sore throat. (If you wanna keep your fingers crossed on that one, it would be much appreciated!)

Oh and an update on my weekend goal of conquering the Waka Waka dance: I can do it all, but I do it with the youtube video, so now I need to make sure I can do it all on my own. Why? Well if I hear the song, I need to be able to spontaneously bust out the dance! (But I still have about 6 hours til bed...so there's still time :)  )

Time to check some things off of my weekend 'to-do' list!
Hasta Manana,

Rachel

One of those Fridays (again! :) )

I slept in until about 10:30 or 11:00 this morning (and yep, I took two cups of coffee!! YUMMM) and then showered (so that I could feel like I had done something productive...) and then went back to my room and made a friendship bracelet while watching The Blind Side. SOOOOOO GOOOOOD! Then I went to the flower store and got Maite some flowers because I just thought it was a good idea. Best moment of that experience....passing this little boy who was probably 3 years old and was saying "hola" to everyone who he and his mom passed. So I said "hola" back and then he told me that the flowers were pretty. precious little child!! Me and Maite had lunch together and then I headed to the centro to be "productive"...So basically I watched the waka waka dance about 8 times, and since then have been listening to a nice blend of Hillsong (spanish style) and HSM songs...yeah I know, I know...comments not welcome!

Last night I went to EnVivo for the first time, and let me tell you--I loved it!!! For those who go to Wake imagine STS moves into a nicer version of Campus grounds and in addition to all the wonderfulness that is STS- adds in a skit and then has post-service mingling with desserts and coffee! (what what?!?!) [STS is a student-run campus ministry kind of thing at Wake which I just love...]  Also, lets talk for a hot second about Hillsong (spanish style).I.love.hillsong! Anyone who knows spanish, or enjoys great non-english music should check out the song "Es tiempo" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmbakvPEWbI 
It has lyrics so you can sing along! (Is that what I've been doing for about 30 mins?...yes, yes it is) Have I finished my internship application that I wanted to finish before I did anything else today....well...good thing they have internet cafes everywhere, yeah?

Also, for those of you who don't have facebook, you should know that my weekend goal is to learn the Waka Waka (Zumba edition) dance before the end of the weekend...so if you all wanna keep your fingers crossed that that goes well...that'd be great!

Okay, off to be productive!! Have a beautiful weekend!

Amor,
Rachel

What'd you just say?

This is going to sound a little goofy, but I really hate the way that cursing works here. (I don't do it, but it's hard for me to adjust to.) Basically, you know how we use swear words, but then there's a sensored, polite word which conveys the same feeling only in a more appropriate way? For instance, someone who would yell "shit" might choose to yell "shoot" in the prescence of children or depending on the environment etc. Well here, instead of changing the word they change the tone- and this changes the meaning. So for instance, "mierda" is the equivalent of "shit". If someone like says it loudly or in an angry-ish tone, its a swear. But if they just say 'mierda' it's like the same as saying shoot, or darn. Which with that word it's fine, because I feel like it's more socially acceptable to say that in conversation. But, when my host-siblings are dropping words that in my head are translating to the f-bomb, and son-of-a-b...it's a weird experience...I literally gasped the other night at dinner, because I was shocked...But really I just had misjudged the tone, so that one was my bad... they also both like to just put up their middle fingers randomly during meal-times, and the parents look right at them and don't do anything...so I don't exactly know what's going on with that, but it seems really weird to me.

Completely unrelated: every day on my way to and back from school I pass this homeless man who is playing his violin. He legitimitely is one of the best violinists (?) I think I have ever heard in my life! He is definitely a trained musician, and it just really blows my mind how good he is...I almost want to just pay him and then ask him about his life, because I don't understand how someone that good is homeless. I honestly feel like this is some undercover study on how people treat homeless people or something, because he really should be in like an orchestra...(symphony? mmm, I feel like I should know the difference...whichever one has violinists he should be in....) It makes me really sad though to see people who are really talented to be living in the streets...Those are the people I really want to help, but I feel useless. So if anyone has a need for a really talented violinist, let me know...I'll hook you up! Or if you have any ideas on how I can make a dent in the homelessness problem, also let me know!

Welp, it's homework time!!
Hasta pronto!

Rachel

It's a Beautiful Day, don't let it get away!!! (thanks U2)

On really great days I just play the same songs through my head over and over again. (I normally put New Day-Chi Rho, Brand New Day- Josh Radin, Beautiful Day- U2, and then some Kesha on repeat through my mind...) And so it was only appropriate to label this post accordingly.

So the day started a little questionable...I had the most awkward class that I can remember having...we were discussing a specific Spanish poem...and let me just say, if someone's like, 'oh hey, wanna read some spanish poetry?' I would probably advise you to steer clear...granted, I didn't really get to choose whether to read it or not. But I'm just sayin...things get weird in poetry.

Finished class and I went home and what did we have for lunch?...Tongue...it actually tastes totally fine- like flavor-wise it's good...texture-wise it's odd...appearance-wise: gag. You can see the taste buds and like nasty little tongue dots...they just don't appear like something that should be eaten. But I am alive and well, and the day only gets better from there!!

After lunch I was finishing up a friendship bracelet I had started for Natalia, and she came in to my room. She sat down and we chit-chatted for a little bit, and then she asked if I would play "mommies and babies" aka 'house' and  so I said sure. I guess she was expecting me to say no, because she got really really excited. Which made it awfully fun. Also, Spanish house is a lot more low-key then any type of house I've played before...how do you play 'mommies and babies' you ask? well, the baby (doll) goes to sleep and then you sit and do whatever you were doing (so I make my friendship bracelet and she colors) then every once in a while Natalia tells you the baby is crying so you pick it up for 10 seconds and then she informs you that it's sleeping again, so you put it back on the bed. Yep, thats the game... (Oh I forgot to mention that she's home sick today...sad...but we got to play, so that was good...I know I know, you usually avoid sickies, but she's just so precious even in her ill form!) 

After we were done playing we talked a little bit more. I told her I was staying here in Salamanca this weekend and she got really excited again. I said if the weather was nice I might go to the 'Jesuit park' aka this really awesome park with a zipline and a climbing tower and just all kinds of great park things...and she said she wanted to go. So she asked if she could come and told me she wanted to roller-blade. Then she started rambling and saying something that I couldn't at all comprehend. So she slowed down and said it again, but I was still a little bit in the dark...so she said the verb again and then just clutched my hand...she was saying that I have to hold her hand so that she won't fall. But can I just say, this moment was one of those precious moments where she just clutched my hand and looked up and smiled before she explained anything and it was literally the most precious wonderful moment of this Spain experience. If I had a moment like that every day, I am fairly confident that nothing could happen to destroy my mood.

Then I returned to the Centro to do homework...which basically translates to me being on facebook, skype, blog, and just talking to all my friends...Which sounds like a waste of time, but really I am just through the roof with sheer joy today. We booked three future trips this week including destinations of: Switzerland, Barcelona, and Porto (in Portugal). So I feel basically on top of the world right now. I'm pretty sure it isn't gravity keeping me down right now...its the force of my nagging latin america and business homework. But I'm okay with that! Because today, just like every day, is a day that I am blessed to have, and no amount of work can take away my knowledge of that!!

I love you all very very much!!!
Rachel

Weekend in Valencia :)

Seven of us traveled to Valencia (SE coast) this past weekend and let me just say- BEA.UT.IF.ULLLL!!! We started off hitting up the aquarium (largest in Europe) and going to the Science museum. I saw the penguins, so I was one happy camper! Also, this whole area with all the museums is just a structural feat! It looks so cool!:

Also, at the science museum- I witnessed a miracle!!! The hatching of a chicken! (It might not sound like a big deal...but it really really is. I loyally stood by and waited like 45 mins for that little guy to overcome his challenge of breaking through the shell and coming into the world...it was really precious...I videotaped it)



(Pre-hatch)

 The next day we spent at the beach and the port. The weather was perrrrrfect. (Like 65-70 degrees, but semi-cloudy...which was great because you could take pictures and not be squinty!!) Oh and on this day we tried the traditional Valencian cuisine...



Chicken & Rabbit Paella (soooo good!)




Horchata...(tiger nut milk...not so good)

 Other awesome things we did in Valencia= watched small children (I know, sounds creepy...kind of was creepy if we're being honest...but there are the most precious tots just running rampant through Valencia...adorable), went to this great art museum, ate smurf gelato (twice...) and had an AVE experience!! (The high speed train in spain...300 km/hr) And not to mention all the great bonding throughout the weekend. I think if you ever want to really find out about a person, and get to know them well, you just have to travel with them for like 2-3 days- it really does make all the difference. :)

It was such a great weekend. I feel refreshed, renewed, rejuvinated and ready to conquer some papers and homework for the next couple weeks!! Happy Monday!!

Con Amor,
Rachel