My last post was a week and a half ago, but I've lied low this past week and stayed in Seville. Like I said in my last post, I'm not traveling anymore and enjoying my last weeks of life in Spain by staying in Seville. Last weekend, we had a nice girl's night on Friday which was much needed.
On Saturday, my host mom, her sister, and their friend took my roommate, their host daughters, and I to their "club" on Saturday. It's basically a country club for people whose family was in the army. My host mom's dad and grandfather were both in it, and I know for sure that they fought in the Civil War. We spent the day walking around the country club and eating lunch. It was a nice, relaxing day that I definitely needed after all of the traveling from the week before.
This week is my last full week of classes. Next week is the fair of Seville, so we are off class all of next week. I had my final test in culture yesterday, and I have my final in literature tomorrow. From today, there are only 4 days left of class. The end looms in the near future for us students of Texas Tech Seville.
Yesterday was also our trip to Los Torros. This is where the bull fighting happens. There is a judge who sits under a canopied area, and he controls the flow of the bull fight. It starts with the bull entering and the bull fight with the Torrero until the horses enter. The men on the horses have a stick with a sharpened, metal end on it, and they put this into the bulls back to stop it from running into the horses. This happens twice. After that, there are three men with two barbed sticks each. These men run at the bull, and in the last second, turn sideways and put it in the bull's back. From here, the Torrero (bull-fighter) gets the red cape which signifies the end of the bull fight. He uses this cape with the bull until he is lined up correctly for the kill. When he is ready, he retrieves the killing sword from a person along the ring and kills the bull by putting it in between its shoulder blades. Six bulls for sure go into the ring to die, but there can be up to eight if other bulls are pardoned for being good bulls and get to live as a reward.
At first, I was very skeptical of the event. No part of me wanted to go watch it. After Spring Break when we visited the farm where the bulls are raised, my mind was changed. I decided to go to at least see the culture. Nothing could have prepared me for it, and it was very different from my expectations. In all honesty, it was bloodier than I expected. I cried when the first bull died and didn't know if I would make it to the end. As the event progressed though, I understood it a lot more. I also handled it by reminding myself that some cows in America sit in a barn and never move out of the number of square inches they take up, and they never see light or grass or sun. These bulls are treated like kings their whole lives then come to the ring where hundreds of people are cheering them on and want them to do good/triumph. It's truly a unique experience to be a part of a crowd of people giving a bull a standing ovation for performing so well. It was in that moment that I came to respect the event for what it is. Like I said in my post from the farm, the meat gets donated to a market, and the money raised from that goes to a charity/charities. I guess I liked it enough to go back again on Sunday to see los Rejones, bull fighting on horseback.
Today marks two weeks until I step on America soil again. Today is the beginning of the end.
We had our "exit orientation" today where they warned us about culture shock going back into the United States. Like when I first arrived to Spain, I'll have my first roller coaster week of excitement until it sets in that I'm readjusting to a different culture, different schedule, and different foods all over again. As much as I love my family and friends at home too, I know I'll miss my host mom because I've come to love her as well. The thought of saying goodbye makes my eyes prick with tears and makes my throat feel like it's full of cotton. I'm trying not to think about saying good bye, but it's hard when you're finalizing your travel plans to home and buying souvenirs for people. I would appreciate some prayers of strength for these next four weeks. Also, thank you to anyone still reading my blog. I appreciate the support. <3
xoxo,
Caroline
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Monday, April 17, 2017
I Took a(n Allergy) Pill in Ibiza
Who am I if I go to Ibiza and don't quote the Mike Posner song?
On Sunday (the 9th), I packed up my bags, watched the pasos of San Roque church from the roof of the school and hopped on a plane to Ibiza. This past week has been Semana Santa, holy week, which means that I had all week of class off and don't go back until Tuesday. We got to Ibiza late Sunday night, and we grabbed some food before passing out to be well rested for the next day.
We woke up Monday and made our way to the old town part of Ibiza. To be honest, it was pretty dead there. It's off season right now (too early in the year), so there weren't a lot of people there, just locals really. We got food at this cool tapa place in old town where we paid for our meal by the amount of sticks we had at the end. The tapas each had these sticks through them, and each stick was less than $2. The food was great, and it got all of us ready to walk around more before heading to the beach. We stayed at the beach pretty late-ish, and when we got home, we cuddled up and watched My Big, Fat Gypsy Wedding in Spanish. The whole night was spent laughing, and it felt just like the sleepovers you had when you were younger. This night was my favorite out of the whole trip, arguably the whole semester.
On Tuesday, we went to a beach in the southern part of the island, and we stayed there all day. We tanned and slept on the beach for at least 5 hours (I think more. I wasn't keeping track of time). Sun burnt and sun worn, we headed back to the hotel to pack up and get ready for our early flight the next day to Barcelona.
At the ripe hour of 6:30 am, we made our way to the Ibiza airport. The flight was super short, and we were back in all of our favorite place again! After checking into the hostel, we walked around some until deciding it was in our best interest to rent bikes for the day. We rode them around the port, up the beach, and to the Sagrada Familia. While the bikes were really fun, they were emotionally distressing. I was behind a man and his wife, and I rang my little bell to warn them I was coming up behind them. When I rode past them, the man KICKED MY WHEEL on my bike to knock me off. Little did he know, I'm a pro bike rider, so I didn't fall. You can sure as heck bet though that I rounded on that man and asked what his problem was. Nothing came out of it, but that is just ONE instance out of like three where people were rude because we were riding bikes. I have a new-found respect for bike riders, y'all. We need to get out of their way.
The next day, we all woke up exhausted because the beds at the hostel were awful, and none of us slept well. We didn't let this stop us for filling the day with lots of activities. We took the metro to Park Guell. Sadly, all the tickets to go inside the park for the two days we had left there were sold out, but we walked everywhere around it. We also saw the Gothic district and cathedral before heading to the port (and the mall there) to wrap up the night.
We checked out Friday morning and got some brunch before seeing out the Roman necropolis. By this point, this was about time for my friend/study abroad cousin, McKayla, and I to head to the airport to catch a flight to our last stop. Málaga.
We got there late Friday night, and I was exhausted and done. Our hostel did not help this fact at all. First off, we checked in at a bar. NONE of the reviews mentioned that check in was at a bar. I had to scream over the music for the receptionist to hear me. It was a mess. ALSO, the wifi "has issues" hooking up to iPhones, so guess who didn't have wifi for awhile? You guessed it.
We had to get out of that place quick, so we watched a few pasos there and found a Taco Bell to chill/eat at. After that, we sadly had to return to the hostel, but it couldn't get worse, right? Wrong.
There was a grown man with grey hairs in his beard in our room. I can't make this stuff up, y'all. Thankfully, he passed out early because he was a little borracho.
We checked out on Saturday, and the room they had to hold our bags until we left had no lockers. The stuff just sat out there, and I asked the receptionist if it was safe. She said, "Yeah. I keep it locked and have the key around my neck." Okay because that stops people from going in there and saying my bag is theirs? We dipped with our bags and checked them in at lockers in the train station.
McKayla and I had enough time to eat lunch and spend about an hour in the Cathedral and its museum. The Málaga catedral is honestly my favorite, probably. It was a beautiful mix of the Seville and Granada catedrales. It wasn't insanely big, but I could've spent forever looking at the chapels.
We had to the leave though to catch a bus to Seville. The ride was awful, and for some reason, I get carsick now when I'm on long bus rides (i.e. to Toledo, Madrid, Portugal, and that time). I pray that this whole carsick thing is just a Spain thing.
I slept a lot Saturday and binged all of 13 Reasons Why on Netflix. Traveling and going nonstop is pretty exhausting, but I am happy to say that this was my last big trip before coming home. I might go to a beach town for a few days before I leave, but this past week was it for me. I haven't gone outside of the Iberian Peninsula, and I am completely okay with that. There is so much to see in Spain itself, and I came here to experience this place and this culture. I'm not dogging on the people who traveled a lot outside of Spain, but I am really happy that I spent my time here in my now second home. From today, I have 24 days left. I remember it being February and feeling like there was no way I'd make it to the end, but here I am. 12 days of class left and a little over three weeks left. It'll be hard for me to leave my roots here, but you can sure as heck bet that I can't wait to hug my loved ones in the states again.
xoxo,
Caroline
On Sunday (the 9th), I packed up my bags, watched the pasos of San Roque church from the roof of the school and hopped on a plane to Ibiza. This past week has been Semana Santa, holy week, which means that I had all week of class off and don't go back until Tuesday. We got to Ibiza late Sunday night, and we grabbed some food before passing out to be well rested for the next day.
We woke up Monday and made our way to the old town part of Ibiza. To be honest, it was pretty dead there. It's off season right now (too early in the year), so there weren't a lot of people there, just locals really. We got food at this cool tapa place in old town where we paid for our meal by the amount of sticks we had at the end. The tapas each had these sticks through them, and each stick was less than $2. The food was great, and it got all of us ready to walk around more before heading to the beach. We stayed at the beach pretty late-ish, and when we got home, we cuddled up and watched My Big, Fat Gypsy Wedding in Spanish. The whole night was spent laughing, and it felt just like the sleepovers you had when you were younger. This night was my favorite out of the whole trip, arguably the whole semester.
On Tuesday, we went to a beach in the southern part of the island, and we stayed there all day. We tanned and slept on the beach for at least 5 hours (I think more. I wasn't keeping track of time). Sun burnt and sun worn, we headed back to the hotel to pack up and get ready for our early flight the next day to Barcelona.
At the ripe hour of 6:30 am, we made our way to the Ibiza airport. The flight was super short, and we were back in all of our favorite place again! After checking into the hostel, we walked around some until deciding it was in our best interest to rent bikes for the day. We rode them around the port, up the beach, and to the Sagrada Familia. While the bikes were really fun, they were emotionally distressing. I was behind a man and his wife, and I rang my little bell to warn them I was coming up behind them. When I rode past them, the man KICKED MY WHEEL on my bike to knock me off. Little did he know, I'm a pro bike rider, so I didn't fall. You can sure as heck bet though that I rounded on that man and asked what his problem was. Nothing came out of it, but that is just ONE instance out of like three where people were rude because we were riding bikes. I have a new-found respect for bike riders, y'all. We need to get out of their way.
The next day, we all woke up exhausted because the beds at the hostel were awful, and none of us slept well. We didn't let this stop us for filling the day with lots of activities. We took the metro to Park Guell. Sadly, all the tickets to go inside the park for the two days we had left there were sold out, but we walked everywhere around it. We also saw the Gothic district and cathedral before heading to the port (and the mall there) to wrap up the night.
We checked out Friday morning and got some brunch before seeing out the Roman necropolis. By this point, this was about time for my friend/study abroad cousin, McKayla, and I to head to the airport to catch a flight to our last stop. Málaga.
We got there late Friday night, and I was exhausted and done. Our hostel did not help this fact at all. First off, we checked in at a bar. NONE of the reviews mentioned that check in was at a bar. I had to scream over the music for the receptionist to hear me. It was a mess. ALSO, the wifi "has issues" hooking up to iPhones, so guess who didn't have wifi for awhile? You guessed it.
We had to get out of that place quick, so we watched a few pasos there and found a Taco Bell to chill/eat at. After that, we sadly had to return to the hostel, but it couldn't get worse, right? Wrong.
There was a grown man with grey hairs in his beard in our room. I can't make this stuff up, y'all. Thankfully, he passed out early because he was a little borracho.
We checked out on Saturday, and the room they had to hold our bags until we left had no lockers. The stuff just sat out there, and I asked the receptionist if it was safe. She said, "Yeah. I keep it locked and have the key around my neck." Okay because that stops people from going in there and saying my bag is theirs? We dipped with our bags and checked them in at lockers in the train station.
McKayla and I had enough time to eat lunch and spend about an hour in the Cathedral and its museum. The Málaga catedral is honestly my favorite, probably. It was a beautiful mix of the Seville and Granada catedrales. It wasn't insanely big, but I could've spent forever looking at the chapels.
We had to the leave though to catch a bus to Seville. The ride was awful, and for some reason, I get carsick now when I'm on long bus rides (i.e. to Toledo, Madrid, Portugal, and that time). I pray that this whole carsick thing is just a Spain thing.
I slept a lot Saturday and binged all of 13 Reasons Why on Netflix. Traveling and going nonstop is pretty exhausting, but I am happy to say that this was my last big trip before coming home. I might go to a beach town for a few days before I leave, but this past week was it for me. I haven't gone outside of the Iberian Peninsula, and I am completely okay with that. There is so much to see in Spain itself, and I came here to experience this place and this culture. I'm not dogging on the people who traveled a lot outside of Spain, but I am really happy that I spent my time here in my now second home. From today, I have 24 days left. I remember it being February and feeling like there was no way I'd make it to the end, but here I am. 12 days of class left and a little over three weeks left. It'll be hard for me to leave my roots here, but you can sure as heck bet that I can't wait to hug my loved ones in the states again.
xoxo,
Caroline
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Adiós a El Colegio de la Sagrada Familia
Today was my last day at my internship at the school I've been working at. 70 hours later, I have made bonds with these kids that I was really sad to let go. With the older kids, we exchanged Instagram accounts, so I'll be able to stay in touch with them. I'm more sad about saying good bye to the little first graders. I have no idea how elementary teachers can spend a whole year with their students and survive saying good bye to them every year. I was a wreck today, and I was only with these kids for 70 days. Teachers are some kind of strong, and we should appreciate that strength more.
I feel like through this semester these children have thought me that language and culture doesn't mean anything when you get down to it. They love and laugh just like I do. I never once felt like the language barrier with these children hindered the relationships I made with them. When I was saying good bye to them (and crying), they understood exactly what was happening, and I knew that from the somber looks on their faces that mirrored my own. We all stood there and hugged each other, and after we said goodbye for the last time, some students came around for a second hug because emotions don't know language. I pray these children stay blessed and happy. I am thankful for the 70 hours I had with them and the other kids as well. My internship was a success in my eyes.
As much as I hate to say it, I only have five weeks left in Spain. Yes, you read that right. Five. I still can't figure out where the time has gone. One of the other students at the colegio interviewed me today, and in the interview, she asked me, "What places in Sevilla are your favorite? What will you miss?" For me, this was a really hard question to answer because there aren't places in Seville, aside from my host house, that I feel like I really like a lot. When I leave Seville, I will not miss the places here.
I'll miss my host mom and the way she tells me to eat more bread, like all the time.
I'll miss my walk to school each morning even though it's 1.5 miles long one way.
I'll miss the classmates that have become my second family.
I'll miss the children at the school and the teachers there.
I'll miss how normal it is to listen to Spanish music (don't expect this to stop anytime soon)
I have never been a person to really miss certain places. I'll miss people or things like I miss driving my car around Lubbock on a warm day with the windows down, and the wind blowing in my hair while I listen to my Lynn&Laina playlist. Today, I felt really nostalgic and homesick for a place I haven't even left yet. I just pray that these next five weeks are full of happiness, laughter, and memories to last a lifetime.
xoxo,
Caroline
I feel like through this semester these children have thought me that language and culture doesn't mean anything when you get down to it. They love and laugh just like I do. I never once felt like the language barrier with these children hindered the relationships I made with them. When I was saying good bye to them (and crying), they understood exactly what was happening, and I knew that from the somber looks on their faces that mirrored my own. We all stood there and hugged each other, and after we said goodbye for the last time, some students came around for a second hug because emotions don't know language. I pray these children stay blessed and happy. I am thankful for the 70 hours I had with them and the other kids as well. My internship was a success in my eyes.
As much as I hate to say it, I only have five weeks left in Spain. Yes, you read that right. Five. I still can't figure out where the time has gone. One of the other students at the colegio interviewed me today, and in the interview, she asked me, "What places in Sevilla are your favorite? What will you miss?" For me, this was a really hard question to answer because there aren't places in Seville, aside from my host house, that I feel like I really like a lot. When I leave Seville, I will not miss the places here.
I'll miss my host mom and the way she tells me to eat more bread, like all the time.
I'll miss my walk to school each morning even though it's 1.5 miles long one way.
I'll miss the classmates that have become my second family.
I'll miss the children at the school and the teachers there.
I'll miss how normal it is to listen to Spanish music (don't expect this to stop anytime soon)
I have never been a person to really miss certain places. I'll miss people or things like I miss driving my car around Lubbock on a warm day with the windows down, and the wind blowing in my hair while I listen to my Lynn&Laina playlist. Today, I felt really nostalgic and homesick for a place I haven't even left yet. I just pray that these next five weeks are full of happiness, laughter, and memories to last a lifetime.
xoxo,
Caroline
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Noa Falo Portuguese
This last week was a fun one! It's been over a week since my last post, but it won't take too long for me to cover everything. Wednesday was my roommate's birthday, so we had a week of celebrations. It started Wednesday with gifts and an afternoon snack with friends, tortilla de patata, and tarta chocolate (chocolate cake). Also to celebrate her birthday, all of us girls (11 of us) booked a weekend trip to Portugal to celebrate! We Love Spain was the travel company we used, and it was a really great time! 10/10 do recommend to future study abroad students.
We left Friday morning for Albufeira, Portugal. This city is a neat little beach town in between Faro and Lagos. We showed up and checked into our hotels before heading straight to the beach! We took this time to lay out and get started on our tans (or sunburns). The sun and the beach were so refreshing, and it was a great way to relax after a test week. Our hotel has kitchens in the room, so we had spaghetti for dinner before getting ready to start our weekend in Portugal!
On Saturday, we loaded up the bus early to go to Sagres, Portugal to see the End of the World. Before people knew the Earth was round, they believed that this place was the end of the world, and it was very sacred to the Romans. They believed that the sun set into the water here, and this was place where the sunset was the widest and biggest. The cliffs were so huge, and it was breath taking to see a place so old and rich with history. The mythical beliefs and stories around this place are fascinating and worth a google. After this, we went back to Lagos to enjoy the beach there for a few more hours. Santa Maria beach was where we went to first to spend four hours sun bathing, exploring caves, and looking at the sea life like an octopus and some shells! After this, we went into the heart of Lagos for dinner and relaxation before heading back to Albufeira.
The next day, we went to another part in Albufeira, and the bus dropped off some of the people at one beach. The rest of us who signed up to kayak and paddle board went to a different beach to do those activities. I've never paddle boarded before, and now that I've done it, I can't imagine how I have gone 20 years without knowing about this. It was so fun and so relaxing. This is going to sound really corny, but I felt very at one with the ocean, the expanse of the Earth, and life while I was in the coves and cave. That doesn't really make sense in writing, but at the time, all I could think about was how everything made sense. There is so much to our world, and we only live in a teeny, tiny part of it. I'm so lucky to have the opportunity to travel and see all of these places and be on the ocean and feeling like anything is possible. It was an adrenaline rush minus the feeling of urgency. I could've just sat on the ocean all day, and I would've felt fine just being there. I was also on the same ocean that touches America which is a cool thought. It made me feel close to home.
We grabbed lunch after that then made our way back home. We all parted ways a little red, a little sandy, and a little sun exhausted. I slept better that night than I have in a very long time.
Yesterday was the dress rehearsal and last class for the Sevillanos dance that I've been learning this semester. We put on our dresses, and the teacher did our make up in el estillo de Féria. We danced and had such a great time! It was sad saying goodbye to our amazing teacher, but we swapped Facebooks. Thank God for social media now because it really can connect the world. It's a cool thing. I have pictures from all of this past weekend and yesterday in my 2017 pt. 2 album, so check 'em out! This is a short post, but the next one will be super long because I'm going to Ibiza, Barcelona (again, I know), and Málaga next week! Until next post.
xoxo,
Caroline
We left Friday morning for Albufeira, Portugal. This city is a neat little beach town in between Faro and Lagos. We showed up and checked into our hotels before heading straight to the beach! We took this time to lay out and get started on our tans (or sunburns). The sun and the beach were so refreshing, and it was a great way to relax after a test week. Our hotel has kitchens in the room, so we had spaghetti for dinner before getting ready to start our weekend in Portugal!
On Saturday, we loaded up the bus early to go to Sagres, Portugal to see the End of the World. Before people knew the Earth was round, they believed that this place was the end of the world, and it was very sacred to the Romans. They believed that the sun set into the water here, and this was place where the sunset was the widest and biggest. The cliffs were so huge, and it was breath taking to see a place so old and rich with history. The mythical beliefs and stories around this place are fascinating and worth a google. After this, we went back to Lagos to enjoy the beach there for a few more hours. Santa Maria beach was where we went to first to spend four hours sun bathing, exploring caves, and looking at the sea life like an octopus and some shells! After this, we went into the heart of Lagos for dinner and relaxation before heading back to Albufeira.
The next day, we went to another part in Albufeira, and the bus dropped off some of the people at one beach. The rest of us who signed up to kayak and paddle board went to a different beach to do those activities. I've never paddle boarded before, and now that I've done it, I can't imagine how I have gone 20 years without knowing about this. It was so fun and so relaxing. This is going to sound really corny, but I felt very at one with the ocean, the expanse of the Earth, and life while I was in the coves and cave. That doesn't really make sense in writing, but at the time, all I could think about was how everything made sense. There is so much to our world, and we only live in a teeny, tiny part of it. I'm so lucky to have the opportunity to travel and see all of these places and be on the ocean and feeling like anything is possible. It was an adrenaline rush minus the feeling of urgency. I could've just sat on the ocean all day, and I would've felt fine just being there. I was also on the same ocean that touches America which is a cool thought. It made me feel close to home.
We grabbed lunch after that then made our way back home. We all parted ways a little red, a little sandy, and a little sun exhausted. I slept better that night than I have in a very long time.
Yesterday was the dress rehearsal and last class for the Sevillanos dance that I've been learning this semester. We put on our dresses, and the teacher did our make up in el estillo de Féria. We danced and had such a great time! It was sad saying goodbye to our amazing teacher, but we swapped Facebooks. Thank God for social media now because it really can connect the world. It's a cool thing. I have pictures from all of this past weekend and yesterday in my 2017 pt. 2 album, so check 'em out! This is a short post, but the next one will be super long because I'm going to Ibiza, Barcelona (again, I know), and Málaga next week! Until next post.
xoxo,
Caroline
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Finally A Real Matador
My last blog post was a week ago (yesterday, oops), but there is so little time left here and so much left to do. A week ago today, I watched the live-action Beauty and the Beast. It left me #shook. I recommend the movie to ALL audiences because it was truly a modern masterpiece. I appreciated the forward thinking by the producers to include a gay character and a transgender person into the film (even if it wasn't explicitly stated) along with multiple interracial couples. It gave a little modern twist to a Disney classic that represents all people from a variety of backgrounds. I could go on forever and ever about the new music (Beast's song) and CGI work, but this is a travel blog not a cinematic one. So back to mis viajes.
I spent the beginning of last week recovering from all of the Spring Break traveling. Against my sleepiness, I went to Sevillanos, the dance class, and I learned I am way more behind than I thought I was. I have only missed the last two classes. One was the day after the Barcelona flight disaster, and the other was when my parents and froomie were here. All in all, I have some catching up to do and some dancing to practice before Fería week. We only have 21 days left of class (25 if you include last week), so our classes are also getting to crunch time. With finals, final papers, and projects looming in the near future, I wonder how people in the past accomplished all this traveling and finishing/studying for everything we have to get done before May 10th.
On Thursday, I went to my internship as normal, and I told my best friend, Javier (age 7), that I would be done working there in two weeks. Javier was very upset by this, but he had the best idea ever. He got a little post it note and handed me a pencil then proceeded to say, "Give me your number." This cracked me up, but I know where Javier is coming from. He wants to have my number, so we can continue to talk after my job is over. I told him that it wasn't a good idea for me to give him my number, but his mom could add me on Facebook maybe. Like Javier, I don't want to lose the connections and relationships I have made through this. It breaks my heart to think that I have talked to these kids for the past 5 or 6 weeks, and when I leave, that's it. Nothing more. I'll never hear from them again, and I'll never know what ends up happening to them. I guess this is how all teachers feel after they say good bye to students they have formed bonds with. It sucks. A lot. It almost makes me a little thankful I switched away from teaching because I get too attached to people too easily. Good byes of this sort have always been hard for me, even when I was little. I vividly remember sitting on my swing set and crying when I was six after my last day of Kindergarten because I was sad to never see my teacher again. I cried on the last day of school every year until I was through elementary as well. Anyway, I may be happy to have free-time once I finish with my job, but I am not happy to have to say good bye to my favorite students.
That same day, we had orientation over the Toros. Bull fighting has a strong history within Spanish culture, and before this meeting, I refused to go watch the Toros. No part of me wanted to see a bull struggle then ultimately get killed after being hurt and worn to exhaustion. I did learn a few things during that meeting that turned my hard no into a perhaps. First off, the meat from the bull goes to a market, and all of the proceeds go to a charity. In the past, the meat was donated to orphanages or things of that nature, but now it's easier for the money to be donated and the meat sold. With the particular breed of bull necessary for the fights, their meat isn't good after they've lived for five years, and the bulls usually go to the ring around 4-5. Either way, they would have gotten butchered. Bull fighting, in the eyes of Spaniards, isn't about the bull dying either. It's about cheering on the bull for being a good bull and serving its life before dying valiantly. It's about the bull fighter and bull being connected, and the bull fighter learning about how the bull works. It's emotional, and it isn't taken lightly. We also got to meet a bull fighter, Jesús Franco Cardeño, and he showed us the capes the bull fighters use to provoke the bull, the capes they wear, and el Traje de Luces. He was very nice and let us put on/play with all of his stuff including the sword they use to end the bull's life. I felt like a real like Matador (#longlivethematador) which is also known as a Torero.
Here is a link for the video of when his face got gored by a bull's horn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5-r5tmPsA4.
To follow up the meeting about the Toros, we spent the next day at la Finca Las Monjas. This is a farm where they raise the bulls for the bull fighting. In each bull fight, 6 bulls are killed by either 3, 2, or 1 person. These bulls are raised to be very large with defined muscle tone. They are also very specific about the bull never seeing a person walking (i.e. on two legs) , so the bull doesn't know what a person is when they enter the ring. They only handle the bulls through a tractor or on horse back, so we rode around in a trailer attached to a tractor to view the bulls. They were exactly like I expected them to look. Beefed up and gross looking, to be honest. They live in large cercas (area enclosed by fence) where they could walk around and roam. The people on horse back make sure to handle with bulls with a lot of care and caution as well. Being on a farm gave me a lot of nostalgia for home. Not to mention, I got to ride a horse AND cuddle with a puppy.
After we viewed the cercas, we watched them test a cow to see if she'd be a good mother for future bulls. She was put into the ring and tested on aggression, endurance, and the ability to learn not to run into the horse (this will make sense when you look at pictures and videos). They acted as if she was a bull in the ring complete with the capes and all. I thought she did a good job, but I later learned that the owner thought the opposite which means she went to the butcher that night. They are very selective with their mother-picking process, and sadly, not everyone can make it through. The cow that day started strong and ended weak. They look for cows that start out so-so and end strong.
We spent the rest of the weekend celebrating a friend's birthday and catching up on the seemingly endless amounts of homework !!! how fun
I only have 46 days left here, and I can feel the end creeping up. My host mom, roommate, and I talked about it the other day, and we are all very sad about parting ways. Leaving Spain will be very difficult, but my little nostalgic day at the farm in the country reminded me why I've been missing home and Texas skies so much.
xoxo,
Caroline
I spent the beginning of last week recovering from all of the Spring Break traveling. Against my sleepiness, I went to Sevillanos, the dance class, and I learned I am way more behind than I thought I was. I have only missed the last two classes. One was the day after the Barcelona flight disaster, and the other was when my parents and froomie were here. All in all, I have some catching up to do and some dancing to practice before Fería week. We only have 21 days left of class (25 if you include last week), so our classes are also getting to crunch time. With finals, final papers, and projects looming in the near future, I wonder how people in the past accomplished all this traveling and finishing/studying for everything we have to get done before May 10th.
On Thursday, I went to my internship as normal, and I told my best friend, Javier (age 7), that I would be done working there in two weeks. Javier was very upset by this, but he had the best idea ever. He got a little post it note and handed me a pencil then proceeded to say, "Give me your number." This cracked me up, but I know where Javier is coming from. He wants to have my number, so we can continue to talk after my job is over. I told him that it wasn't a good idea for me to give him my number, but his mom could add me on Facebook maybe. Like Javier, I don't want to lose the connections and relationships I have made through this. It breaks my heart to think that I have talked to these kids for the past 5 or 6 weeks, and when I leave, that's it. Nothing more. I'll never hear from them again, and I'll never know what ends up happening to them. I guess this is how all teachers feel after they say good bye to students they have formed bonds with. It sucks. A lot. It almost makes me a little thankful I switched away from teaching because I get too attached to people too easily. Good byes of this sort have always been hard for me, even when I was little. I vividly remember sitting on my swing set and crying when I was six after my last day of Kindergarten because I was sad to never see my teacher again. I cried on the last day of school every year until I was through elementary as well. Anyway, I may be happy to have free-time once I finish with my job, but I am not happy to have to say good bye to my favorite students.
That same day, we had orientation over the Toros. Bull fighting has a strong history within Spanish culture, and before this meeting, I refused to go watch the Toros. No part of me wanted to see a bull struggle then ultimately get killed after being hurt and worn to exhaustion. I did learn a few things during that meeting that turned my hard no into a perhaps. First off, the meat from the bull goes to a market, and all of the proceeds go to a charity. In the past, the meat was donated to orphanages or things of that nature, but now it's easier for the money to be donated and the meat sold. With the particular breed of bull necessary for the fights, their meat isn't good after they've lived for five years, and the bulls usually go to the ring around 4-5. Either way, they would have gotten butchered. Bull fighting, in the eyes of Spaniards, isn't about the bull dying either. It's about cheering on the bull for being a good bull and serving its life before dying valiantly. It's about the bull fighter and bull being connected, and the bull fighter learning about how the bull works. It's emotional, and it isn't taken lightly. We also got to meet a bull fighter, Jesús Franco Cardeño, and he showed us the capes the bull fighters use to provoke the bull, the capes they wear, and el Traje de Luces. He was very nice and let us put on/play with all of his stuff including the sword they use to end the bull's life. I felt like a real like Matador (#longlivethematador) which is also known as a Torero.
Here is a link for the video of when his face got gored by a bull's horn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5-r5tmPsA4.
To follow up the meeting about the Toros, we spent the next day at la Finca Las Monjas. This is a farm where they raise the bulls for the bull fighting. In each bull fight, 6 bulls are killed by either 3, 2, or 1 person. These bulls are raised to be very large with defined muscle tone. They are also very specific about the bull never seeing a person walking (i.e. on two legs) , so the bull doesn't know what a person is when they enter the ring. They only handle the bulls through a tractor or on horse back, so we rode around in a trailer attached to a tractor to view the bulls. They were exactly like I expected them to look. Beefed up and gross looking, to be honest. They live in large cercas (area enclosed by fence) where they could walk around and roam. The people on horse back make sure to handle with bulls with a lot of care and caution as well. Being on a farm gave me a lot of nostalgia for home. Not to mention, I got to ride a horse AND cuddle with a puppy.
After we viewed the cercas, we watched them test a cow to see if she'd be a good mother for future bulls. She was put into the ring and tested on aggression, endurance, and the ability to learn not to run into the horse (this will make sense when you look at pictures and videos). They acted as if she was a bull in the ring complete with the capes and all. I thought she did a good job, but I later learned that the owner thought the opposite which means she went to the butcher that night. They are very selective with their mother-picking process, and sadly, not everyone can make it through. The cow that day started strong and ended weak. They look for cows that start out so-so and end strong.
We spent the rest of the weekend celebrating a friend's birthday and catching up on the seemingly endless amounts of homework !!! how fun
I only have 46 days left here, and I can feel the end creeping up. My host mom, roommate, and I talked about it the other day, and we are all very sad about parting ways. Leaving Spain will be very difficult, but my little nostalgic day at the farm in the country reminded me why I've been missing home and Texas skies so much.
xoxo,
Caroline
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Meat and Potatoes
It has been 10 days since my last blog post. I cannot describe how busy these past ten days have been, but I'm going to try to type it all down for y'all. Wednesday and Thursday of last week was spent patiently waiting for my parents and froomie (friend and roommate) to get to Spain! On Friday, I had to tour around the Bella Artes of Sevilla, and while I tried to be all in it, I was honestly beside myself with excitement knowing I was hours away from seeing them. I made a sign that I said "Bienvenidos a Seville David, Michelle, and Amber" with the NO8DO symbol of Seville. NO8DO means "No me ha dejado" and carries a lot of significance to Seville. I would explain it, but this post is already going to be long (you can google the meaning, and it's a short little read). I met them at Atocha, and we all shed a few tears of happiness. The first stop on our crazy week of traveling was in Cádiz. My parents and froomie were jet lagged, so we all went to bed early after watching the sunset on the beach. They also slept in early on Saturday since they were awake for so long traveling. I got them up around lunch though, so we all went to the Plaza de Las Flores and Parque Genoves. At this point, we only had three meals in Spain, but my dad was already asking, "Where is the steak house? I need meat and potatoes." Let's just say that Dave had a hard time adjusting to the food here which I understand completely. The Mediterranean diet is so different from the rich foods we are used to eating in America. We made fajitas one night in Seville (which I haven't had in forever), and I was so full from all the richness of it that I felt uncomfortable trying to fall asleep that night. Back to Cádiz, we went to the beach after the plaza and parque to catch some rays before dinner. After dinner, we went to the Plaza de España and the plaza outside of the Catedral. We got to look at the boats in the port as well before walking 2.5 miles back to the AirBnb.
Early Sunday, we traveled to Seville for lunch with my host mom who was very excited to meet and host my parents. She really outdid herself with a four course lunch meal. First course: Shrimp, ham and cheese, and bread. Second course: Vegetable soup. Third course: Roast beef and cheesy potatoes. Fourth course: Ice cream with cookies, whipped cream, caramel, and fruit and a sugary drink. It was so, so good, and Dave FINALLY got to eat the good food he wanted. My mom and froomie enjoyed it as well. We all left stuffed and happy. It was really special to me that my parents got to meet my mamá Sevillana because she's a part of my family now to me. My home in Texas will always be home, but Mamá Carmen and her apartment are home now too.
After lunch, we took a siesta before watching the sunset at the Setas and seeing the outside of the Cathedral at night. I had class Monday morning, but we went to the Plaza de España after (Seville has the best one). There is a museum of the Spanish armies in the plaza that we went through as well. It was really cool to see their army's history because there is SO MUCH to it since Spain is so old. Way older than the young 300 yr. old America, that's for sure. We did a little bit of shopping before the orientation about the big week long trip ahead of us. That was the night we made fajitas (yummm) and went to bed early because we were leaving Seville at 6:30 am.
We spent the better half of the next two days on a charter bus. The first stop on the Toledo-Madrid trip was in Almagro to visit a golden age theater that was found during excavations to the building. We also got to watch tatting done in this pueblo which is kind of like knitting, but it looks like lace. The process is really interesting, and I'll be uploading a video for y'all to see how tatting is done. After this, we continued to Consuegra where we saw the windmills in the book, Don Quijote by Cervantes. It was VERY windy and very reminiscent of Lubbock. We hurried to Toledo to stay the night there. This city is up on a hill, and the lights at night are luminous and give Toledo an almost mystical appearance. We took an escalator (yes, it saved our feet and legs) to the bottom of the hill to get a view of the whole city at night. Dinner was after that, and we ate at a nice restaurant where I had an ACTUAL steak for the first time in over 2 months. *blessed* It was very, very good.
The next morning, our group went to la Iglesia de Santo Tomé to see El Greco's painting, “El entierro del Conde de Orgaz." The painting depicts El Conde de Orgaz's death, and his soul's entrance into heaven. It is hung right above his tomb, and I highly recommend looking into the painting. A lot is going on with it, but it's totally worth looking at and researching. We went zip lining after this as our last hoorah before leaving Toledo. My parents and roommate absolutely loved this city and wished we could've stayed longer.
But on we went to El Escorial. This palace is austere and was home to Felipe II. All of Spain's kings are buried here with the exception of two. We got to see the original royal bed rooms, waiting rooms, dining rooms, courts, and gardens before entering the tomb. All of it was so eye opening because movies give us such a warped vision of what palaces we were like. The beds aren't big because the people weren't big. The rooms are open and have some tapestries. The palace was beautiful in a different way than I had pictured or envisioned in my head. It was really neat to see. We headed toward Madrid after this and stayed there from that day (Wednesday) until today (Saturday). Wednesday was our last day of long traveling on a charter bus!!!!!! WOO because I was tired of being car sick and having a headache.
On Thursday morning, we visited another palace called La Granja. This one wasn't as austere as the other, and it housed some of the Bourbon family. The king and queen that lived there had a competition to see who could collect the most art, so this palace was full of paintings everywhere. It was very grandeur, and it had two rooms that held porcelain from China just to show how far they could go and how much they could get. This palace is often compared to the Versailles palace. La Granja also held a beautiful, extensive garden. After this, we made our way toward the heart of Segovia. This town has a large aqueduct system running through it, and it was still working up until recent times when they had to take down part of it to build a road. There are still parts of it around the town though, and these parts are about 2,000 years old. In this town, we had a large lunch of soup, suckling pig, and a dessert. The suckling pig is what the town of Segovia is known for, so we signed up for this lunch through the school. I thought it was okay, but my dad was super happy with the meal because meat. Hahaha. I had a school thing to do after lunch, so I met up with my parents and froomie after that. They shopped around a little before I got there, and dad and I sun bathed while we waited for the bus.
Yesterday morning, I had another school thing to go do, so I met up with my crew after that to eat lunch and go to El Prado. I went two months ago when I first arrived in Spain (wow, I cannot believe two months have passed), so I showed them my favorite painting ever, "Las meninas." We looked around there for a little bit before returning to the hotel for a siesta. After siesta, we had dinner at a "BBQ" place. They had ranch which was pretty cool. None of us had the bbq, but the meal was overall okay. We went to Plaza Mayor and El Mercado de San Miguel after that to browse around before heading back to the hotel. I spent the rest of the night with my parents talking and setting up social media for ole Dave. I just really wanted to spend my parents' last night with them just hanging out and being together.
We woke up early today to finish packing up and to eat breakfast. They called a taxi and were off by 9. Saying goodbye is never easy and never will be. I feel so lucky that a friend and my parents got to come visit me for a week because it was such a relief to my home-body self to see some of my people. Their visit had gave me something to look forward when times were rough, and it will get me through the second half of this semester for sure. From today, I only have 54 days left. Over half of the semester is over. This time is flying by so, so quickly, and I honestly don't know how to feel about it. Part of me doesn't want to leave my host mom and the roots I've made here, but a large part of me is so ready to be home and so excited to start my PreLaw career this fall. I'm also excited to have my best friend at school with me. It's a lot of mixed emotions, but I know that no matter what I will keep truckin' on and movin' on. Life is happening whether we are ready or not, and every passing moment is a blessing.
xoxo,
Care
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
¡Take Me Back to Barca!
Wow. What a weekend! First things first, I LOVE Barcelona. It is easily my favorite city in Spain so far. Catalan is a language from another word, but we all eventually caught on to some of it. It's a mix of Spanish and French kind of? For example, calle is carrer, and próxima is propera. We should kick it back to the beginning of the story first.
So my travel group flew to Barcelona very early in the morning around 7 am. The flight went super well and passed quickly. We arrived in Barcelona a little before 9 am, and from there, we took a bus and a train into the city because it's huge. My group and I checked into the hostel, which was awesome by the way, and we headed toward the Sagrada Familia. We met with my cousin and her friend there which just made my weekend. I missed my family so much, and even though I don't see this cousin often, it was really nice to see someone familiar that I knew and loved. I *might have* shed a few tears. After I was done being dramatic and emotional, we entered into one of the most, if not the most, beautiful place I have ever seen. Pictures do not do the Sagrada Familia justice at all. It is so grand and has the most amazing stained glass windows. The windows are divided into areas and done by colors, so you'll see blue light in one area and red or orange in another area. The lighting is just other worldly, and I couldn't capture it's true essence on camera. It's really one of those places you just have to see.
After that, we walked to a Mexican food restaurant called Mexcla and wow. Just wow. That guacamole and those carne asada tacos made me feel some type of nostalgia. It was THAT good and tasted just like home. We made our way to Park Güell where we got a great view of Barcelona all the way to the beach. Our little group just walked around here, took pictures, and soaked in the sights of Barcelona. After this, we went to the Magic Fountain of Montjuic where we watched a light show from within this HUGE fountain. This was just the icing on the cake to a really great day. Side note: In total, we walked 10 miles that day.
We went to bed early Friday night because the plan was to go hiking on Saturday morning, but the temperature at the mountain was 32 degrees with rain. We decided not to risk getting sick and stayed in for the morning. Once we got going, we went to La Boqueria (a market) by La Rambla to chow down on some lunch. This place was so cool. The animals in the seafood section were still moving on their ice slabs, so you know that stuff was pulled out of the ocean that morning. I ate an empanada, a corn dog, fried cod, french fries, and ice cream at this place. My inner foodie was dying if happiness. We went to the port after this where we sun bathed and took some pictures. From here, the group went onto the beach, but I went back to the hostel for a Skype interview! I was being interviewed to be a PreLaw ambassador, and I will get the email next week if I got it. I'll post on Facebook as soon as I get some news! I met back up with the group for a celebratory burger afterwards. My cousin and her friend met us there too, and we all headed back to the hostel after to get ready for a night out. Side note again: I dipped early because I made the mistake of wearing heels to a discoteca. Never again.
We mournfully packed our bags up Sunday morning and checked out of the hostel (they held our bags for us until we left). None of us wanted to leave because we had so much fun. Nevertheless, we went to Arc de Triomf and Parc de la Ciutadella. The park had this amazing fountain/statue of Aphrodite. It was completely fantastic, and I have never seen anything like it. The fountain flowed over a mossy structure and ended in a pool. Right by that, a group of Barcelonians who were a part of a Swing group were dancing in a gazebo which reminded me of my grandpa because he likes that music. It was really cool. We grabbed lunch in the Gothic quarter, and I had steak (bless up) and patatas bravas (spicy potatoes). They weren't spicy though, but I enjoyed it just the same. My cousin and her friend left us for the last time here. I really didn't want to say goodbye to them because it was so nice having them around that weekend. Especially my cousin because I feel like we connected in a way we haven't before which is really special. I am looking forward to visiting her in England (hopefully) and seeing her over the holidays this fall. My group went to the port area again where we watched a band play. They did so good that I HAD to buy a cd! I can't wait to play it in my car in America and look back on a great weekend with great friends.
We went to the airport after this, and here is where the story takes a turn. The people in my group got to check-in online through our airline, but I didn't get the email to check-in online which means I had to check-in in person. I go to do that, and the person says I am late for check-in and can't be allowed on the flight. It had already closed, and there was nothing I could do (the flight was delayed btw). I didn't realize I had a specific check-in time to meet, and they didn't mention it when we flew out of Seville. Looking back, this wasn't that big of a deal because all I had to do was buy a ticket for the next flight and leave later than my group. At the time though, my anxiety took over, and I was in full on panic mode. I was bawling, couldn't breathe, my hands were shaking. I have no idea what I would have done without my roommate because she is so understanding and helped me talk to the people to figure out how to fix the situation. They wouldn't talk to me until I calmed down, but I quite literally couldn't do it. I wish that when I am in situations like that I could calm myself down, but it's nearly impossible. I called my parents, and my dad thankfully talked me down. He reasoned with me and helped me to understand that everything was okay since my anxiety wouldn't let me see that at the time. All went well though. My later flight was delayed due to the air strike in France, so I didn't leave Barcelona until 10:30 pm which put me in Seville at 12 am. Shout out to my roommate for waiting an hour at the airport for me. All in all, Sunday night at the airport was a great learning lesson for me though, and you can sure as hell bet I will always be super early every time I have a flight from now on.
I skipped my first class on Monday because I was physically and mentally exhausted, and all I did yesterday was sleep.
Right now, I am currently looking forward to my roommate for Lubbock and my parents coming to Spain THIS FRIDAY!!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY AND FULL OF LOVE AND HAPPINESS THAT MY HEART COULD BURST. I cannot wait to see them. My next blog post will update their arrival and our weekend trip to the beach! (if I can find time to write because I'll be super busy with them)
xoxo,
Caroline
So my travel group flew to Barcelona very early in the morning around 7 am. The flight went super well and passed quickly. We arrived in Barcelona a little before 9 am, and from there, we took a bus and a train into the city because it's huge. My group and I checked into the hostel, which was awesome by the way, and we headed toward the Sagrada Familia. We met with my cousin and her friend there which just made my weekend. I missed my family so much, and even though I don't see this cousin often, it was really nice to see someone familiar that I knew and loved. I *might have* shed a few tears. After I was done being dramatic and emotional, we entered into one of the most, if not the most, beautiful place I have ever seen. Pictures do not do the Sagrada Familia justice at all. It is so grand and has the most amazing stained glass windows. The windows are divided into areas and done by colors, so you'll see blue light in one area and red or orange in another area. The lighting is just other worldly, and I couldn't capture it's true essence on camera. It's really one of those places you just have to see.
After that, we walked to a Mexican food restaurant called Mexcla and wow. Just wow. That guacamole and those carne asada tacos made me feel some type of nostalgia. It was THAT good and tasted just like home. We made our way to Park Güell where we got a great view of Barcelona all the way to the beach. Our little group just walked around here, took pictures, and soaked in the sights of Barcelona. After this, we went to the Magic Fountain of Montjuic where we watched a light show from within this HUGE fountain. This was just the icing on the cake to a really great day. Side note: In total, we walked 10 miles that day.
We went to bed early Friday night because the plan was to go hiking on Saturday morning, but the temperature at the mountain was 32 degrees with rain. We decided not to risk getting sick and stayed in for the morning. Once we got going, we went to La Boqueria (a market) by La Rambla to chow down on some lunch. This place was so cool. The animals in the seafood section were still moving on their ice slabs, so you know that stuff was pulled out of the ocean that morning. I ate an empanada, a corn dog, fried cod, french fries, and ice cream at this place. My inner foodie was dying if happiness. We went to the port after this where we sun bathed and took some pictures. From here, the group went onto the beach, but I went back to the hostel for a Skype interview! I was being interviewed to be a PreLaw ambassador, and I will get the email next week if I got it. I'll post on Facebook as soon as I get some news! I met back up with the group for a celebratory burger afterwards. My cousin and her friend met us there too, and we all headed back to the hostel after to get ready for a night out. Side note again: I dipped early because I made the mistake of wearing heels to a discoteca. Never again.
We mournfully packed our bags up Sunday morning and checked out of the hostel (they held our bags for us until we left). None of us wanted to leave because we had so much fun. Nevertheless, we went to Arc de Triomf and Parc de la Ciutadella. The park had this amazing fountain/statue of Aphrodite. It was completely fantastic, and I have never seen anything like it. The fountain flowed over a mossy structure and ended in a pool. Right by that, a group of Barcelonians who were a part of a Swing group were dancing in a gazebo which reminded me of my grandpa because he likes that music. It was really cool. We grabbed lunch in the Gothic quarter, and I had steak (bless up) and patatas bravas (spicy potatoes). They weren't spicy though, but I enjoyed it just the same. My cousin and her friend left us for the last time here. I really didn't want to say goodbye to them because it was so nice having them around that weekend. Especially my cousin because I feel like we connected in a way we haven't before which is really special. I am looking forward to visiting her in England (hopefully) and seeing her over the holidays this fall. My group went to the port area again where we watched a band play. They did so good that I HAD to buy a cd! I can't wait to play it in my car in America and look back on a great weekend with great friends.
We went to the airport after this, and here is where the story takes a turn. The people in my group got to check-in online through our airline, but I didn't get the email to check-in online which means I had to check-in in person. I go to do that, and the person says I am late for check-in and can't be allowed on the flight. It had already closed, and there was nothing I could do (the flight was delayed btw). I didn't realize I had a specific check-in time to meet, and they didn't mention it when we flew out of Seville. Looking back, this wasn't that big of a deal because all I had to do was buy a ticket for the next flight and leave later than my group. At the time though, my anxiety took over, and I was in full on panic mode. I was bawling, couldn't breathe, my hands were shaking. I have no idea what I would have done without my roommate because she is so understanding and helped me talk to the people to figure out how to fix the situation. They wouldn't talk to me until I calmed down, but I quite literally couldn't do it. I wish that when I am in situations like that I could calm myself down, but it's nearly impossible. I called my parents, and my dad thankfully talked me down. He reasoned with me and helped me to understand that everything was okay since my anxiety wouldn't let me see that at the time. All went well though. My later flight was delayed due to the air strike in France, so I didn't leave Barcelona until 10:30 pm which put me in Seville at 12 am. Shout out to my roommate for waiting an hour at the airport for me. All in all, Sunday night at the airport was a great learning lesson for me though, and you can sure as hell bet I will always be super early every time I have a flight from now on.
I skipped my first class on Monday because I was physically and mentally exhausted, and all I did yesterday was sleep.
Right now, I am currently looking forward to my roommate for Lubbock and my parents coming to Spain THIS FRIDAY!!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY AND FULL OF LOVE AND HAPPINESS THAT MY HEART COULD BURST. I cannot wait to see them. My next blog post will update their arrival and our weekend trip to the beach! (if I can find time to write because I'll be super busy with them)
xoxo,
Caroline
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