Pamplona (Iruña)

(Plaza del Castillo)

On Saturday my roommates and I took a little day trip to Pamplona. It was about a 2 hour bus ride and although it's still considered to be part of the Basque country it is actually the capital of the Navarra province. We were told that it is a very charming little town, but other than the Festival de San Fermines (Running of the Bulls) in July, there isn't much to do.

We arrived at about 11am and explored the Ciudadela first. This is an old citadel fortress dating back from 1571. We wondered around the outside of the fortress not knowing there was an inside until later. So we returned at night before returning home to the inner portion where there was a beautiful park with lots of old buildings that are now exhibition rooms.

Then we walked to Casco Antiguo, or the old town where most of the things to see are. We saw the beautiful Plaza del Castillo, where a 14th century castle used to be set. This the area known for the best bars and cafes and it is where we decided to eat lunch at a beautiful place called Cafe Iruña. Also in this plaza sits the famous La Perla hotel, the hotel where Ernest Hemingway would stay whenever he came to watch the Running of the Bulls. It is said he would watch from his hotel bedroom and write about the events as they took place. He is the person responsible for making the town of Pamplona famous so there are tons of places named after him in this town. (Of course I love this!)

Then we walked up the famous street where the Running of the Bulls takes place called Calle de Estafeta and walked along it all the way to the famous Plaza de Toros. Supposedly besides the plazas de toros in Madrid and Mexico City, it is the next largest bull ring. It was also recently renovated in 2005. We didn't really get a chance to see it because inside the bullring there was a huge tent set up with a market (Feria de Navidad). We had fun shopping in there though!

We returned to Casco Antiguo to visit some of the more famous buildings including the 18th century town hall and a famous cathedral. We basically saw the entire town including a long lunch within 7 hours. But we were all glad we took the trip and walked along the famous route of the Running of the Bulls that occurs every summer. Pamplona is small but just like every other northern town, it's absolutely beautiful with so much history.

half-way through the journey

Well, it's really hard to believe but as of today, I am exactly half-way into my Spain adventures. Time has really flown by having both classes and work. My weeks have flashed before my eyes it seems. Starting Monday, my life will slow down a little. Friday was my last day of class (technically I still have one week left of classes but I am going to use them after the holidays as a refresher course). I don't even know where to begin with how much I've learned...about the language and myself.

I know the first question friends and family seem to ask me lately is: ¨so are you fluent?¨ Well, the real answer to that is no. But I would say that I have a basic fluency where I can hold conversations with anyone in Spanish and I can understand almost everything they are saying unless they are mumbling or using far too many colloquial terms. I ended up being placed in the advanced level class after two weeks into my courses and from there I have increased my vocabulary, speed and grammar understanding. But there is no doubt that Spanish is a VERY COMPLICATED language. The several verb forms (including vosotros which I never used before) the use of subjunctive in almost half the situations of speaking and getting used to the country's more widely used phrases and words when you learned different ones growing up and learning Mexican Spanish has all been quite a challenge.

I must say though that as my comprehension has increased the more and more I love the language and see its beauty. My teacher and director both told me last week that I have improved tremendously and I have had the opportunity to speak to many locals lately and they all flatter me by telling me I speak Spanish very well. I have worked really hard and I have to admit I am a little burned out after 3 months straight of intense classes. But I think that amount of time was necessary to get to where I am. Now I fear I might lose a little bit of it as I won't be taking those intense lessons in the mornings and I have to speak English for my job in the afternoons. I have come to an agreement with Nikki (my roommate) that beginning Monday we are only going to speak in Spanish unless one of us is really upset or something and can't express ourselves properly in Spanish. I am also planning on reading newspapers and books in Spanish, watching a little more Spanish TV now that I have time and I just bought 4 great new albums of popular Spanish musicians. Of course I'm sure I will need the refresher course after being away in France and England for two weeks so I was happy to hear I still have a week of classes I can take later.

As for everything else...I have met some amazing people so far and think I have found some life-long friends. That in itself was worth making this journey. So far, I have traveled to Sopelana, San Sebastian, Gexto, La Rioja (twice), Portugalete, Madrid and Pamplona. All beautiful and unique places that I will never forget and hopefully I will return to some one day. I also feel like I am constantly rediscovering or discovering more and more about the wonderful city of Bilbao and I am starting to consider it my home (even if it is only for a short while). The area here and the Basque country in general is so beautiful and the people are so unique. Everyone is proud of where they come from and they are so inviting and warm to foreigners. It is as if I was meant to meet every single person I have met and they have always expected to meet me. Truly an experience I will never forget about this place.

I still get a little homesick now and then but I have also adjusted to the point where I am happy I did this and in retrospect I will see everyone very, very soon. I really miss my cat and I think about her a lot. I also miss little things like having a clothes dryer and an oven to bake things. But it's also amazing to find that you can adjust to whatever circumstances you are given and know that you could live that way too if it ended up being your fate. Life is a bit more simple here. People take everything a bit slower and relish in the simple luxuries of life such as food, wine, siestas, friends, family and having some really good conversations. If they are lucky, they get to meet a new person and show them where they come from and how proud they are of their little circle of people with whom they pass their days.

Next on the agenda is my big Christmas break trip to France and England. I have a little less than two weeks and have already begun to prepare by buying some warmer sweaters and socks(I've been told sevreal times how cold it gets during the winter in these countries!)It will be a nice change of pace to have my mornings free to sleep in a little longer, get some much needed exercise done (there is an amazing exercise route along the river here), do some leisurely reading and whatever else I want! I will continue to work in the afternoons 4 days a week teaching English. We have semester exams coming up so it will be nice not to have to worry about teaching new material until after the break. Traveling plans include Barcelona in January and hopefully both Cordoba and Seville in February. My friend Eva is coming to visit me in February as well so that will be lovely. In between those travels, we will continue to try to discover other neat cities nearby in the Basque country. I know I will have to come back when I am not working to see some of the great places I didn't get to see this time around.

Well, that's all for now. Come back soon because I am going to post a blog about Pamplona. We had a great time there on Saturday. :)

Madrid...La Capital

(me next to the Palacio Real and in front of the park)

Wow, Madrid. It was better than I had ever imagined. There is something so colossal and so significant about the place- it’s really hard to put into words. It’s one of those places you just have to go see for yourself to grasp a taste of the life, history and culture. To know that you only have 2 full days to devote to a place like this is a bit overwhelming. There are just so many essential things that you have to see while you are there or else you won’t get a proper perspective of what the city has to offer and really what’s it’s like to be there. So rather than just “winging it” like I did with my previous trips, I began reading and researching and booking things in advance about two weeks before the trip. I’m so glad I did. It’s a lot of work, but worth it in the end. It’s satisfying to know that you really got your money’s worth and that you know just in case you never get back there, you were there and experienced it.

So, my roommates, Nikki and Christian, came along on this trip. We took a bus out of Bilbao at about 2:30pm Friday and arrived in Madrid around 7pm. The first thing that came to my mind once we reached the city limits was, “Wow, this looks a lot like Houston!” The borders of the city were very modern with tall buildings and there were wide highways with lots of traffic. And just the way everything is bigger in Texas, everything was bigger in Madrid. It made Bilbao seem like a pueblo.

When we got off of our bus, we had to figure out how to get to our hostel. Little did we know we were going to be about 40 minutes away by car. So we asked a lot of questions and figured out that we needed to take the Metro across town. We lugged all our bags and switched metros half-way through and finally got to our stop. Then we walked another 10 minutes or so stopping every 2 minutes to stare at the map…we looked like the most stereotypical of tourists. But it was OK because we soon learned that about 50% of the people there were also tourists and also very lost. You never see this sort of thing in Bilbao. Those people stick out like a sore thumb. We finally reached our hostel, which was right off of Plaza Santa Ana, a famous and historic square right smack in the middle of the city. It was the perfect location if you planned to mostly walk to see all the sights (thanks to Fodor’s Guide Book). The building was so old and beautiful but the actual hostel was about what you expect of a hostel to look like…very simple, a little scruffy looking with three incredibly uncomfortable twin-sized beds. But, we weren’t there to enjoy our accommodations. We were there to do some serious exploring. And for 22 Euros per person per night in a pricey city like Madrid, you can’t get much better than that.

On Friday night we walked around the Santa Ana plaza area and also walked down Lavapies, which is known to be the Jewish neighborhood of the city. But all we really saw were a bunch of Indian restaurants and a bunch of people hanging around outside. We walked into a bustling tapas bar and ate some yummy empanada and each had a drink. We then continued to a cerveceria where you can order just about any type of beer you want. The place was full of men shouting and laughing about I don't know what. I ordered a cerveza limon...a beer with a hint of lemon. It was very tasty. I was impressed. Then we walked to Cafe Populart, where an awesome blues band was playing. The entire month of November, Madrid celebrates a Jazz Festival and so we passed several bars with live jazz music but it was quite pricey to go into them. For some reason at Populart it was free to get in. I still can't figure out where the band was from. They spoke English as their main language but had an accent too. All the songs were in English. They were great. Christian ended up getting their CD. After that, we headed back to the hostal and to bed because we were beat and knew we were waking up early.

Saturday we began our journey at The Prado Museum. What a sight. Man (hombre!). This place holds some of the most famous and well-known pieces of art in the world. There are two other famous museums in Madrid (Thyssen and Sofia) but of course we didn't have the time to see them. We spent about 3 hours there and probably only saw 1/4 of the art. It is absolutely gigantic! Among all the artists that were featured, we made sure to see El Grecco, Goya, Velazquez and Rubens. They were just excellent.

Then we walked along the Paseo de Prado, a very long road where you see some of the oldest and most beautiful buildings, fountains and plazas. Included in this were some famous sights such as El Fuente de Neptuno and La Plaza de la Cibeles. Of course we stopped at a few souvenir shops along the way as well! Then we ate lunch at La Trucha (the trout)in plaza Santa Ana. It was a tiny little restaurant recommended by my guide book for a good taste of the food for not very much money. I ate a chicken dish with roasted garlic and potatoes. Nikki and I shared a vegetable dish and I got a cute little pitcher of the house white wine. It was all very yummy.

Then we continued with our exploring to the Puerta de Sol, which is the exact center of Madrid and it's compared with New York's Time Square because there is a big clock tower where the people go on New Year's Eve to count down to midnight. But it really looks nothing like Times Square. Haha. The custom when counting down in the last minute before midnight is to eat 12 grapes the last 12 seconds...this can be very difficult depending on how big the grapes are. After this, we walked to Plaza Mayor where there was a fiesta going on with all the Swedish football fans who came to watch their match against Madrid Real. They were all wearing blue and yellow jerseys carrying around Swedish flags and shouting obscene things (in their own language thank god). It was all quite a spectacle. Sharing this space were all the artists who come to work and sell their masterpieces. There were some really beautiful things that I wished I could buy. Oh well.

Finally, we made it to the Palacio Real (the Royal Palace) where you can actually take tours, but it takes at least 2 hours to tour place because it's so big and we didn't have time. The king and royal family don't live here (no royal family has since the 1930's). They live in a more remote palace somewhere on the outskirts of Madrid but it was still neat to see a place with so much history and royalty. The area where it sits is called the Plaza de Oriente where there are tons of small gardens and sculptures of historical figures all over the place...along with a beautiful fountain in the middle. We arrived there at about sunset and it was just gorgeous.

Then we went to see the monument of Cervantes (the author of Don Quixote). Supposedly this was the exact location where he wrote the last words of his final novel. It was beautiful as well. Then we walked along the Gran Via, which is one of the most famous shopping streets in the world (similar to Rodeo Drive or 5th Avenue). We have a smaller version in Bilbao, which is big enough for me! Then Nikki and I went to the famous Buen Retiro park, which can be compared (a little) to NY's central park. It's also gigantic with a beautiful lake in the middle where you can see people in little paddle boats. We didn't stay too long because it was getting dark and very cold and we didn't bring our coats with us! Yea I know, that was dumb. Nikki and I stopped at a pretty cafe to have hot chocolate and churros-one of Madrid's delicacies. I was pretty much in heaven for those 20 minutes. So amazingly good. The hot chocolate is more like pure chocolate melted down. It was so rich, like eating the equivalent of 3 chocolate bars. But it is essential that you eat this when you go to Madrid (twist my arm! ;)

After a short rest, we all went back out for more tapas and drinks. We went around Plaza Santa Ana again and then to an area one of my students recommended called Chueca, where you can find a lot of gay bars but supposedly they are the best. Well, we went a little too early, around 11pm/12pm and the nightlife in Spain really doesn't start until at least 1am...and then people stay until about 5 or 6am. I still can't manage to pull this off. The latest I've been able to make it so far is about 4am. Maybe I'm just too old. I don't know. Anyway, we were convinced my some persuasive barman to go to his bar where if we ordered a drink, he would give us all a free shot. So we went and he ordered something for Nikki and I that scared me half to death. We watched the man add in about 10 different types of pure liquor and a tad bit of green kiwi flavoring. It was neon green in the end (see my photos). It was actually kind of good but a little too sweet for me. Of course I drank it all because it was the equivalent of about $13. So then we took our free shots and left because not many people were there. We went to one more bar where we were falling asleep on the sofa because it had been a really long day. So we finally went back to the hostel and went to bed.

On Sunday we woke up early again and went to breakfast. Then we went to see the Arab Wall where the old Moorish city used to stand and where it is said originated the city of Madrid. There weren't really any signs around it and not much to really see. Oh well, I'm glad I went. Then we went to the famous El Rastro market that goes for miles and miles on one road where you can buy anything and everything and there are always great deals going on. All the foreigners go to do their shopping there and I did a lot there as well. It's jam-packed with people and it takes hours to get through because of all the human traffic. People are always bumping into you and trying to get past you. It gets a little frustrating after a while. This is also where someone decided to steal my cell phone as it was resting in it's case behind my back. I should have known and I was warned several times to watch my things. I was too busy safeguarding my purse in front of me but I should have stuck my phone inside. Oh well, you live and you learn right?

Finally we went to eat lunch at Botin, which is said to be the oldest restaurant in the world! It dates back to 1725 and I believe some of the structure inside is original. This was also said to be Ernest Hemingway's favorite restaurant when he would visit Madrid. And you all know how much I love him so of course I wanted to go somewhere he loved. It was beautiful and old inside. The waiters all wore white jackets with napkins around their arms. They were all so charming and sweet and the service was amazing. I ate another Spanish chicken dish and drank some delicious Spanish wine. It was great.

We sadly had to end the trip and get back to the bus station lugging about twice the amount that we originally brought with all the new gifts and goodies we had bought. That wasn't fun but we made it and then had to wait forever to get a bus that wasn't already full. I have been working all week to make up for the sleep I didn't get this weekend but it was all worth it. I got to see a famous, beautiful city with wonderful weather (pretty cold but beautiful)and now I have lots of wonderful memories from this trip.

My first Spanish poem

Well it's been a long time since I've taken a stab at writing poetry, but for some reason many of my Spanish assignments involve writing my own songs or poems and it seems to be flowing out of me! My profesora was very taken away with one that I wrote this week and called me a professional poet! I don't really think so but I am pretty proud of this poem and I thought I would post it for you all. I guess having a broken heart is really beneficial in the artistic realm.

It is in Spanish and I'd like to keep it that way because I think it's more beautiful and intense in Spanish and means more to me since I can actually write poems in a different language. My dad might be the only one who understands it but you can always pull out your dictionaries if you want to know the meaning:

El Sufrimiento del Corazon

Cuando te vea, estare contenta
Cuando oiga tu voz, me sintire aliviada
Cuando me toques, estare comoda
y cuando este contigo, olvidare mis problemas.

Al contrario, cuando me veas, estaras triste
Cuando oigas mi voz, te sintiras culpable
Cuando te toque, estaras nervioso
y cuando estes conmigo, recordaras todos tus problemas.

Cuando me digas la verdad, estare desconsolada
Cuando mire tus ojos, vere mucha pena
Cuando me digas que me amas, no te creere
y cuando yal qespededir, me ire para siempre.

Cuando piense en ti, tendre buenos recuerdos
Cuando hable de ti, dire buenas cosas
Cuando recuerde mi vida, siempre seras parte de ella
y cuando te des cuenta de que soy tu unico amor verdadero, estare con alguien quien ya lo sabia desde el principio.

Christmas plans, etc.

Hello everyone! Yes I know...my entries are becoming less and less. I guess that's what happens when you lead a busy life. Right now it is busier than I would like but it will only be that way for about another month and a week or so. Today is a holiday so I didn't have any school or work which is really nice. I could definitely use the break!

All is well here. I just finished making plans for my Christmas break and it looks like I get to go to Paris for half of it and to England for the other half! I am so pumped! I have some distant relatives in Paris who have offered to take me around the city and do touristy things with me as well as see some fabulous art exhibits. Spending Christmas in Paris...can it get any more dreamlike or romantic?

Then after a little less than a week in Paris I am heading to Reading, England to stay with Nikki, my female roommate here and her family. She lives about 45 minutes south of London so we will be doing lots of exploring in London of course! She and I have gotten really close these past few months and I really look forward to seeing where she comes from and meeting all her people. Of course having a good friend to be with while bringing in the New Year is something I am really happy about too. And I think it is so sweet of her family to give me a place to stay during that time. I am very, very lucky to have that.

We are hoping to make a trip to Madrid in about two weeks to get a trip in before Christmas. We still need to do some more researching, which is easy to put off when life gets crazy but I'm really going to try to make that happen.

We got a second chance to go back to La Rioja last weekend for just a day but this time it was organized by the institute and so we were finally able to see a winery and taste some of their wine. It was really interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed that trip. Not only did we visit a winery, but we went to this beautiful restaurant that was hiding in the mountain area of La Rioja, where we had an amazing and huge lunch (it's the main meal of the day here). I don't think I've ever been so full in my life! But the scenery was beautiful outside the restaurant and we had a large table full of friends eating some of La Rioja's delicacies and drinking some of the wine made from grapes that were grown directly on the land we were walking beside. How cool is that?

After a very long lunch, we decided to walk some of it off by going to explore some ancient castle ruins up some smaller mountains. It was the perfect time of day, almost sunset, and the leaves on the vines were brilliantly gleaming all the beautiful fall colors you can imagine-reds, oranges, yellows. The entire country side looked like it was lit up and glowing. I loved it...as many of you know from my hundreds of pictures!

That's about all the news over here. I hope all is well with those who are visiting my page and checking up on me. Leave me a comment! I'd love to hear from you.

my how time flies

Well my friends, it's been an entire month since I've been in Spain and I have to say that I'm glad I got this month over with. Not that it was bad...just that it was quite an interesting adjustment period. Not only did I have to adapt to a completely new place and culture, but I also began intense Spanish courses and had to get used to taking those every day for 3.5 hours as well as beginning a new job with people who hardly understand what I'm saying in English.

As you all know, change is not easy no matter how positive the outcome is going to be. I had a hard time catching up on my sleep for at least 2.5 weeks, I needed some of the necessary items in my apartment to feel comfortable and I needed to get a lot better at speaking Spanish...pronto!

As of now, I feel my Spanish is tremendously better than it was before I got here. I can definitely get around on my own. I can basically understand anything I listen to in Spanish and my speaking is following along a little slower but still improving greatly. I have come to realize that when I have a little alcohol in me, the Spanish flows right out of my mouth...losing inhibitions is great!

I have met a lot of amazing people...making lots of international friends, which I love but I do hope in these next months I will make friends with some local Spaniards. That's important to me.

My job is going well. I really enjoy teaching. My days are really long with classes before but I am currently working on cutting my teaching time in half so that I feel like I actually have somewhat of a day outside of classroom walls.

In between classes and teaching my number one goal is to continue traveling around Spain. I have seen some amazing places so far, but I'd really like to go to some of the main cities. I think Madrid is next...hopefully in about 2 weeks.

Yay for Spain....me encanta.

La Rioja...sort of

This past weekend my roommates and I took a short trip to La Rioja, one of the primary wine regions of Spain. It took a little over an hour on a bus to get there. The problem was that we did not plan one single thing in advance. I found out it was going to be great weather outside for the weekend and immediately jumped to the conclusion to go somewhere beautiful. I have been wanting to go to La Rioja ever since I tasted the wine back in Texas about 2 months before I left. It is so delicious! After more research, I learned that La Rioja is quite famous and that the area is gorgeous if you go before it gets too cold.

As soon as we got off the bus...we had all the hopes in the world to visit some great wineries (bodegas) and drink some awesome wine. Little did we know nothing would work in our favor. We arrived in a small town called Haro, which is the capital area of bodegas and walked straight to the tourism center. The woman there told us we probably would not find any hotels or bodegas to visit this weekend because they are all booked. You are supposed to always call and book in advance, especially on the weekends. So she pointed out a few hotels to try that were more expensive than we wanted and further away from the town of Haro, where we planned to stay for that visit.

After arguing with a woman at a hotel in B.F.E. compared to where Haro is, she told me she would save a room for us. After glancing at a map and comparing where we were and where the hotel was, and given my large and heavy bag I was dragging around (you all know I always pack for a small army...this really needs to change)we decided it would be best to take a taxi. However, Haro is a very small town and we found out that there are only 4 taxi drivers total there and they are usually in different towns that contain more people. We called a taxi number that was on the map and the man I spoke to was incomprehensible. I finally said three short words in Spanish to explain where we were and he found us.

Once we dropped our things off in the hotel-Hotel Eth Rioja, a fabulous three star hotel, we tried to call a taxi once again to go back into town. Of course there were none available so we walked about 30 minutes on a dangerous road with no sidewalks. That was fun. Finally we began to look for one building that the tourism lady said we would be able to visit and taste some wine because they were celebrating the 125th anniversary of the wine creator's birthday. This place was awesome. There was an exhibition describing the vineyard, the history, the family that is still working it today...it was very neat...I have pictures to send so you can see a little of what I am talking about. There was also a wine tasting area that was so pretty and modern. It actually reminded me a little of the Guggenheim because everything inside was curvy and the structure had no straight lines except the ceiling. It was all silver and white with neat modern looking tables and chairs. There was an interesting contrast inside because the original booth made for an exposition in Paris in 1912 sat in the back of the room. The very antiquated structure against the very modern building was quite a sight. An of course the wine was delicious. We all practiced our wine tasting skills that we learned at the course in Bilbao.

Later, we walked around the Plaza de Paz (Plaza of Peace) which is the central area of town where all the restaurants, bars and shopping are. We sat at a popular cafe for a while and drank more wine. Later we went to dinner at a very fancy restaurant that the wine tasting girl recommended. La Rioja is also known for certain types of food such as roasted lamb (which is what I had), venison, veal and many other delicacies. We all loved our dinners.

I think probably the funniest part of this trip was the fact that we could not for the life of us get a taxi back to the hotel! We called the number several times and no one answered. People kept telling us different places to go to find one. Finally, we ended up at a police station where they said at that time of night in that town, you cannot find any taxis. However, they told us they would take us back to our hotel. Wow, police escort....how touristy and unprepared us foreigners are! They were really sweet men though and they had nothing better to do.

After a lovely rest in the three star hotel we all woke up and ate breakfast in the restaurant connected to our hotel. I sent pictures through Shutterfly of the wall full if wine. I thought that was pretty awesome. I think all of La Rioja is like that...either walls of wine or actual wine cellars. After waiting 45 minutes for a taxi to come get us, we went to the coolest wine cultural museum in a town called Briones. It was set on a working bodega and the family who owns the bodega played a vital role in creating the museum. They wanted you to know everything you could possibly know about wine making. It was huge with one floor per subject such as the process of finding quality grapes, the process of making the wine, making the oak barrels to store the wine, etc. There was an entire floor entirely devoted to display cork screw openers. There were thousands! It was unbelievable. And last but not least, you got a free glass of the vineyard's wine when you were finished with the exhibits. That was delicious of course. I believe we were at this museum for about 3.5 hours! Finally we took the bus back to Bilbao.

So next time I will book ahead and actually visit a bodega and hopefully taste a lot more wine! It was still beautiful and we still enjoyed ourselves. It's fun to laugh at yourself every once and a while too and I did a lot of that this past weekend.

Mi Trabajo (my job)

(My school)

Well I started my job on Monday and although I know it will be a good experience, I have to admit I am pretty overwhelmed. I am teaching conversational English at a private institution called Mugakoa- a Basque term which means "in between." The town I work in is along the coast, about 25 minutes away from Bilbao and it's called Portugalete. The area is called Pinota. Actually the building itself is in between Pinota and Portugalete, hence "Mugakoa." The city is beautiful and very much a port town. If it would ever stop raining I would like to wander around and discover it more.


(Portugalete)

I basically have 5 classes (sometimes 6) every afternoon beginning at 4 pm and running until 9 or 10 pm at night. The students come twice a week, alternating with 5 or 6 other classes, so that's about 11 classes total! It's a very long day for me since I have classes all morning and early afternoon! The good news is I only have to work Monday through Thursday so I get Friday off. The classes are not based on age, they are based on understanding level so I have some classes with a decently large age range. But I have adults (up to 41 years old), teenagers, children...all ages. They all have Basque names, which are nothing like Spanish names. Most of them I can't even pronounce. The Basque language looks like Greek to me. So maybe by the end of 6 months I will know them all by their names...but I have a lot of students! Most of them are very nice but some of the younger kids like to make fun of the way I pronounce their names and they are so resistant to speak English. I'm not supposed to speak even one word of Spanish in the classrooms or they will take advantage of the fact that they know I know Spanish and never speak in English.

Some of the younger ones caught me off-guard yesterday so they are now always speaking to me in Spanish and I'm trying really hard not to respond in Spanish. It's hard when you've been speaking and hearing Spanish all morning!

Things are a little disorganized right now...I have like 10 books to use for different classes and it's hard remembering which book goes with what class. But I think in the end, it's more about talking and encouraging them to speak English. I'm pretty exhausted by the end of the day but I go home feeling rewarded. Even if I can help just a few students speak English a little easier I will be happy.

ummm..... vino

This week has been pretty eventful, despite the three days of constant rain. I have been told this time of year it rains all the time but not as much in the winter. Let's cross our fingers.

Yesterday, our institute provided one of the best afternoon activities yet...wine tasting! Wine is a very big deal here. For those of you who know about Rioja, you know what I'm talking about. Rioja is a huge and famous winery not very far from Bilbao where wine is produced from some of the most ancient and wonderful grape vines. I have yet to make a special trip out there. In the meantime, I will enjoy the copious amounts of Rioja wine offered and sold here in Bilbao.

All the students and some of the teachers walked to a place called La Carte de Vins, where a man from Bilbao owns a beautiful wine shop.



He took us all to the back of the store where a table and slide show are set up. He was excellent because he spoke Spanish so clearly and every once and a while spoke English-also very well. He taught us all about wine making with tons of scientific details and how to distinguish good and bad qualities of wine. We all learned so much! Of course, after our class we continued to drink some lovely Rioja wine. What a great experience.

Earlier this week, I visited some of the well known museums here. On Tuesday I went to El Museo de Pasos, which showcases the very important Holy Week in Bilbao. From Good Friday until Easter, the city has twelve processions within nine days, where more than 3,000 members of the Brotherhood of the True Cross take part. Many colored wood figures bearing characteristics of the Basque, Castilian, Levantine and Andalusian schools of imagery make this procession appear as a traveling museum.

Of course I won't be here when this procession takes place this year, so it was nice to get a feel for what the people see and how it all takes place. I am sending some photos through Shutterfly so you can see some of the artistic figures.

On Wednesday, I went to El Museo de Bellas Artes-this is one of Bilbao's most renowned museums. My guidebook puts it right up there with The Guggenheim. I was surprised to encounter such a modern, square-looking building in the middle of a town full of ancient and beautiful ones. I didn't spend too much time there because it is gigantic and I was starting to come down with a little cold. However, I did see some pretty awesome pieces of art. Most importantly an exhibit featuring Picasso and Debuffet. I mean, if I live on Calle Pablo Picasso, I think I am supposed to see some of his work while it's in Bilbao right? I thought it was a neat coincidence anyway.

I loved the exhibit. There were tons of people there from all over Europe coming to see some of these extremely famous pieces of art. Other paintings within this exhibit featured Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin and many more. These guys are my favorite so I was very happy! I will definitely have to go back to see more.

Tonight, once again we have vino y tapas in Casca Viejo. My profesora, Rosario, is leaving back to Italy tomorrow so I will have to spend lots of time with her tonight. For being a new Spanish professor, she has done a really great job. I will miss her.

Las playas

(sunset in Sopelana)

I love beaches so much, I feel they deserve their own blog space. I knew I could expect to find some beautiful beaches based off of a few photos in a guide book but no words or photos can really do these beaches any justice. They are so breathtaking. My first beach experience occurred on Thursday when my Irish friend Frances and I decided the day was too beautiful to stay inside the city. We were ready to see some ocean! Of course, she is from Ireland where she is used to gorgeous landscapes and piercingly blue water but I told her living on the Gulf of Mexico is a whole different story. Of course, it is a beach and it is pretty in it's own rugged way but this water is so much more amazing.

We took a quick metro for about 30 minutes (Within a week I have tried almost every form of transportation offered here-pretty neat how easy it is to get around)and were worried we wouldn't have much time before sunset but we spent a good 3 hours on the beach before that happened. I walked in the water but wouldn't dare swim. The water had to have been about 65 degrees! Frances said it was warmer than Ireland so she went head first into a wave-crazy woman! I took several photos as you will see in my Shutterfly email invite. I was so happy and for the first time last week I felt at home. I mean, who wouldn't when surrounded by beauty? This is what I have wanted and all I have asked for since my turn of events 5 months ago.

Frances and I had a glass of yummy wine while watching the sun go down and walked into town for some hamburguesas. They were huge but pretty good. Who ever knew a fried egg would taste good on a hamburger?

Yesterday (Sunday) my new roommate Christian (from Germany) and Norwegian friend Hilde went on a little journey to San Sebastian. I have heard endless amounts of good things about this coastal city. It used to be known as a famous spa getaway. Now it is known mainly for its annual film festival extravaganza and it just so happened that the festival was going on when we decided to journey out there. We took a bus for an hour and 10 minutes and arrived in a beautiful and thriving town. A river runs all the way through it and eventually leads you to the ocean. Yet again, a gorgeous beach. It's a hard life, I know.


(relaxing in San Sebastian)

It was a little annoying to be there during the festival because of the hordes of people. There were tons of movie stars there including from America but I did not see any. I was more intrigued by the town itself. However, these huge groups of people were gathering around hotels where they might see stars leave and when a premier was about to begin they all flocked to the main venue of the festival. It was insane...I have pictures! Hilde and I went straight for the beach to chill out. And for the first time I lost my inhibitions and sunbathed topless like all the other locals. It was hard at first but Hilde encouraged me that it is normal and no one cares. My friend Jaclyn at home also told me to go wild and be topless on a beach so there ya go...aren't you proud of me Jac??

Finally after a nice little siesta, Hilde, Christian and I walked around more. We encountered an excellent ice cream parlor called Helado (ice cream) Boulevard. There must have been 30 different flavors. I ended up getting a combination of mango and coco (coconut laced with chocolate). It was delicioso! Then we watched an interesting performance in the center of a plaza. I'm not really sure what they were doing even though I could understand a lot of what they were saying. It was kind of weird but nevertheless entertaining. Finally it was time to get back to reality...do some homework for class the next day and get some rest. I had a great weekend though and this beach only topped it off!

Cuando una puerta se cierra, una ventana se abre

(view from my window)

When one door closes, a window opens...

Here is why I love that there is no air conditioning in Bilbao (or most of Europe for that matter): the windows are always open.

Of course this means so many things. From a physical perspective, you are breathing fresh air. There is no such thing as a room feeling stuffy. You can also hear everything going on outside (which can get annoying sometimes) but for the most part you feel so much more connected and part of the outside world.

The more symbolic part of windows being open speaks for itself. It is a constant reminder to me however, that this is my window of opportunity to really live and have a totally different and real experience that many people never get a chance to do. It also says something about the culture. This place is overall more trusting. There are no fears that some crazy person is going to climb into your window and rob your house. And the people here want to be connected to the outside world. They are engaging, welcoming and warm. I love this.

My Spanish will take a while to get up to par with the locals, but in the meantime they are so patient and always want to understand you and help you. If they only speak Spanish, they try to find the right word for you to say. There are lots of hand gestures and pointing to also help. I am just very impressed with the society.

Anyway, yesterday was the most amazing day so far for me. After classes, all the students went together to see the famous Guggenheim museum. It was unbelievable and breathtaking. Pictures really don't do it justice. You have to see this for yourself. It is definitely a masterpiece. I took some photos outside, but they don't want you to take them inside. Here is one...



I believe we stayed there for 3 hours. There are tons of very different galleries inside. One was on Basque art and it's contemporary development and it's importance in the country. Another was an amazing exhibit by Serra full of these huge rusty metal installations that you walk through. It completely distorts your perception and makes you wonder how he was ever able to make these.

It was the first sunny day since I have been here and the temperature was about 74 degrees. I will never forget this day and I plan to go back to the museum several times. I have more pictures and I will probably post them on shutterfly. For some reason, they take forever to upload here.

Estoy Aqui (I'm here)

Well I made it! Thank God. I was a bit worried about the trip over here. Especially making my connection in Paris. It's a good thing I didn't have to go through customs! I didn't get much sleep on the plane of course so I had a very hard time yesterday staying awake and making coherent decisions. I fell asleep at 9 p.m. here and didn't wake up until 8 a.m.! I really needed that.

It's definitely a culture shock to be here. My first reaction when I made it to my apartment was a bit of crying (not expected). It's just all so strange and new and when you're alone you are REALLY alone. I have some neat roommates, 3 Germans and 1 Irish girl. They are very nice and know English to an extent. They are all leaving though at the end of the week. They are just on "holiday." I told them in America, no one goes to take classes on their holiday and it was admirable that that is how they want to spend their free time.

I began my Spanish lessons today. I took an assessment test and made it to the intermediate level. I guess minoring in Spanish wasn't all for naught! I am in there with 2 German boys who are actually pretty good. I also met some students here that will be here about as long as me or longer. Two are from Norway and one from England. All very sweet. I look forward to getting to know them better. We are going for drinks tonight. There are bars everywhere!

I had my first taste of Spanish food for lunch today. It was a potato, ham and cheese sort of quiche looking thing. Very rich but very good. Oh, and the cafe con leche here is amazing! It's been raining off and on the past two days. I'm very happy I brought an umbrella along with my loads of things from Texas. Hopefully it clears up soon. The city is so neat and there are some really beautiful areas. I can't wait to explore more. I just have to be careful not to get lost! I am going to the Guggenheim tomorrow with some students. I'm very excited. It is the primary famous landmark of Bilbao.

I tried to post some photos of my apartment but it's not working so I might have to do the whole Shutterfly thing. I will let you all know. Hasta luego...

T minus 3 weeks

For the past four months life has been at a much slower pace for me. Sometimes I even think it's been too slow, if that's possible. I planned my trip to Spain what seems like a century ago and I've been slowly preparing and finalizing plans and anxiously awaiting the day I finally leave. With most things set in place (other than the packing, which I am really dreading trying to shove my entire life into 2 big bags) here I sit with exactly three weeks until the departure.

My cat is currently sitting next to me looking up at me with her loving eyes, thinking "my mom is never leaving my side." I have to say, this will be one of the harder parts of me leaving. She is very attached and might go through a little bit of withdrawal without me around. I think I might too. But I know she is in a good home with people who love her and will take care of her just as well. If I could bring her, she would be on that plane with me. I have to say, this little feline has been through everything with me for the past four years and has faithfully remained my companion through it all. She knows when I'm sad and knows exactly how to soothe me. Pets are really incredible. I have read about psychological studies and how it's proven that people who have pets are generally much less depressed than those that don't have pets. Fascinating. I believe it.

I have a few more plans before I leave. My brother Ben has generously offered to fly me into Tulsa over Labor Day weekend to see him and his wife, Nadja. They basically moved to Tulsa when I left and I never got to see their home. I don't know about you, but there is something about seeing where my loved ones live that puts my mind at ease. I know they are fine even if I don't get to see it but it's nice to really picture them in their environment and know that they are happy. I felt the same way earlier this summer when I finally got to see my brother Ari and his wife in San Francisco. Maybe it's a woman thing. I don't know.

The following weekend I am going up to Austin (sigh) one last time to see my best friend Diana. She and her friend Ashley just moved into an apartment together and they are having a housewarming party. They are both second year grad students at UT and will be finishing up their Master's this year. Smarties. It's going to be tough not seeing Di for 6 months. She has sort of become my rock in all my strife (besides my parents) and I know I will feel a little lost without her to lean on while I'm gone. Of course it will be good for me to be on my own. So I'm not worried, but I sure will miss her.

And last but certainly not least, the week of my departure I have a lovely appointment scheduled at a spa for a full "suburban delight" treatment thanks to my parents who thought it would be a great birthday gift. The package includes a luxurious massage, facial, lunch from one of my favorite restaurants and a manicure and pedicure so I can leave the country looking fabulous! I'm very excited.

So that's what's happening with me. I would love to hear from any and all of you within the next few weeks to catch up, say goodbye, etc. Gimme a call, or better yet come see me! Love to you all.

Moving On

So...I'm not sure if there is supposed to be a moment where something clicks and just like that – bam – you are over someone, but I do believe there is a particular sensation of knowing you are moving on. It's been about 3 1/2 months since my break-up with Clark and I am feeling a sort of clarity.

As I've said before, music tends to be my therapy and lately I have been noticing some songs where I can totally relate and I almost feel like I wrote the song. The one I like best is called Light Years Away by MoZella. It's interesting that you sometimes don't see or hear things until you are really ready to, because I've probably heard this song 50 times but it wasn't until about the 45th time that I really paid attention to the lyrics and caught myself saying, "yea, that's how i feel!" It basically talks of acceptance of how things are now and not being angry or sad anymore.

My favorite line is, "I don't blame you anymore, that's too much pain to store." Sometimes I still think I should be so much more angry than I actually am, but it really is too much pain and not worth filling up my brain with something that hurts when there is nothing I can do about it. She also talks about the entire experience – the pain, the crying, the near insanity and depression – actually saving her life. I feel this way too. I can only imagine staying in the "hard place" that I never accepted was a fundamental issue of why I shouldn't be with the guy until he screwed up and broke my heart. It's then that all the flaws, issues, red flags, etc. come to light and you think, "I was about to live with that the rest of my life?" It's really amazing how blind love is.

But I do think that even though I wasn't unhappy at the point he decided to break my heart, I would have figured it out later...and later can really ruin your life depending on how invested you are with marriage and kids. So ultimately, him breaking my heart...the pain and tears and self-doubt and everything in between was so very worth it. It saved my life. I know now how much happier I can be and how truly deserving that person will be of my love. In a time like this, I thought...maybe I'm all out of love or not capable of loving someone without being afraid of getting hurt for the third time in a row. But actually, I feel like I have more love to give than ever before. I have another chance to get it right and it's going to be wonderful.

Here are the lyrics to my song. It's definitely worth downloading it from itunes because the melody and her voice make it that much better. ;)

Artist: MoZella
Song: Light Years Away

It's almost like you had it planned
It's like you smiled and shook my hand and said
"Hey, I'm about to screw you over, big time"
And what was I supposed to do?
I was stuck in between you and a hard place
We won't talk about the hard place

But I don't blame you anymore
That's too much pain to store
It left me half dead
Inside my head
And boy, looking back I see
I'm not the girl I used to be
When I lost my mind
It saved my life

It's how you wanted it to be
It's like you played a joke on me
And I lost a friend
In the end
And I think that I cried for days
But now that seems light years away
And I'm never going back
To who I was

Cause I don't blame you anymore
That's too much pain to store
It left me half dead
Inside my head
And boy, looking back I see
I'm not the girl I used to be
When I lost my mind
It saved my life

I think I cried for days
But now that seems light years away
And I'm never going back
To who I was

Cause I don't blame you anymore
That's too much pain to store
It left me half dead
Inside my head
And boy, looking back I see
I'm not the girl I used to be
When I lost my mind
It saved my life

That life seems like light years away
Light years away
And that life seems like light years away
Light years away

Rach's surprise 30th

Yay for completely shocking Rachel for her 30th birthday! Way to go Ari. Rachel already had what she thought was her party back in San Fran on the actual day of her birthday. Then Ari woke her up Friday morning and told her they were taking a little trip, a quiet weekend in Austin just for them. Little did she know she was going to walk into a room of 40+ people (all her family and friends) waiting to celebrate with her. We had a great time at Pok-E-Jo's BBQ Friday night and then spent the entire day on Lake Travis on Saturday eating, drinking, jet skiing, riding in a boat, etc. It was a beautiful day . Couldn't have asked for a better one on the lake. The photo above is my big birthday kiss to Rach. Love you sis! :)

quarter century old

Well, I'm officially 25! Man, I'm old. But as Ari said, I have already suffered my quarter life crisis so I guess that's a good thing. This photo was taken at an awesome Spanish restaurant called Ibesa. Instead of the usual free piece of cake, we got cotton candy in huge silver cups with a sparkler. It was so cool.

Also on the actual night of my birthday, we went to Craft in Dallas. If you haven't heard of it, it's owned my renowned Chef Tom Colicchio, producer of the Bravo show Top Chef. Let me just surmise to say that it was one of the best meals of my life! I got lots of sweet calls and lovely gifts, so thanks to all of you for making my day so special. :)

cutest kids ever

well, i finally found a part-time job to keep me busy for the rest of the summer. i am a substitute counselor at the Houston JCC pre-school day camp. that means i get to see the teeny tiny ones 2 to 4 years olds! while they are adorable, they are also the most energy guzzling things i've ever seen. I only go til 1:30 most of the time and by the time i make it home i am dead to the world and have to take a nap in order to function the rest of the day! this week i spent two days with the "whales." they are mostly 4 year-olds and all it takes is 1 day for me to get attached. here's a cute picture of them i posted today:



from left to right is will, rachel, olivia and sasha.

oh yea, i think my job is the hardest because i don't get just one class. so far i have learned the names and personalities of about 50 campers! but it's all worth it. there is something about children that makes me so happy. :)

I have bangs!

OK so I don't think I've had bangs since I was 7, but I decided to do something drastic and try it again, this time with a more "sweeping to the side look."



Let me know what you all think. ;)

It's official...Spain here I come!

I just booked my flight today and will be departing Houston on Sunday, September 16 at 4:10 PM off to my new adventure! I am so pumped. I also spoke to two different people who work for Instituto Hemingway and they answered all of my silly American questions. In case you are wondering exactly where I will be in Spain, it is in the northern region and the city is Bilbao. Here is a map to get a better idea.



Anyway, as soon as I get ther I will begin taking my Spanish lessons because school starts Oct. 1 and I will have to know enough Spanish to teach English to my students. I will have internet at Instituto Hemingway so make sure to email me and stop by my blog as often as possible because I will be posting things. I also plan to get back into some of my photography so hopefully I will post some nifty shots too. Now I have to get busy preparing. I have to get a student visa, which is a very long process and figure out exactly what to pack!

Here is a photo of the famous Guggenheim museum designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. Many people from around the world travel here to see it.



Isn't it gorgeous? If you want to know more about my city, you can visit this link. I have to decide where else I want to travel while I'm there. Definitely Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Southern France since I'm right below them. So much to do!

Cincy 2007

I just got back from a lovely week in Cincinnati with my Grams who turned 83 on June 16th. This photo is from Rookwood Pottery, a famous restaurant in Mt. Adams on her birthday. She let me treat her to lunch. Isn't she beautiful?

pretty day at Surfside

I went to the beach last Sunday with the padres and I got really burnt. :/ But at least I got a pretty picture. It's sort of one of those cliche ones, but I liked it.

New Favorite Quote

I was on Facebook looking at one of my girlfriend's profile pages where you can list your favorite quotes. Hers really got to me and it's a great mantra in a time of confusion or doubt:

"One day you are going to wake up and realize you truly love her and when that day comes, she'll be waking up next to the guy that already knew."

Love it! And on a lighter note, I came across a new artist and song I love. It's more playful and upbeat, but man I really feel her...

Artist: MoZella
Album: I Will
Year: 2006
Title: Amnesia

Help me cause I’m falling and I just can't see you
You came along and took a hold of me.
You gave me sugar-coated valentines
Promises that you were mine.
Tying up my line. Talking dirty to me.
And all I need I thought I found.
You only let me down you went sleeping around. around.
I wanna go back to the day before I met ya.
Things would be better
If I could forget ya.
Somebody give me something strong so I can release ya.
A double shot of amnesia
Life could be sweeter (for me).
Everyone was saying what are you doing playin
With her heart when you don't care.
She’s much to young to string along put her back where she belongs. \
Why you doing her wrong. its just not fair.
And all I need is piece of mind
I wanna put it behind
Quit wastin my time. My time.
I wanna go back to the day before I met ya.
Things would be better
if I could forget ya.
Somebody give me something strong so I can release ya.
A double shot of amnesia
life could be sweeter. (for me)
Yea you only let me down.
How you turn a girl around.
And now I need some piece of mind.
I want to put this behind.
Stop wastin all my time.
I want to go back to the day before I met ya.
Things could be better
if I could forget ya.
Somebody give me something strong so I can release ya.
A double shot of amnesia.
Life could be sweeter. (for me).
I wanna go back to the day before I met ya.
Things would be better if I could forget ya.
Somebody give me something strong so I can release ya.
A double shot of amnesia.
Life could be sweeter. (for me)

I'M GOING TO SPAIN!!

At least I'm pretty sure I am. ;) I started researching yesterday on some ways I could make money while I travel. I came across this pretty cool web site called Instituto Hemingway as I was looking into Spain being a potential country. Here is the address in case you want to take a look: http://www.institutohemingway.com/index.htm.

Anyway, I noticed that you don't have to be a college student to still take a Spanish course over there and you can actually get paid at the same time for teaching English! I began emailing with this cool guy, Jose, and he made up a package deal for me to take a 13-week Spanish course, set me up in an apartment that will be a 6-month lease with other female students my age and an orientation on how to teach English. It came out to be pretty cheap so that was pretty cool.

The town I will be living in is called Bilbao and it's on the northwest corner of the country. http://www.institutohemingway.com/bilbao.htm. I spoke to my dad's best friend's wife who is a Spanish professor and who has lived off and on in Spain including Bilbao and she said I will love it so much I won't want to go home! She said it's beautiful, in the mountains but surrounded by beaches. It's the safest city she's ever been in. She said I could walk alone at night and feel perfectly safe. It's a pedestrian city so I can walk everywhere and there are three main forms of transportation that you can use one pre-paid card for and all the trips are cheap. France is close nearby, so I can just take a bus over there if I want.

Here is why I think this is meant to be:
As I was sorting through some desk papers during my move, I came across a letter I was assigned to write to myself when I started college. It was a letter full of my goals and dreams and in it, I had already decided that I was going to minor in Spanish and go to Spain to immerse myself in the language to become fluent. It's interesting because my parents went on a trip to Spain about two years ago and absolutely loved it. They were actually surprised they liked it so much. Anyway, through their photos and stories, I once again felt this strong urge to get there. And I had totally forgotten that it was my original destination city until I found that letter.

Also, I have always wanted to become fluent in Spanish. This is my chance. I missed out in college studying abroad because I, eh hem, wanted to stay for a boy. So this is actually my second chance with nothing standing in my way.

My other thing is...for the first time, maybe ever in my life, this decision that I don't know much about feels so right. The notion of it just clicks and seems like I was meant to do this since the day I was born. I can't really describe it better than that, but I know this is what I'm supposed to do. I can already see myself there, speaking Spanish, meeting awesome new people, exploring this enchanted and exotic country as well as other nearby countries and really finding something about myself I never knew I would find.

Anyway, that my big news. I am sending in my application tomorrow (but they have already accepted me) and my plan is to leave September 1 and (maybe if i'm ready) come back March 1.

What about grad school you ask? Well, I'm still going to prepare for that but after having a long talk with my dad, we decided I should wait and see if I don't find a different direction with my life while I'm over there...or at least decide on a different topic to study in grad school. So I am still going to take the GRE, research on schools, get rec letters and transcripts set up and then just take it all with me and send applications from there if I decide to still do it at that time in my life.

I am very, very excited about this whole new adventure. I haven't felt this happy or optimistic in a long time. :)

music is also theraputic

I am loving so many songs right now but one in particular really stands out to me and unless you saw the movie Elizabethtown, you probably haven't heard it. It's by Tom Petty and it's called "Square One." Below are the lyrics, but I highly recommend people download this song off of itunes or get the Elizabethtown soundtrack. It's an awesome album.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Had to find some higher ground
Had some fear to get around
You can't say what you don't know
Later on won’t work no more
Last time through I hid my tracks
So well I could not get back
Yeah my way was hard to find
Can't sell your soul for peace of mind

Square one, my slate is clear
Rest your head and me my dear
It took a world of trouble, it took a world of tears
It took a long time to get back here

Try so hard to stand alone
Struggle to see past my nose
Always had more dogs than bones
I could never wear those clothes
It's a dark victory
You won and you also lost
Told her you were satisfied
But it never came across

Square one, my slate is clear
Rest your head on me my dear
It took a world of trouble, it took a world of tears
It took a long time to get back here x3

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
my favorite line was "you won and you also lost." there is so much to that simple sentence that i really believe is true for both parties when a relationship ends.

reading is theraputic

as we all become very busy people in our day-to-day routines, most people sacrifice certain joys in order to get it all done. one of my sacrifices was not reading the books i had been wanting to read. i usually saved any reading time i had for newspapers/online news sites so i could keep up to date with my current events since it was part of my job to always be "in the know."

since I have become unemployed, one of the first things i told myself was that i was going to do lots of reading. my friend diana came to visit me in houston very soon after my world turned upside down and she had a laundry basket full of things for me. Most of that included books she thought might help me as well as her entire set of Friends episodes to cheer me up.

In the past month and a half I have read about three books, all three of which have helped me gain perspective and feel so much better. The first book is "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. This book was excellent. I had been wanting to read it for some time after my brother, Andy, told me it was his favorite book. It's basically all about soul-searching and a little boy's strength and willpower to survive in the most impossible conditions. The ending has quite a twist to it, but I decided regardless of the ending, it's still about the same thing and in the end about having faith in yourself.

The next book i read was one that diana got for me and told me to read immediately if not sooner. It's called "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's nonfiction but so attention-getting the entire time. It's a true account of a journalist's own soul-searching who travels to three different countries within the span of a year and in each country she focuses on three subjects she wants to explore and improve upon. She first travels to Italy where she explores pleasure, which involved a whole bunch of eating as well as learning and practicing the Italian language. The second country is India, where she learns how to pray, meditate and get in touch with her spirituality. Finally, she goes to Indonesia where she learns to balance the pleasure with spirituality. Her account of each place and the people she meets and gets close to make you feel like you are there and talking to them too. She is so easy to relate to, funny and revealing of her deepest thoughts. This is one of my favorite books of all time. I think a lot of it had to do with how much I needed to hear her story right now since she did all of this after two relationships failed and she was lost.

Finally, and I read this in one day, was a book called "How to Survive the Loss of a Love" by Harold H. Bloomingfield, M.D., Melba Colgrove, PhD and Peter McWilliams. This was another book Diana gave to me and it is meant to be one of those books that drag you out of your depths and make you realize above all else (and what is a mantra throughout the book) "you are alive. you will survive." It's not so much a book but a set of instructions and points to remember while you are at your worst. It gives you hope and reminds you that you are a wonderful and amazing person. That loss is just a part of life and above all, you are a better person for loving someone regardless of the outcome. It also focuses on the importance of letting yourself heal. It greatly advises to take as much time off from your daily life as possible and really go through your thoughts and feelings and no matter how painful they are, accept them and work with them. Avoiding them and staying too busy will only make it worse and you might be back to square one years down the line. Good thing I did all that before I got around to reading this book! This was one of my favorite passages:

"There is beauty in sadness. There is a certain beauty in sadness (and here we mean genuine sadness, not self-pity). We cannot elaborate upon this further (not even the corn-fed poet in our midst dares do that), but we thought it was worth mentioning. If you are enjoying the beauty of being sad, it's perfectly all right."

task for the week accomplished

When I got back from San Fran, I had one goal in mind. (In my state, you kind of have to take baby steps and be proud of them.) I registered to take the GRE – the required test you have to take before applying to any graduate or professional school.

I've never been good at taking any sort of standardized test. I can make straight A's but I can also miserably perform on those things. It's weird. I remember in middle school, being pulled out of my class once a week to do practice tests for TASS or whatever the stupid required test was at the time. It was humiliating because I knew I was a good student and smart. There was just something about those things that made my mind work differently...and not for the better.

Anyway, here I go again. Hoping this time that a complete education, including two majors and a minor under my belt and some life experience might do me some justice. I plan to study and review quite a bit but I'm frequently told not to study too much for this thing.

My test date is July 14, so I have some time to prepare. Keep me in your thoughts as I can use all the luck I can get. I want to do well on this very expensive test!

The San Francisco Treat

I just got back from an amazing trip to San Francisco and the bay area. My brother, Ari, and his wife, Rachel, have lived in Sausalito for about a year and a half and this was my first visit. Above is a cool shot of the Golden Gate Bridge as we were driving on it. I liked the vantage point and the lines as it makes you feel like you are riding up the lines.



Here is a photo of Ari. Isn't he cute? This was taken on my last day there in the wine country – Sonoma Valley to be exact. We had just visited our fourth vineyard and were a little toasted from all the wine tasting. It was truly a beautiful day and an amazing sight to see. I bought three bottles of wine from different vineyards. This one was Ravenswood and was one of our favorites.



Here is a photo of the famous "Painted Ladies" Victorian houses. I wanted to see them and Ari and Rach had never been over there. It was very windy outside so I only got one shot before I ran back to the car in effort to not get blown away. We did a good combination of typical touristy things as well as things most tourists wouldn't know about. Here is a summary of what I did and saw:

Toured Sausalito and did a little shopping with Rach there

Ate lunch at the famous Cliff House that overlooks the ocean and saw the ancient ruins of the bath house.

Saw the Palace of the Fine Arts

Drove down Lombard Street – the curviest road ever!

Visited Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 where all the sea lions hang out.

Shopped a little bit in the famous Union Square.

Ate dinner at an authentic Chinese restaurant called R&G Lounge in Chinatown.

Hung out at a trendy dive bar called Hemlock's.

Got up at 6 a.m. to witness Ari and Rach go to rowing practice in San Marin.

Went to Golden Gate Park and the Japanese Tea Garden and yes, drank some yummy Jasmine tea.

Visited the de Young art museum where a cool exhibit of Vivienne Westwood and her evolution of fashion was on display. We also went up to the observation tower where you can see the entire city. Pretty cool even on a foggy day.

Strolled down Haite Ashbury Street – known as the weird, hippie area. Also saw Castro St, which is the predominately gay area. Got some yummy cookies there at Hot Cookie.

Went to North Beach for dinner – the Italian District and ate some authentic Italian cuisine.

Attended the Lions Club Pancake Breakfast at the San Marin Firehouse.

Rode a school bus up Mt. Tamalpais to see the musical production of Hair at the very top. That was fun.

Caught the end of the annual street fair in Sausalito and bought some nifty things.

Ate dinner at yummy Asian Fusion restaurant called E&O Trading Co. in Sausalito and hung out at the Marin Brewery.



Above is a photo of us at the brewery. My friends Diana and Ashley were also in town for a Communications conference and hung out with us when they could.

And last but not least was a day spent in Sonoma Valley wine tasting. So much fun!