Spain is Still Amazing!

So I have decided that I have definitely not talked about all the amazing things about Spain enough. First of all, the gym that I joined here is awesome! My friend Catie and I go almost every day. The gym is two huge floors full of machines, along with a basement where the pool, jacuzzis, saunas, and "relaxation room" are, it also has three other floors where there are studios, offices, and a café. Almost every time we go, we run for 45 minutes and then take a class (normally). All the classes are included, which is really nice. Some of my personal faves are abdominals (which absolutely kills me every time, along with everyone else in the class, but I love it!), body balance (which is a mix between pilates, yoga, and thai chi), and tren inferior and superior. I like to think of my gym as my little break from reality....

Second, I just finished my intensive language Spanish course and we started regular courses last Wednesday. I am taking Spanish Translation, Semantics and Lexicology, the Spanish Civil War, Politics and Terrorism, and Spanish Society and Territory. I absolutely love them all! Especially translation, I am really excited for this class because I think this might be what I want to do, in which case, this class is perfect! All our classes are taught in Spanish (of course) and our text books as well are in Spanish. It is interesting, because I feel like I have absolutely zero problems understanding anything here. Even talking with random people on the streets, which is really exciting. I feel like my Spanish is improving so much so quickly it's crazy!

Aside from all of that, I have a few exciting trips to look forward to. First, on Thursday I am going to Paris with my friend Erica for 8 days for Fall Break. I am so stoked! On the list of things to do are the obvious: Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, l'Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, the Louvre, but most of all I am excited about EURODISNEY!! Oh yes, I am a Disney freak, and I am super excited about this! I think I am going to love Paris! Although, my French will for sure be absolutely horrid! Oh well, I have heard that everyone there speaks English, so my phrase for the week will be "Excusez-mio, parlez-vous l'anglais?" (Excuse me, do you speak English?) and hopefully from there, the conversation will continue in the language to which I have become accustomed. haha. I think it's going to be great! And I will definitely post some pictures, because for sure there will be many! Other than France, I have found a 40 euro ($57) flight from Alicnate to Pisa (yes, to see the leaning tower) and Pisa is only a short bus ride away from Florence, so one weekend I am going to do that, should be exciting. Also, Our program is taking us on two weekend trips one to Granada (where I have heard you can snowboard!!! Except I can't! So sad!) and the other to Barcelona (where I will probably fall in love with the city... can't wait!). Other than that, not too much is going on here. It is still really nice during the days, but the nights are getting colder, which is fine by me, I like the cold. Yet on the weekends, we still get to go to the beach, yes!

So I promise, I'll post pictures soon!

Spain, Spain, Spain... What More Can I Say? It's Wonderful!

So not only am I absolutely loving Spain, have found a ton of amazing friends (Spanish and American), and an amazing guy who treats me like a princess, but I am learning so much so quickly and I have been on so many amazing trips already. Yesterday our program took a trip to Jumilla to see las bodegas (the wineries) and it was AMAZING! We got to taste a bunch of wine, they were (mostly) all really good. I bought a few bottles, of course! But I'm probably going to bring them home to my family... we all know my mom's a wino. just kidding!! It was really cool because we got to see a bunch of grapes that they had collected and watch them go through some of the machines they use to make wine. Really cool! After that, we went down into the cellars where they just have barrels and barrels of wine. It was awesome. We had a guided tour where this lady was telling us (in Spanish of course), the processes they use to make the wine, how they select which ones are going to be reserve vs not, etc. and it was all really interesting! We also got to have some excellent Spanish cheese, which I was a little too excited about.

Another thing I am very excited about... my little, ahem, younger brother has just graduated from C school on Friday. I am so excited for him and wish I could have been there to see it and wish him a Happy Birthday. :( oh well.... next time. I promise I'll post pictures soon!

The University, Waterfalls, and Other Places

There is so much to talk about! Today we went and saw the university for the first time (or the uni as they say here). It was SO beautiful! I will post pictures soon when I can hook up my own computer to the internet.

After that, we went on an excursion to Guadaleste which is a really really old town where they have this castle that sits atop a huge mountain! It was really cool! We took lots of pictures and got to tour the castle. The city was so cute! There were all these little cafes and little stores and stuff.

Then we went to another part of the country to see these natural waterfalls. It was probably one of the coolest things I have ever done! Amazing! We got to swim in many different parts of the waterfalls and the water was FREEZING!! But it was really fun. I will post pictures of all these things soon.

Tomorrow we start our three-week long intensive language courses. After that, we will start our regular classes. I am very excited! It should be fun. All my friends and I here speak Spanish the majority of the time and it is really helpful not only to help others when they don´t know how to say something, but also to hear Spanish all day long. English is actually weird for me right now... lol.

This weekend a few friends and I are planning on taking a Tram up the coast (La Costa Blanca) to Barcelona (Imagine me saying this with a lisp...haha) for a few days. It should be really exciting!! I will post more later. ¡Ciao, Ciao!