finding myself, by Discovering The World :)

Oh man, we were livin, didn’t waste one minute. We talked and drank and danced and said goodbye, we laughed until we cried. - Jason Aldean

So, I’ve been home for almost 3 weeks now and I haven’t even finished my blog. I keep forgetting about it now that my life at home consists of laying on the couch all day!

Just going to back up to the last few nights in Europe. I seriously get shocks through my stomach every single time I think about it. I miss everyone and everything so much. We basically spent our last 48 hours, crying, laughing, reminiscing, and taking a billion pictures. I don’t think I could ever surround myself with more wonderful people. All 72 of my new and amazing friends have brought me back to life. There is not one thing I would ever take back from the past three and a half months. I love who I have become and I could never thank everyone enough for the impact they have made on my life. 

                                                     Our second to last night! <3

I will never find the words to describe this last night that we were all together. All I know is that within three and a half months, I fell in love with each and every one of these amazing people. These were some of the happiest times of my life and I will never forget any of it. I was so lucky to have this experience and be able to share it with people who will always be so special to me for the rest of my life. 

There would be no better way to end my blog than with this video. My friend Patricia spent the last day going around interviewing everyone about their experience abroad to put together this video for us. Made me cry of course but 100% worth watching. Just click the link to watch!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZAyR254LEg 

Thank you so much to everyone who kept up with my blog and followed me through my adventures throughout Europe. I love you all :)

Portugal :)

La Feria

“La Feria” is one of the biggest festivals held in Seville throughout the entire year. We were lucky enough to be here while it was going on. There are two parts to the festival. One side being over a thousand tents set up for dancing and eating, most of them private, and the other side was a giant carnival! For everyone from home, it was like expo times a million. There were rides and the spanish zeppoles, CHURROS! La Feria began last Monday at midnight, starting with what we all called “the light show”. There were hundreds of lights hanging over the entire carnival and a huge structure thing that all lit up right at 12. It’s the tradition that lets everyone know La Feria has officially started. It’s really amazing that we were able to be here to experience it and be a part of  something so important to the culture here in Seville.

The beautiful view from the top of the ferris wheel!

One of the main traditions for La Feria is for the women to dress in Flamenco outfits, which we didn’t have so we did the best we could. We got a little fancy and put flowers in our hair! We still definitely stood out but I thought we all looked pretty cute. After the midnight light show, we walked to the other side to the carnival, which was more our scene. First stop was to the churros then to the rides! It probably would have made more sense to do it the opposite way so my stomach didn’t feel so full on the rides that were flipping me upside down! We stayed the first night until about 3 am and it was still PACKED when we left. It’s so crazy how everything happens so late around here. The girls and I joke about how we’re going to be nocturnal when we get home, but that’s really how it is here!

Thankfully La Feria is a week long event so we were all anxious to go back the next day because of all the fun we had the night before. Everything looked so different in the day time. Everyone was still in their Flamenco outfits but we decided to dress more casual for the rides. (I immediately regretted my decision of wearing a dress the first night. I couldn’t go on a lot of the rides unless I wanted to face the embarrassment of people seeing parts of my bod that should never be shown in public!!) We went from roller coasters for kids to the biggest ride there to bumper cars. I’d have to say that the bumper cars might have been my favorite. I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard, even though I’m pretty sure I got whip lash!

The last night of La Feria is celebrated by a firework show at midnight this passed Sunday. We were all exhausted because we had just gotten back from Portugal (that will be my next post), but of course we went anyway. They were some of the coolest fireworks I’ve ever seen. Each one was different and every time we saw a new one, all you could hear was “oooooh, ahhhhh”. It was literally just like the movies. I feel like my life these passed four months have been a movie. I can’t say it enough how lucky I am that I was able to be in Seville this week :)

bad decisions make good stories - spring break in Ibiza & Barcelona

So, I always thought I would use the quote “bad decisions make good stories” for a drunken night or something along those lines but in this case, it was used a little differently. We booked our trip to Ibiza our second week in Paris because we wanted to make sure that we got the best and cheapest flights and hotel rooms. Well, turns out booking your trip two months in advance may not save you any money, it may cost ya!

Ibiza is known as a party island but apparently, this party island has an “off season” is pretty much shut down from the end of September to the beginning of May. And by shut down, I mean shut down. This is the first time to refer back to the title of this post. We didn’t do enough research into planning our trip to know that the island wouldn’t really get started until a month after we left. Our second mistake was our decision to book a hotel not in the center of the island because whenever we wanted to go to the town, it would be a 30 euro taxi ride. That brings me to the hotel itself, Hotel Bergantin. I guess the “off season” is a time for older people to come and enjoy the island because our group of seven 20 year old girls was the youngest by about fifty years, no exaggeration. I didn’t mind it at all, other than the stares and head turns and basically hearing people thoughts asking what in the world we were doing at THEIR hotel. I wanted to say, “Hey, I’m thinkin the saaaaame thing!” Other than that minor detail, I loved the hotel. We had a view of the ocean from our hotel room, got three meals a day, and we even got to watch tv for the first time in three months! The only channel they had in English was CNN, which I must say made me feel more connected to the world than I have since I left.

Even though most of the island and all of the major clubs were closed while we were there, we still had a fun night out clubbing! We went to one of the best clubs in the world, and one that Ibiza is known for, Pacha! We all had a great time which resulted in getting home at 6 am and spending the entire next day in bed!

After we recovered from our night at Pacha, we went to stay with our friends who were also staying in Ibiza, just at a different hotel. Their hotel was more our style. It was mostly all young kids drinking by the pool so we fit right in as we sun-bathed all day with a break for drinks and lunch. The view from the pool was so pretty that it almost looked fake!

We had a quiet last night in Ibiza, packing and getting ready for our travels to Barcelona! It was only about a half an hour flight, which was so nice. (I’m really starting to get sick of flying, especially on Ryan Air. If you ever have a flight with them, I strongly suggest to change your travel plans! Seriously the worst airline, ever.) Anyway, the weather in Barcelona was beautiful when we first got there. It was very different from Ibiza because this city was much more fast pace and full of people! Our hostel happened to be on what I called “the 5th Avenue of Barcelona”. It was on the same street as Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton! How we managed that, I have no idea! But our hostel was definitely one of the best I’ve seen in my three months in Europe!

After we settled in, we went for lunch that ended with a little ice cream. In the ice cream place, mine & Christopher’s first song ever came on!!! It made me sad but very happy at the same time. Sad because I’ll never get to play it for him again but happy because I think that was his way of showing me that he is constantly with me :) Before we knew it, it was siesta time, which is always seriously needed when I have a full belly.

For dinner, we went to a restaurant right next to our hostel which was delish. I got a tuna appetizer and a steak for dinner. No idea who I think I am!! I should be ordering something less than 10 euro!!!! But hey, when in Barcelona :) I have mostly definitely abused “When in Rome” and even gone to the extremes of using it for other cities, and basically whenever I want! I guess that’s what happens when you’re forced to live like a European for so long :)

Our last mistake was not doing enough research of Barcelona because we had no idea how we were going to spend our next day there. Our flight wasn’t until 7pm so we had so much time. We ended up finding a bus tour around the city, which was actually really cool because we got to see most of the major sight seeing spots and things that we wouldn’t have had time to see on our own if we just went aimlessly walking around. I definitely liked Barcelona better than Seville and I’ve already added it to my list of places I want to travel to again!

Barca soccer stadium!

Bullfighting stadium!

from flamenco shows in seville to oceanfront houses in marbella

Sooooo I just got back from spring break (spent in Ibiza and Barcelona) two days ago but I need to back track a little and talk about the week before I left.

The day after my mama left, Alyssa’s dad and step-mom came! The first night he got there, he took us to a flamenco show. I was so happy because I feel like that’s one of the things you HAVE to do while being in Spain. We got dinner and sangria along with the show, which is always a plus :) The show was about an hour long and there were three men who sat down the whole time playing instruments, not sure which instruments but they seemed difficult to play. There was a woman and a man singing the whole time and then four different dancers, two women and two men. It was unbelievable how fast they were able to move their legs, clap their hands, and stop all movement exactly when the music stopped. We weren’t allowed to take pictures in there but just take my word for it that it was absolutely amazing!

The weekend before Alyssa’s dad left, he took us away for the weekend to Marbella, a city in Southern Spain. He rented a house right on the beach and even though it was a little bit too chilly to actually go to the beach, it was still perfect! It was so nice to wake up to the sound of the waves. (sounds cliche, but it’s true!) Other than the beach, the center of the city was filled with cute restaurants and shops, where we spent most of our time. We got to sleep in and then woke up to an amazing bacon and egg breakfast from Alyssa’s dad. Another great weekend :)

…just because she looks so pretty, as always :)

To the moon & back mama. I love you so much! I am so proud of you. You are the most beautiful thing in the whole world to me. I’m so happy you were able to be there with us!

bungee jumping!

HOLA ESPANA :) y mi mama!

FINALLY ABLE TO UPDATE YOU ON THE PRESENT! I felt so far behind when I was still writing about Italy but now I promise to blog more regularly again!

So, our travels to Seville went much more smoothly that our trip to Rome. (thank god) I can’t believe I’m already in the third and last country of the program. I’ve probably said this in almost every post but it really feels like it was just yesterday that scared to death to even come live in Europe for three and a half months and now I’m almost leaving. Well, I just have to make the most out of the month that I have left, which definitely won’t be a problem.

We got to Seville on a Thursday night and even though I was so exhausted from traveling, I could barely sleep because MY MAMA WAS COMING ON FRIDAY! I had been counting down the days and it was just so unreal that I was actually able to see her after so long. When I went to pick her up from the train station, it was literally a scene out of a movie. I full on sprinted over to her the second she was in my sight and we were both hysterically crying, which I knew would happen. It was the longest we had ever been apart!


We went directly to her hotel so she could drop off her bags before we started our day in Seville! I wouldn’t let her sleep because I didn’t want her to be jet-lagged for the rest of her trip but she’s a trooper so it worked out just fine :) Her hotel was only a block away from where I’m living which was so perfect because it was less than a five minute walk. We took it easy the first day and ended our night at her hotel sipping on white wine! I was the happiest girl in the world. Her second day was just a little bit more exciting, I guess you could say. We spent the day shopping in the city center and then stopped for a quick lunch with all of my friends before our “siesta”. The siesta time here usually goes from 3-8, which is one of my favorite parts of Seville so far!

After we were all rejuvenated after our siesta, my mama took Hollie, Alyssa, and me out to dinner to a beautiful restaurant right on the river! It was a great start to our fun-filled night. I knew I had to take my mama out at least once but after this one time, I think I’m all done with that! We went to a club in the center of Seville called Buddha. We got there at about midnight and it was basically empty. (No one starts going out here until 2 AM.) I don’t think any of us minded that it was so empty because all that meant was easy access to the bar :) A few too many vodka and orange juices later, we were on the dance floor!



Nothing could ever compare to the happiness I feel when my mom is happy and Lord knows she deserves it more than anyone. I haven’t seen her that happy or laugh like that in a very long time and even though I had to deal with the embarrassment the morning after as I looked through the pictures, I wouldn’t change a thing. I love you mama!

my last italian post! cooking class!

wine tasting my way through Tuscany :)

Most of you probably don’t know this about me since I was about 8 or 9, I have been tasting wines! I’ll never forget when my mom would come tuck me into bed and I would sneak a sip out of her wine glass almost every night. I was usually pretty smooth about it most of the time but even the times when she would catch me, she would never get mad because she knew I didn’t like it and I was just being rebellious. She always did say that one day I would grow up to love wine, just like she did, and boy was she right.

We wanted to make sure that we didn’t leave Italy without doing a wine tasting. It was honestly much different than I expected but I loved every second of it. I would’ve been perfectly content with one in Rome but we were lucky enough to find one that took us to two different towns in Tuscany, provided transportation, and even came with lunch! The first town we went to was Cortona. It was such a change from Rome because it was out in the straight up country. I liked it though because it gave me a more homey feeling than the cities that we’ve been living in. We actually didn’t start the wine tasting in the first town; we just walked around and took in all the beautiful sights and did a little shopping of course! :) 

 
After Cortona, we got back on the bus and made our way to Montepulciano, which was where all of the real fun began! We went to lunch first where we had a set menu of pasta with meat sauce as our first course, meat and salad for the second course, and a yummy dessert to finish it off, and wine with every course. Next to where we ate was a tiny little shed full of real Italian cooking ingredients and types of pasta that you could only get in Montepulciano. Of course I just had to buy six bags of the pasta and each one of the girls bought a different seasoning so we could test out our cooking skills and cook for each other! (When we made the pasta later that week, it was just as delicious as we had suspected it would be!)

The food aspect of the trip was amazing, as every meal in Rome is, but the wine made it even better. We went to two different cellars and tasted about six different red wines. I never thought that I liked red wine but I definitely liked what I had that day, considering my glass was never empty for more than 30 seconds! It was a really cool experience because we got to learn how you’re really supposed to drink and appreciate wine. I hate to say that it all still tastes the same to me, but at least I love it all!!!


 


For all of the my fellow Twilight fans out there….I’d have to say my favorite part of the entire day was being able to see the clock from New Moon!!!!!! I had no idea that it was going to be there and I really honestly think that Christopher lead me there because he knew how much it means to me and his mama! Our tour guide was giving us historical facts about different wine and where it was made then mentioned the words clock and new moon, and I immediately stopped listening to what he was saying, started crying, and ran over to take pictures with the clock. It was basically a dream come true and another perfect end to a perfect day :)