Hello Everyone!
Sorry for not checking in with you earlier, but I had a bit of an unexpected issue arise at JFK (lost a carry-on bag with gifts, clothes, and MY CAMERA...which you all know how much I love and am obsessed with) and was kind of depressed about it these past few days so I wasn't up for posting. Anyways, asides from that little issue, I made it safe and sound. It sure is good to be home - these past few days I've indulged at Panda Express (I never realized how much I missed Chinese food... especially Panda), cooked enchiladas (I knew I was missing Mexican food for sure), and just loved having a room and bathroom to myself. But don't get me wrong - I miss Spain just as much. I find myself talking about it almost every day and I think I will for the rest of my life...or at least my parents/friends tell me I'm driving them crazy!
BUT BUT BUT BUT...I just got a call about 20 minutes ago from American Airlines Lost and Found at JFK and they found my bag!! I'm absolutely thrilled! It's about 7 am local time but man did I jump out of bed when I recognized the 718 areacode (area code for NY) ! The last few days I was stressed I would never get my gifts, clothes, or camera back and American Airlines Customer Service (platinum services as well I may add) was not helpful at all. They just didn't seem willing to help me solve my problem and one of the ladies told me yesterday "oh if it's carry-on it's probably lost by now. Someone probably walked away with it!" And guess what I said? "Well, with all due respect, I'm not giving up until I find that bag. And I'll keep calling and pestering till I get it!" Tee Hee! That's what you get when you mess with a half Brit/Mexican thank you very much!
Anyways, I do have lots and lots of pictures to show you. Now that my mood is much better, I'm motivated to finally upload them and post them. I'll work on that today and tomorrow and then do a short post on my parents visit and Sitges. That wil probably be my last post on this blog.
Happy Holidays! Check the blog in a few days.. the final post should be up then :)
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
No Sleep, Lots of Stress
Hi Everyone,
So, the post on my parents visit and this weekend is most likely not coming anytime soon. I've been struggling to get enough sleep, find time to study for my finals (took the first final today),apply for scholarships, apply for internships and working with some slackers for my group projects. Aka I'm stressed and running on very little sleep!
This is my last week in Barcelona (so it's awful to end it this way) but after Thursday afternoon I think everything will be fine and more or less back to normal. Not to mention, after finals, I still have to go souvenir shopping, get last minute gifts, have my official "Bon Voyage" day, and PACK! Ugh I don't even want to think about that and working within the weight limits.
Hopefully I'll have a more cheerful post on Friday night (which I assume I will spend packing and getting ready for my super long flight back home).
Hope you're well!
So, the post on my parents visit and this weekend is most likely not coming anytime soon. I've been struggling to get enough sleep, find time to study for my finals (took the first final today),apply for scholarships, apply for internships and working with some slackers for my group projects. Aka I'm stressed and running on very little sleep!
This is my last week in Barcelona (so it's awful to end it this way) but after Thursday afternoon I think everything will be fine and more or less back to normal. Not to mention, after finals, I still have to go souvenir shopping, get last minute gifts, have my official "Bon Voyage" day, and PACK! Ugh I don't even want to think about that and working within the weight limits.
Hopefully I'll have a more cheerful post on Friday night (which I assume I will spend packing and getting ready for my super long flight back home).
Hope you're well!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Day Trip to Banyoles
hello everyone!
This is going to be a very short post but I thought you might enjoy it. I'm still working on sorting through all the pictures from when my parents were here (SUPER long post coming soon...if not the longest yet!)
Day Trip to Banyoles
Isabel took Bianca and I to her hometown of Banyoles (about an hour north of Barcelona, near the french border). We left the house around 11 and rode in Isabel's car with her friends Kika (from Mallorca) and Nellie (originally from Ibiza but lives in Barcelona). It's so funny - when they're together, they're like a group of giggling school girls! It was so fun hearing their exchange of stories in Catalan.
Isabel dropped Bianca and I off at the beautiful Lake of Banyoles , a natural lake located in a tectonic depression. In the meantime, Isabel went with her friends to visit her sister in law and do some shopping.
Bianca and I strolled around the lake, admired the views, and enjoyed the crisp autumn/winter air. Check out some pics below:
Fabulous Lunch in Banyoles (with pictures!)
Afterwards, we felt like true Spaniards - we had a 2.5 hour lunch! We had lunch at a local restaurant and became very good friends with the waiters. One was from Columbia and the other from Morocco. By now, I'm sure you all know how much of a foodie I am such that I take pictures of ALL my meals (well, the ones I like that is!). Bianca and I each ordered from the menu del dia, which included two plates, a drink, coffee/tea, and dessert. This is what we had:
After our dessert and coffee (Bianca)/tea (me), the waiters kindly brought us small shots of peach and apple liquor. It literally tasted like apple juice, it was delicious. He told us a lot of locals drink it as a digestive to the meal. We thanked him then he brought us ANOTHER shot of something called ratafia, a liquor made of herbs.
We left around 4 pm and were back in Barcelona by 5:30.
It's about 7 pm here local time, Bianca's napping and I'm (of course) blogging and catching up on e-mail.
Transitioning back to SCU
I can hardly believe that I only have 1 week left here in Barcelona. I feel like it was only yesterday that it was November 1st. Part of me is really excited about going home and the other part is very sad because I've made so many great memories here and I feel like I've grown up a lot. Barcelona has a special place in my heart as do the other places I've visited and people I've met.
What started this transition for me? Well, I decided to order my school books for Winter Quarter. For four classes, the bookstore quoted me $868 for new books or $593 for used books (if they're available that is). Isn't it ridiculous how expensive textbooks are?! And it's only for the new editions....grr!! And as many of you also know, I do love a good bargain. I recently found a site called Help Save My Dollars and in their textbook section you can actually compare the price of books from book renters, half.com, barnes and noble, etc. So that saves a TON of time researching. I almost always use half.com anyways but It's nice to double check just to see if I'm getting a good deal. Anyways, so guess how much I spent on books? Well, almost all the books I bought are either brand new or like new and I got them for.....$392 (including shipping and handling!) I saved more than 50%! I figured now was the best time to buy before the prices go up and students start buying their books for back to school in January. Not to mention with the holidays people are a little slower with sending the books. Enough with my rambles... I just love sharing a good deal!
Well, I think I'm going to attempt to be productive and work on one of my papers due next week. Hopefully I'll have that post from when my parents were visiting up soon. Possibly tomorrow. Possibly Sunday. We'll see!
Hope you're well!
This is going to be a very short post but I thought you might enjoy it. I'm still working on sorting through all the pictures from when my parents were here (SUPER long post coming soon...if not the longest yet!)
Day Trip to Banyoles
Isabel took Bianca and I to her hometown of Banyoles (about an hour north of Barcelona, near the french border). We left the house around 11 and rode in Isabel's car with her friends Kika (from Mallorca) and Nellie (originally from Ibiza but lives in Barcelona). It's so funny - when they're together, they're like a group of giggling school girls! It was so fun hearing their exchange of stories in Catalan.
Isabel dropped Bianca and I off at the beautiful Lake of Banyoles , a natural lake located in a tectonic depression. In the meantime, Isabel went with her friends to visit her sister in law and do some shopping.
Bianca and I strolled around the lake, admired the views, and enjoyed the crisp autumn/winter air. Check out some pics below:
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| Banyoles Lake (see the duckie in the water??) |
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| Banyoles Lake |
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| Park area around Banyoles lake |
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| Walking path near Banyoles Lake |
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| Banyoles in Autumn/Winter |
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| Lake of Banyoles |
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| Lake of Banyoles |
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| Cute ducks at Lake of Banyoles |
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| Can I take you guys home with me? |
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| Or perhaps you?? |
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| Beautiful view of the mountains and Banyoles Lake |
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| Look at that beautiful blue sky! |
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| See the snow on the mountains in the background?! |
Afterwards, we felt like true Spaniards - we had a 2.5 hour lunch! We had lunch at a local restaurant and became very good friends with the waiters. One was from Columbia and the other from Morocco. By now, I'm sure you all know how much of a foodie I am such that I take pictures of ALL my meals (well, the ones I like that is!). Bianca and I each ordered from the menu del dia, which included two plates, a drink, coffee/tea, and dessert. This is what we had:
 |
| Pasta and Meatballs in Chicken Broth....mmmhmm! Delish on a Winter day! |
 |
| Grilled asparagus with a HEAVENLY tomato-and-goodness-knows-what sauce |
 |
| Some grilled fish with roasted sweet bell pepper with a lemon wedge! |
 |
| Chocolate cake with raspberry middle (see the red part) with chocolate sauce... YUM! |
After our dessert and coffee (Bianca)/tea (me), the waiters kindly brought us small shots of peach and apple liquor. It literally tasted like apple juice, it was delicious. He told us a lot of locals drink it as a digestive to the meal. We thanked him then he brought us ANOTHER shot of something called ratafia, a liquor made of herbs.
We left around 4 pm and were back in Barcelona by 5:30.
It's about 7 pm here local time, Bianca's napping and I'm (of course) blogging and catching up on e-mail.
Transitioning back to SCU
I can hardly believe that I only have 1 week left here in Barcelona. I feel like it was only yesterday that it was November 1st. Part of me is really excited about going home and the other part is very sad because I've made so many great memories here and I feel like I've grown up a lot. Barcelona has a special place in my heart as do the other places I've visited and people I've met.
What started this transition for me? Well, I decided to order my school books for Winter Quarter. For four classes, the bookstore quoted me $868 for new books or $593 for used books (if they're available that is). Isn't it ridiculous how expensive textbooks are?! And it's only for the new editions....grr!! And as many of you also know, I do love a good bargain. I recently found a site called Help Save My Dollars and in their textbook section you can actually compare the price of books from book renters, half.com, barnes and noble, etc. So that saves a TON of time researching. I almost always use half.com anyways but It's nice to double check just to see if I'm getting a good deal. Anyways, so guess how much I spent on books? Well, almost all the books I bought are either brand new or like new and I got them for.....$392 (including shipping and handling!) I saved more than 50%! I figured now was the best time to buy before the prices go up and students start buying their books for back to school in January. Not to mention with the holidays people are a little slower with sending the books. Enough with my rambles... I just love sharing a good deal!
Well, I think I'm going to attempt to be productive and work on one of my papers due next week. Hopefully I'll have that post from when my parents were visiting up soon. Possibly tomorrow. Possibly Sunday. We'll see!
Hope you're well!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
MIA
Hi Everyone,
Sorry for being so MIA (Missing in Action) the last week or so. I hope you all had a pleasant Thanksgiving!
As I mentioned previously, I met up with my parents at my grandma's house in England, where we celebrated her 85th birthday! Then, I brought them back with me to Barcelona last Monday and stayed there till Thursday afternoon. Next, we flew to Lisbon, Portugal for the weekend and we've had a splendid time. At this very moment, we are packing up our things from the apartment we rented via airbnb (more on that later) and getting ready to take a taxi back to the airport and finally back to Barcelona. My parents leave Tuesday morning, so we have another day and a half in Barcelona to do any last minute sight-seeing.
This week will be a bit odd - I only have my Monday/Wednesday class (Spain's Economic Development and the European Union) this week because I'll have Tuesday and Thursday off (national holidays in Spain). So, I'll probably have time to blog about the highlights of these past 10 days or so on Tuesday or Wednesday.
As of today, I've been in Europe for 3 months and 3 days. I can hardly believe it! Time really has flown! I only have 13 days in Barcelona, it's just crazy! I'm preparing my "last week/days" in Barcelona agenda where I'll visit all my favorite places, restaurants, parks, etc.
Anyways, hope you're all well!
Sorry for being so MIA (Missing in Action) the last week or so. I hope you all had a pleasant Thanksgiving!
As I mentioned previously, I met up with my parents at my grandma's house in England, where we celebrated her 85th birthday! Then, I brought them back with me to Barcelona last Monday and stayed there till Thursday afternoon. Next, we flew to Lisbon, Portugal for the weekend and we've had a splendid time. At this very moment, we are packing up our things from the apartment we rented via airbnb (more on that later) and getting ready to take a taxi back to the airport and finally back to Barcelona. My parents leave Tuesday morning, so we have another day and a half in Barcelona to do any last minute sight-seeing.
This week will be a bit odd - I only have my Monday/Wednesday class (Spain's Economic Development and the European Union) this week because I'll have Tuesday and Thursday off (national holidays in Spain). So, I'll probably have time to blog about the highlights of these past 10 days or so on Tuesday or Wednesday.
As of today, I've been in Europe for 3 months and 3 days. I can hardly believe it! Time really has flown! I only have 13 days in Barcelona, it's just crazy! I'm preparing my "last week/days" in Barcelona agenda where I'll visit all my favorite places, restaurants, parks, etc.
Anyways, hope you're all well!
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