Snow day...? No.... bacterial meningitis. Thats a new one... we didn't have class on Monday because someone in our program contracted bacterial meningitis over the weekend. They canceled class so they could do a complete and thorough cleaning of the two buildings that our classes are in. Crazy. I felt a little bad about being excited for classes being canceled... oops. Its ok now, we got an email today saying that the girl woke up from her coma and has been showing signs of improvement today.
Yesterday I also received an email from my lovely father with a link to a video. He said that it was a touching video and made him get a little misty eyed... really? I had to watch it. It was a clip from an Oprah episode and wow.. I had to share it with you all... Guess everything that has happened to me since I've been abroad isn't that bad after all... Things could be a lot worse. I could have bacterial meningitis or be dying like the guy in the video. So I thank God for keeping me safe, healthy and giving me this opportunity to study in Barcelona. I feel bad about how much I've been complaining about everything that has happened, and these two things really put things into perspective. And I apologize to my parents who have had to listen to me complain the most about everything - Sorry! Wow, those endorphins really must be moving right now... (I just got back from the gym) So thats all I wanted to say, just short, sweet and get how I was feeling off my chest... heres the link to the video. Watch it. Your problems will seem so minuscule and you'll remember to look on the bright side of things.
http://video.stumbleupon.com/?s=ithct48cqw&i=ufcchmyxqsuj9vwsemax
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Some kind of wonderful!
This weekend was absolutely wonderful! The weather was perfect and everyday was so relaxing. It was just what I needed.
On Thursday, I stayed in because I had a bad sore throat. Although I didn't get to bed until 3 because my roommates all went out and were being so loud until they left, it was nice to stay in and get a good, long night's sleep. On Friday, I woke up and felt so much better. The weather was so perfect. It was around 64 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. I went to the beach for the first time with some friends, although it definitely wasnt' nice enough to wear a swimming suit, it was perfect for relaxing on the beach all afternoon. I had a lot of fun. We just hung out, played catch and threw a frisbee. After we left the beach Mike (Fayette haha) and I went to buy tickets to see a Beatles cover band called Abbey Road, at 9 that night. I was super pumped. I hurried back to my apartment and got ready. We left a little later than we had hoped so when we got there it was already packed. With a bunch of old Spanish people. I found it intriguing. It made me giggle that the Beatles sang in English but there were that many Spanish people who turn out for a cover band concert. The group is from Catalunya, the "state" which Barcelona is in. It was funny because the band would talk in Spanish in between the songs but then sing in English and you couldn't even tell they were Spanish! They sounded just like the Beatles! They were amazing! Even though we were packed in like sardines, next to Europeans who either don't know how to apply deodorant or just don't believe in using it, it was such a fun concert! I loved hearing all the Spanish people belting out the words to the Beatles songs. I wondered if they knew what they were singing or if they just knew the words. I love how music is such a universal thing and it can really bring people together. I love it.
After the concert we came back to the apartment and got ready to go out. We went to Pocha, dance club. It was absolutely packed. I was bummed because you know me and my love to shake it, but it was sooo packed you could hardly move. Oh, and then ten minutes after we got there I got burned on my hand by a cigarette! Only in an European club would you get burned by a cigarette. Sweet life. I'll probably have a scar on my hand. So needless to say, after that I wasn't in a very good mood, and I wasn't in the mood to drink so I just kinda hung out until people were ready to leave.... finally at 4. Oh life in Barcelona....
So considering I got to bed so late on Friday night, I slept in till one and then woke up to the most beautiful day that Barcelona has see since I got here. The weather was a-mazing. It was in the mid to upper 60's and amazing. I went and got coffee with Mike and then went grocery shopping because I made him dinner. I had a Mexican Fiesta in Barcelona. It was great. I made fajitas and spanish rice accompanied by margaritas. So good. We were both sooo full. After dinner we met up with some friends at a bar called Dow Jones. Its fun because they have TV screens with the drink list and you watch the prices because they rise and fall like the stock market and then sometimes the market will crash. It keeps it interesting and fun! After that we went to a club thats in the mountains. It was such a cool area, you could see so much. Other than the fact it was night, and kind of foggy. But it was sooo cold too. I really want to go back later on when it warms up a bit. The club was really full. Apparently, I don't like the packed European club thing. I'd like it to be a little less crowded so I can actually breath once in a while. Bitchy Ashley came out for a little while but I calmed down after a while. haha
So today I actually have to study! Yes, study, in Barcelona! WHAT?! I have two mid-terms this week, but I'm really not all that worried considering my grades don't transfer and all I need is a C to get credit. I love it. Its the first time in my life its ok to slack off and not get an A. It feels weird but a good weird. So yes, after a wonderful weekend of leisure, I need to get going and do something productive.
So today I actually have to study! Yes, study, in Barcelona! WHAT?! I have two mid-terms this week, but I'm really not all that worried considering my grades don't transfer and all I need is a C to get credit. I love it. Its the first time in my life its ok to slack off and not get an A. It feels weird but a good weird. So yes, after a wonderful weekend of leisure, I need to get going and do something productive.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Christmas in February
Monday morning I was getting ready for class and someone rang our bell to be buzzed in. I was the only one in the apartment and so I answered the phone to see who it was... This is what I hear, "Ashley Bontrager? Fedex with a package." You better believe I pushed the unlock button to the front door sooo fast! I was still in my towel from my shower but I threw clothes on and litterally ran down the stairs. It was my computer, debit card and camera! YAY! It was like Christmas in February! The tape on the package was so annoying and wouldn´t come off fast enough. I was so excited. I turned on my computer and let out a huge, happy, sigh.
I went to class and I have spanish with one of my roomies and she informed me we were all locked out of our apartment. Great. She had left her keys in the door on the inside bcause she left in a rush and forget to get them out. But that meant that no one from the outside could put their key into the door. Wonderful! Luckily, I wasn´t planning on going back to the apartment until like 8 and it was going to be unlocked by then. So needless to say, 81 euros later we are able to enter our apartment again.
I joined a gym! I realized that I´m getting fat and I hate it. And anyways, I miss doing pilates sooo much and the gym has pilates classes and at times that fit perfectly into my schedule. This pilates class isn´t as good as the one I was goign to at Butler. The one at Butler was so intense, with good, popular music blaring and pumping me up and this one here has no music and is more about relaxing. And then there is the fact that I only understand about half of what she is saying so its kind of hard to get the best workout but at least its pilates! So I go Monday-Thursday right after class at 5:30. Its been working out great, well the last two days anyways.. haha. But its nice to actually have a workout routine instead of just running when I feel like it and can fit it in. Now that I joined the gym I have that extra push to actually go. And I love to work out (weird right?) so its been wonderful.
After I got back from the gym on Monday, I spent about 30 minutes on my computer and then got in the shower. When I got out of the shower, my computer was off. Wierd, I didn´t turn it off, I just left it sitting on my desk. "Ok, don´t freakout," I tell myself. Maybe the battery died although it was almost full when I got in the shower. So I plug it in and the battery light came on for like 2 seconds and then went off. I unplugged it and tried it again, and again and again and again and the same thing happened... wow... ok. So then I tried to turn it on... not good. The green light came on for like 5 seconds, but that was it. There were no sounds of it starting and after 5 seconds the green light went off again. Oh how I love thee technology. I give up. Aparently I am not supposed to have anything electronic within 20 feet of me. So, once again, yesterday I shipped my computer home. I went back to the same place I shipped it out of last time because its right by school and the same guy helped me. He kinda smiled when I handed my computer and said "didn´t you just send this home like two weeks ago?" My response, "Yes, I don´t really want to talk about it." He laughed. At least someone can laugh at my life. Whatever, its on its way back to America, again and hopefully this time it will work. Thats all I really want, is a computer that works.
This weekend I´ll be in Barcelona all weekend. I´m excited. On Friday some of my roomies and I are going to get massages. Woo Hoo! And one day we are going to have a picnic in the park. Oh yea, that never happened on Sunday. We went to the park but only for like an hour and we didn´t eat. It was too cold, the weather has been pretty bad here the past week. It kinda sucks. But I guess it couldn´t be as good as it was forever. Hopefully this weekend will be nice. I´m exicted to be able to just hang out around Barcelona and do some ´local´ things. Maybe even go to the ice bar here! It won´t be the same though without Allie, Dad and Austin. haha oh Australia... how I miss it. Anyways, I have class in a little bit and I NEED coffee. Oh, if I haven´t mentioned it ever, there is a day care on the floor right below our apartment. And their play area is on the balcony right below my room. Yes, thats right, every morning around 7 you hear babies crying. Wonderful! And then on top of it there is always someone banging a hammer on something in our apartment building. They have been banging since I got here and I haven´t seen anything change. I think they do it to annoy me. AND I sleep in earplugs! So coffee has not turned into something that you drink socially at a cafe, it has turned into a necessity. Off I go to drink my daily dose of caffiene.
Hasta Luego.
I went to class and I have spanish with one of my roomies and she informed me we were all locked out of our apartment. Great. She had left her keys in the door on the inside bcause she left in a rush and forget to get them out. But that meant that no one from the outside could put their key into the door. Wonderful! Luckily, I wasn´t planning on going back to the apartment until like 8 and it was going to be unlocked by then. So needless to say, 81 euros later we are able to enter our apartment again.
I joined a gym! I realized that I´m getting fat and I hate it. And anyways, I miss doing pilates sooo much and the gym has pilates classes and at times that fit perfectly into my schedule. This pilates class isn´t as good as the one I was goign to at Butler. The one at Butler was so intense, with good, popular music blaring and pumping me up and this one here has no music and is more about relaxing. And then there is the fact that I only understand about half of what she is saying so its kind of hard to get the best workout but at least its pilates! So I go Monday-Thursday right after class at 5:30. Its been working out great, well the last two days anyways.. haha. But its nice to actually have a workout routine instead of just running when I feel like it and can fit it in. Now that I joined the gym I have that extra push to actually go. And I love to work out (weird right?) so its been wonderful.
After I got back from the gym on Monday, I spent about 30 minutes on my computer and then got in the shower. When I got out of the shower, my computer was off. Wierd, I didn´t turn it off, I just left it sitting on my desk. "Ok, don´t freakout," I tell myself. Maybe the battery died although it was almost full when I got in the shower. So I plug it in and the battery light came on for like 2 seconds and then went off. I unplugged it and tried it again, and again and again and again and the same thing happened... wow... ok. So then I tried to turn it on... not good. The green light came on for like 5 seconds, but that was it. There were no sounds of it starting and after 5 seconds the green light went off again. Oh how I love thee technology. I give up. Aparently I am not supposed to have anything electronic within 20 feet of me. So, once again, yesterday I shipped my computer home. I went back to the same place I shipped it out of last time because its right by school and the same guy helped me. He kinda smiled when I handed my computer and said "didn´t you just send this home like two weeks ago?" My response, "Yes, I don´t really want to talk about it." He laughed. At least someone can laugh at my life. Whatever, its on its way back to America, again and hopefully this time it will work. Thats all I really want, is a computer that works.
This weekend I´ll be in Barcelona all weekend. I´m excited. On Friday some of my roomies and I are going to get massages. Woo Hoo! And one day we are going to have a picnic in the park. Oh yea, that never happened on Sunday. We went to the park but only for like an hour and we didn´t eat. It was too cold, the weather has been pretty bad here the past week. It kinda sucks. But I guess it couldn´t be as good as it was forever. Hopefully this weekend will be nice. I´m exicted to be able to just hang out around Barcelona and do some ´local´ things. Maybe even go to the ice bar here! It won´t be the same though without Allie, Dad and Austin. haha oh Australia... how I miss it. Anyways, I have class in a little bit and I NEED coffee. Oh, if I haven´t mentioned it ever, there is a day care on the floor right below our apartment. And their play area is on the balcony right below my room. Yes, thats right, every morning around 7 you hear babies crying. Wonderful! And then on top of it there is always someone banging a hammer on something in our apartment building. They have been banging since I got here and I haven´t seen anything change. I think they do it to annoy me. AND I sleep in earplugs! So coffee has not turned into something that you drink socially at a cafe, it has turned into a necessity. Off I go to drink my daily dose of caffiene.
Hasta Luego.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Seville - The best city in Spain
So, I didn't write this week because nothing really exciting happened except for finally receiving my credit card (yay! I finally have money again!) with of course some problems with actually receiving it, (did you expect everything to go smoothly?) and getting a rose for Valentine's day! And no, it wasn't for Joey, I didn't mention it right away but we broke up. Its pretty much for good this time. He said that if we break up we'll never be together again. Which ok, I understand and surprisingly, I have been ok with the whole situation. Sure, its always hard to break up with someone, especially when he has been part of your life for two years, but I think its for the better. So yes, I was a little bummed that it was Valentines day and I didn't have a Valentine... but I got one... I was a little giddy about it too. :) I'll leave it up to you to figure out who it was... but the rose was so pretty. So anyways, this week was kind of uneventful but on Thursday, three of my roomies, our friend from upstairs and I went to Seville!
Seville is a smaller city in the Southwest part of Spain, so that meant warmer weather! YAY! Not that Barcelona weather isn't better than being back in Indy, but it was gorgeous in Seville! It was around 70 and sunny the whole time we were there. So we got there pretty late on Thursday night/ Friday morning...? There was some confusion with our reservations and they had our group of five split up into two rooms. The people that worked there were really nice though and asked one of the guys in our room to move out so we could all be together. Although there would still be one guy in our room, we were happy we would all be together. After we got settled into our hostal we decided we didn't want to go out but there was a little "hamburgueseria"/bar next to our hostal so we decided to go there to get a drink and a little something to eat. Of course something exciting had to happen though, we had a couple take a picture of our group sitting at the table. Like two minutes later this really really drunk old Spanish guy comes over to the couple and starts to yell at them for "taking a picture of him with the girls camera" Umm... NO... weird. It was like a 15 minute ordeal. The guy wanted to see our camera to make sure that we didn't take a picture of him but we were nervous because we didn't want him to steal the camera and we knew we didn't take a picture of him! I mean why would we want a picture of a gross, ugly, old alcoholic?! So after narrowly avoiding a physical fight between the alcoholic and the man who took the picture for us everything settled down and we were able to enjoy our sangria.
On Friday we got up and going around 11. I asked the guy who was sharing our room if he would like to join us on our excursions because he was around our age and traveling Europe all by himself. He agreed and we all went to a cafe down the street for breakfast. During breakfast we were getting to know our new hostal roomie and we discovered that he helped start facebook! For those of you who don't know what facebook is, either because you've been living in a hole for the past four years or because you are just too old to keep up with todays current technological advances, facebook is an online network site. Wikipedia it if you want to know more, and if you don't know what Wikipedia is, I'm sorry, how are you even using a computer to read my blog? ...Haha, just kidding!... Kind of. Anyways, so facebook, in my opinion is a staple in our generation, its really defining our generation, whether thats a good or a bad thing, I'm not sure. So wow, we randomly get put in a room with someone who started facebook! CRAZY! He was really cool too. He's 24, graduated from Harvard and decided to take the whole year off after graduating to travel around Europe. I mean, he has stock in facebook, I think he can afford it. Anyways, after our amazing discovering we started walking around Seville. There isn't anything really important to see in Seville, but the city is so cool! We first headed through Barrio de la Santa Cruz. Its the old Jewish quarters. It has narrow winding streets with European buildings and atmosphere. We headed to the biggest gothic (the type of architecture, not the people who worship the devil or anything) cathedral in the world. It was gorgeous, but there are two things that I have decided since being in Europe. One, when you see so many Cathedrals, they all start to look a like and I will never be able to remember each one individually. And two, the idea of walking through a Cathedral to just see it because it was so extravagantly built, with ornate and intricate designs made out of gold and marble kind of bothers me. I feel that it goes against Christian-ism (?) I mean these people put so much money into a place of worship for one, aren't we supposed to not be so flashy and is it really necessary? And now, people just walk through these churches (which to most people I'm sure are just cool buildings) admiring the architecture, not the reason it was built. So it bothers me. But the Cathedral was really pretty and it has a tower that you are able to walk up into and see all of Seville. It was a gorgeous view. After the Cathedral we went to Alcazar Palace. It's not your traditional palace with gold and rich colors. It was open, flowy, and had a lot of like mosaic or alabaster facade. It was really pretty. It had an amazing garden that we walked around in for awhile. After all of that we were hungry for lunch so we went and got lunch with sangria. Of course. Then two of the girls wanted to go tour the bullfighting ring, two wanted to get manicures and pedicures, and Andrew (the guy who started facebook) and I wanted to go back to the hostal and drink wine on the terrace and watch the sun set. So we all went our separate ways and on the way back I met up with a guy who is in my spanish class in Barcelona who was also in Seville for the weekend. He joined us on the terrace too. Watching the sunset on the terrace was amazing. I could never describe it with words or pictures how cool it was. Its one of those moments in your life when everything just seems right with the world. Amazing. Eventually everyone got back from doing their own thing and we started to get ready for the night. Two of the girls have friends from college that studied abroad in Seville and after they graduated, decided to move back for a year, so those girls went to meet their friends for dinner. The rest of the group went to a free Flamenco bar. Flamenco is the traditional dance and music of Spain and I hadn't seen it yet so I was super excited. It was really cool. It probably wasn't the best show I could have seen because it was free, but hey it was FREE! We then went to the best dance club in Seville, but after being there for two hours in a smoke filled room with no ventilation, I had a wonderful little asthma attack (don't worry mom, it was a little one) we had to leave. But I think we were all ready.
On Saturday we decided to take the day really easy and just walk around and go to the park and hang out. It was another gorgeous day and it was amazing. We went to Plaza de Espana, this huge, beautiful plaza, with a huge fountain and a part of the plaza dedicated to each city in Spain. Then we took a horse and carriage ride (I felt right at home!) through part of the city and then afterwards went to get lunch. It was a relaxing day, with no real plans. It was so nice. Our plane left on Saturday night around 8 so we headed to the airport around 6:45. That is one thing I love about how we travel, we don't have bags to check and the security at European airports is nothing compared to the US so you don't need to get to the airport like 5 hours early. It makes traveling so much less stressful and so much easier.
I love love love Seville! I think I might have made the wrong decision about coming to Barcelona. I know I said that about Rome too, but if I had to come to Spain again and do it all over I would definitely choose Seville! It is such a small, quaint, cute city. It is perfect. I loved the atmosphere. Everyone is so friendly and willing to talk to you. People gather on the sidewalks outside of the bars and cafes and hang out for hours. It is so amazing. If you travel to Spain I highly suggest visiting Seville. It is amazing. Perfect weather, perfect size, and perfect atmosphere. The whole weekend in general was just amazing. It all went really well.
Today, my roomies and I talked about going to have a picnic in one of the parks here in Barcelona.... but its 2 p.m. and I'm still the only one up, of course. I swear, all my roomies do is sleep! Oh well, I'm going to go on a run and then shower so maybe by then they will be ready to go. Doubtful, but I'll be optimistic! Time to go sweat!
Toodles.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Roma!
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie its amore! - I love Rome!
Seriously, I fell in love with it, and I didn´t think that I would. I almost wish that I would be there instead of in Barcelona, but oh well too late now! But really, Rome is definitely one place that everyone should go at least once.
So my venture started on Friday morning. When I got to the airport I noticed that my flight was delayed for an hour. Ok, no biggy. Then it kept getting delayed and delayed... and delayed. Five hours later, annoyed, pissed and thinking "of course this would happen to me, this week" I boarded the plane. But you better believe that I took the 6 euro food voucher they gave us while we were waiting and used every last cent of it. So with three candy bars, a pastry and a cup of cafe con leche I left the Barcelona airport for Roma! YAY! I was soo excited! Mostly to see my Kikers, but also to see Rome.
When I stepped of the plane it was a little overwhelming to hear Italian, which I know none of. I walked outside, without anyone even looking at my passport or anything - so different from the US. I went to the sign that said Taxi and some guy came up to take me to his taxi. I was scared. My mom ALWAYS warns me about Natalie Holloway and that kept running through my head as he took me to this really nice Mercedes without any indication that it was a taxi on the outside. Grreeeaaattt. I think he could tell I was nervous and thought that it was sketchy. So I climed in anyways and away we went. 65 euros later, yes thats right I payed about $100 for a cab ride! WHAT?! I think it was one of those luxery cabs because there is no way that the ride was long enough to cost 65 euros! Guess thats what you get when you travel by yourself to a country where you don´t know the language at all. The ride was awful too! There are absolutly no road rules in Italy apparently. The stupid driver was weaving in an out of lanes and in between cars and speeding up and stopping abrubtly. It was ridiculous. Not only was I scared for my life, I was scared that I was going to throw up everything that I ate for free during the day all over this nice, clean Mercedes. Finally we made it to the hostal, I was ridiculously car sick. My head was spinning. I went and checked in and was sooo happy to meet up with Kate, Christine and Amy (girls from school, two from my sorority). It was so nice to see faces I knew, especially after a week like I had had. So we got ready and headed to Kiki and Mallory´s apartment for dinner - aww they cooked for us! When we got there, it was like a scene from a love movie, minus the gorgeous guy and insert Kiki. We ran towards each other and gave each other the biggest hug. I missed her sooo much! It was better than hugging a gorgeous guy, at least at that point. When we are both old, single, and living together with our dog I will be wishing I had a gorgeous guy instead of Kiki - hehe just kidding Kikers! After getting passed the out of control strict security gaurds that gaurd their aprtment building we ate dinner. It was nice, two of their guy friends made the pasta, Mallory made bruchette and tomato and Motzerella salad and of course Kiki brought the desert, gelato and candy. Nice. So after dinner we went out in Roma! So cool, we went to a few little bars and then home for the night. Oh and by the way, my camera broke. Imagine that?! One more thing to add to the list. It was nothing I did, I took a picture and went to turn it off and the lens wouldn´t go back in. Of course not! I mean why would something work right for me? Whatever, I was in Rome, with Kiki. I didn´t quite make it back to the hostal but I did get to spend the night with Kiki in her apartment after a stealth operation of sneaking me past the security guards.
The next day we were all pretty tired so we didn´t really get going until around 1:30. We had lunch at a kabob place. So good! It was meat, onions, tomato, lettuce wraped up in a thin pita shell with spicy chili sauce and this cucumber mayo. Delicious. Followed by some amazing gelato. Yes, this was my first authentic, Italian gelato and it was amazing. I was hooked, which is a bad, bad thing. We first went to the Colleseum. I can´t even put into words what I felt when I saw it. It was overwhelming and made me feel small in a good way. I just kept thinking - "holy crap, this is the Colleseum, where everything basically started." I kept having that thought the whole time I was in Rome, seeing all the ruins. Soooo cool. After walking around and through the Colloseum, we walked to the Trevi fountain. I was super excited about this because I hoped by throwing in a coin my luck would turn around. I followed the correct proceedure, at least what I was told was the correct proceedure - taking the coin in your right hand and throwing it over your left shoulder in the the fountain. After that we walked to see the Spanish steps. I don´t know the significance of them but I always hear people talking about them.... After the steps we headed back to the hostal to get a quick nap and then go to dinner. We were all exhausted! It had been a long night followed by a long day of walking.
We ate dinner at a place close to Kiki´s apartment. The bruchette I ordered was amazing, the ravioli, not so much. And there were literally only 8 ravioli noodles on my plate. We had to sit in the smoking section because there were too many of us so we were all pretty uncomfortable and wanted to leave as soon as we could. So even though I was still hungry after my 8 noodles, we left. We decided to just go back to the hostal and call it an early night since we were so tired. But on the way back to the hostal, the three girls and I decided we were still hungry and wanted some real Italian pizza. I fell in love with that too! It was soooo good! I love the extremly thin crust. I went to bed feeling happy and fat that night. It was amazing.
On Sunday we left the hostal by 10 and met up with Kiki and Mallory. We headed to the Forum. It was amazing, once again I had that overall feeling of "Oh my gosh. This is where civiliaztion and everything started." The Forum is the main part of ancient Rome where all the trade and commerce happened. It was so cool to see. I also saw Cesar Agustos´tomb. After the Forum we walked and got lunch and then went to see the Pantheon. That was cool too. The art on the inside was insane. Undescriable. After that we went to the Plazza del Cmapidoglio. Its a plazza that has a lot of history that I don´t really remember.. haha other than Michealangelo was the architect/designer and he designed it so that it kind of plays a trick on your eyes to make it appear as the plazza is a perfect square but it really isn´t. And also all the people wanted everything to look uniformed but the middle windows in two of the buildings are triangles on the top and the others are all rounded - so he made a mistake but the buildings are still gorgeous. It was a good mistake aparently. After that the girls from Florence had to leave to catch the train back and so we said good bye and we went back to Kiki´s apartment to sneak me. We took a nap and then decided when we woke up, since I didn´t get to see the Vatican or St. Peters Square on Friday like we had originally planned (Stupid air travel.) we would go see it at night and have dinner somewhere around there. (Like I really needed to eat more, I feel like all I did this weekend was eat!) So we went to St. Peters square and it was amazing at night. The night was gorgeous. (Bella Note in Italian. I know a little...) It was all lit up and I think I enjoyed it more than I would have during the day. It put a whole different perspective on the square. I was a little disapointed that I didn´t get to see the Cistiene Chapel but I decided this weekend that when I get married (IF I get married...) I want to go to Rome, Paris and Venice for my honneymoon. So I´ll get another chance, hopefully. We stopped at the Kabob place agian for dinner (SO GOOD!) then we decided that I needed gelato one more time before I left, even though we had it earlier that day. (FATTIES!) We went to the best place that serves gelato and each got the same size, but a different guy filled mine than did Kiki´s and Mallory´s and they got way more than I did, I was mad. So I went and bought another one. It was a smaller size! Don´t worry! I´m not that fat... ok... maybe I am...With smiles on our faces and extremely full tummys, we went back to the apartment and watched a movie and went to bed...
Unfortunately I had to leave the love of my life on Monday morning. But oh well, after seeing Kiki and spending the weekend with her in Rome, I felt really rejuvinated after the week I had.
Anyways, that was my weekend in Roma. I loved it so much and I can´t wait to get the chance to go back. It was absolutely amazing. I would love to upload pictures for you all, but oh wait, thats right I don´t have a camera, nor do I have a computer to upload them to! My life is wonderful...I will get them uploaded as soon as I can and I´m going to try to start a snapfish account so I can upload more than just a few pictures like I do on here.
-Cioa.
Seriously, I fell in love with it, and I didn´t think that I would. I almost wish that I would be there instead of in Barcelona, but oh well too late now! But really, Rome is definitely one place that everyone should go at least once.
So my venture started on Friday morning. When I got to the airport I noticed that my flight was delayed for an hour. Ok, no biggy. Then it kept getting delayed and delayed... and delayed. Five hours later, annoyed, pissed and thinking "of course this would happen to me, this week" I boarded the plane. But you better believe that I took the 6 euro food voucher they gave us while we were waiting and used every last cent of it. So with three candy bars, a pastry and a cup of cafe con leche I left the Barcelona airport for Roma! YAY! I was soo excited! Mostly to see my Kikers, but also to see Rome.
When I stepped of the plane it was a little overwhelming to hear Italian, which I know none of. I walked outside, without anyone even looking at my passport or anything - so different from the US. I went to the sign that said Taxi and some guy came up to take me to his taxi. I was scared. My mom ALWAYS warns me about Natalie Holloway and that kept running through my head as he took me to this really nice Mercedes without any indication that it was a taxi on the outside. Grreeeaaattt. I think he could tell I was nervous and thought that it was sketchy. So I climed in anyways and away we went. 65 euros later, yes thats right I payed about $100 for a cab ride! WHAT?! I think it was one of those luxery cabs because there is no way that the ride was long enough to cost 65 euros! Guess thats what you get when you travel by yourself to a country where you don´t know the language at all. The ride was awful too! There are absolutly no road rules in Italy apparently. The stupid driver was weaving in an out of lanes and in between cars and speeding up and stopping abrubtly. It was ridiculous. Not only was I scared for my life, I was scared that I was going to throw up everything that I ate for free during the day all over this nice, clean Mercedes. Finally we made it to the hostal, I was ridiculously car sick. My head was spinning. I went and checked in and was sooo happy to meet up with Kate, Christine and Amy (girls from school, two from my sorority). It was so nice to see faces I knew, especially after a week like I had had. So we got ready and headed to Kiki and Mallory´s apartment for dinner - aww they cooked for us! When we got there, it was like a scene from a love movie, minus the gorgeous guy and insert Kiki. We ran towards each other and gave each other the biggest hug. I missed her sooo much! It was better than hugging a gorgeous guy, at least at that point. When we are both old, single, and living together with our dog I will be wishing I had a gorgeous guy instead of Kiki - hehe just kidding Kikers! After getting passed the out of control strict security gaurds that gaurd their aprtment building we ate dinner. It was nice, two of their guy friends made the pasta, Mallory made bruchette and tomato and Motzerella salad and of course Kiki brought the desert, gelato and candy. Nice. So after dinner we went out in Roma! So cool, we went to a few little bars and then home for the night. Oh and by the way, my camera broke. Imagine that?! One more thing to add to the list. It was nothing I did, I took a picture and went to turn it off and the lens wouldn´t go back in. Of course not! I mean why would something work right for me? Whatever, I was in Rome, with Kiki. I didn´t quite make it back to the hostal but I did get to spend the night with Kiki in her apartment after a stealth operation of sneaking me past the security guards.
The next day we were all pretty tired so we didn´t really get going until around 1:30. We had lunch at a kabob place. So good! It was meat, onions, tomato, lettuce wraped up in a thin pita shell with spicy chili sauce and this cucumber mayo. Delicious. Followed by some amazing gelato. Yes, this was my first authentic, Italian gelato and it was amazing. I was hooked, which is a bad, bad thing. We first went to the Colleseum. I can´t even put into words what I felt when I saw it. It was overwhelming and made me feel small in a good way. I just kept thinking - "holy crap, this is the Colleseum, where everything basically started." I kept having that thought the whole time I was in Rome, seeing all the ruins. Soooo cool. After walking around and through the Colloseum, we walked to the Trevi fountain. I was super excited about this because I hoped by throwing in a coin my luck would turn around. I followed the correct proceedure, at least what I was told was the correct proceedure - taking the coin in your right hand and throwing it over your left shoulder in the the fountain. After that we walked to see the Spanish steps. I don´t know the significance of them but I always hear people talking about them.... After the steps we headed back to the hostal to get a quick nap and then go to dinner. We were all exhausted! It had been a long night followed by a long day of walking.
We ate dinner at a place close to Kiki´s apartment. The bruchette I ordered was amazing, the ravioli, not so much. And there were literally only 8 ravioli noodles on my plate. We had to sit in the smoking section because there were too many of us so we were all pretty uncomfortable and wanted to leave as soon as we could. So even though I was still hungry after my 8 noodles, we left. We decided to just go back to the hostal and call it an early night since we were so tired. But on the way back to the hostal, the three girls and I decided we were still hungry and wanted some real Italian pizza. I fell in love with that too! It was soooo good! I love the extremly thin crust. I went to bed feeling happy and fat that night. It was amazing.
On Sunday we left the hostal by 10 and met up with Kiki and Mallory. We headed to the Forum. It was amazing, once again I had that overall feeling of "Oh my gosh. This is where civiliaztion and everything started." The Forum is the main part of ancient Rome where all the trade and commerce happened. It was so cool to see. I also saw Cesar Agustos´tomb. After the Forum we walked and got lunch and then went to see the Pantheon. That was cool too. The art on the inside was insane. Undescriable. After that we went to the Plazza del Cmapidoglio. Its a plazza that has a lot of history that I don´t really remember.. haha other than Michealangelo was the architect/designer and he designed it so that it kind of plays a trick on your eyes to make it appear as the plazza is a perfect square but it really isn´t. And also all the people wanted everything to look uniformed but the middle windows in two of the buildings are triangles on the top and the others are all rounded - so he made a mistake but the buildings are still gorgeous. It was a good mistake aparently. After that the girls from Florence had to leave to catch the train back and so we said good bye and we went back to Kiki´s apartment to sneak me. We took a nap and then decided when we woke up, since I didn´t get to see the Vatican or St. Peters Square on Friday like we had originally planned (Stupid air travel.) we would go see it at night and have dinner somewhere around there. (Like I really needed to eat more, I feel like all I did this weekend was eat!) So we went to St. Peters square and it was amazing at night. The night was gorgeous. (Bella Note in Italian. I know a little...) It was all lit up and I think I enjoyed it more than I would have during the day. It put a whole different perspective on the square. I was a little disapointed that I didn´t get to see the Cistiene Chapel but I decided this weekend that when I get married (IF I get married...) I want to go to Rome, Paris and Venice for my honneymoon. So I´ll get another chance, hopefully. We stopped at the Kabob place agian for dinner (SO GOOD!) then we decided that I needed gelato one more time before I left, even though we had it earlier that day. (FATTIES!) We went to the best place that serves gelato and each got the same size, but a different guy filled mine than did Kiki´s and Mallory´s and they got way more than I did, I was mad. So I went and bought another one. It was a smaller size! Don´t worry! I´m not that fat... ok... maybe I am...With smiles on our faces and extremely full tummys, we went back to the apartment and watched a movie and went to bed...
Unfortunately I had to leave the love of my life on Monday morning. But oh well, after seeing Kiki and spending the weekend with her in Rome, I felt really rejuvinated after the week I had.
Anyways, that was my weekend in Roma. I loved it so much and I can´t wait to get the chance to go back. It was absolutely amazing. I would love to upload pictures for you all, but oh wait, thats right I don´t have a camera, nor do I have a computer to upload them to! My life is wonderful...I will get them uploaded as soon as I can and I´m going to try to start a snapfish account so I can upload more than just a few pictures like I do on here.
-Cioa.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Lookin' up.
Ok, ok, I feel I must apologize for my last entry. It was a little dramatic and now that I am over it all I am able to admit it was a little over the top, but hey, I was distraught. At least it gave a few of you some laughs, which I still don't know how I feel about that... laughing at other peoples misery. Just kidding. Thats why I started this blog, to entertain you all.
So since my world was completely shaken after the events of Tuesday night, I am proud to say that I am still here to tell you about it. I did not die which is a good thing. I'm still able to live my life 110%, which is what its all about. I'm so thankful that it was only my wallet, things could have been a lot worse, but its still a pain in the ass to deal with.
After a fitful night of sleep, I woke up early the next morning to get my day started, I had a lot to take care of. I first headed to the Western Union that is literally four doors down from my apartment, to pick up the money my wonderful dad had wired me. I get there and it only sends money, it doesn't receive...? Ok... so the lady gave me the address of another Western Union about two blocks away. I trek my way over there to the address she gave me and it doesn't exist. Well the address did but it was definitely not a Western Union. The lady that I was talking to definitely thought I was crazy when I asked for the Western Union until I showed her the address and in the best spanish I could use explained that someone had sent me here. So, feeling a little frustrated I decided to head to my school to talk to the lady in charge of student health and safety. I took the bus, which I usually hate to do but I was not about to take the metro by myself, with the three euros one of my room mates lent me. When I got to school, the lady wanted me to fill out a police report, I thought it was a waste of time, I mean I had to sit there and fill it out and then go to the police department to get it authorized. I mean I know they aren't going to find my wallet or the guy with the purple headband who took it. Even if they did find my wallet it would to me no good anymore since my cards were cancelled and they took the money, but whatever, I'll cooperate. So I spent about thirty minutes filling that out and then she told me where to go for a Western Union and answered some questions I had. So, while I was sitting there, my friend Mike, better known as "Fayette" (which by the way Crystal, its actually LaFayette, its the school he goes to, you just can't see the whole word in the picture). Asked if I needed some coffee and I gladly accepted since I am a poor person who can't even afford a cup of joe right now. It took my mind off of everything for at least a little while too.
So after coffee I headed to the police department. I had to wait for like 30 minutes before I was able to talk to anyone. When I finally did, it was awful. The language barrier causes so much more stress than necessary. We had to go through the whole report again and that took so much longer than it should have since I spoke a little spanish and the cop spoke hardly any english. So an hour later I walked out of the police department with a piece of paper that I don't need nor will it help me, ever. It was 1 by this time and I had class at 1:45 but I needed to get my money from Western Union. I headed over there (all of these things are about a 3 block radius from my school) and had to wait another 30 minutes before I walked out with money. YAY! I'm not completely poor anymore. I still hadn't eaten lunch but I really wasn't that hungry considering I was so stressed out from dealing with everything I was doing that morning. But I had packed a sandwich for when I got hungry. - How cute am I? Packing my own lunch... NO! Not cute at all! I had to pack a sandwich because I didn't have any money to buy lunch. So with 10 minutes to class I head back to school, but like I said, I was stressed and so tired and I was feeling that if I had to hear one more person speak spanish to me, I might break. I decided that the best thing for me would be to just skip my classes and go back to sleep for a while.
And thats what I did. I think my spanish professor Ata, the class I have at 1:45, probably thinks that I am crazy. I said "Ata, tengo hablar con tu! Yo he tenido un dia muy mal." (Ata, I have to talk to you. I have had one bad day.) And then in english, because I was going to punch someone if I heard more spanish, I explained what happened. He just kind of looked at me in shock because, yes I was being a little dramatic, and said "relajase" (relax). So thats what I did. I went home and took a long siesta. Wonderful.
Today was much, much better. My dad has received my computer, so that is in the process of being fixed and he also sent out my new credit card today which should be here by Monday. YAY! No debit card, but at least I have a credit card, which is my dad's money anyways, not MINE! And tomorrow I leave for Rome to see my bestest friend Kiki! I'm so so excited. This visit could not have come at a more opportune time - minus the fact that I only have the 500 euros my dad sent me. Not that amount isn't enough, but I just don't like the uncomfortable feeling that I can't do anything about it if I run out of money. Oh well, I'll manage. I don't NEED to go shopping in Rome anyways... I just really, really wanted to! hehe
So yes, with all thats happened, I can honestly say I am back to normal. Loving life and excited to see what tomorrow will bring. No more sulking or crying. At least not right now. I can't wait to see Kiki and Rome, but I'm pretty sure that I am more excited to see Kiki. I will have plenty of stories for you when I get back, I'm sure of it.
You know what they say.... "When in Rome...!"
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Reality.....bites.
So next time you think your life is down in the dumps, that nothing else could go wrong, you feel hopeless or that the whole world is taking a HUGE crap on you... just think about all the shitty (excuse my language, but this blog is going to be real, straight up, and blunt - sorry grandma.) things that have happened to me since I've been here... oh and even better, all the shitty things that have happened to me in the last 24 hours....Estan lista? (Are you all ready? In Spanish.)
So first off, lets go back to the beginning. I sat on a runway in Chicago for two and a half hours during a THUNDER STORM. I HATE THUNDER STORMS. I arrive in London with 40 minutes to connect to my flight to Barcelona, which should have been a three hour lay over. My luggage doesn't make it. Oh, and then, it doesn't come for three days. Yes, thats right ladies and gentlemen (although I don't think there are any gentlemen reading my blog...) I'm in a new country, a new continent, surrounded by a language, that I only speak a little of, without anything of my own. Sucks right? I felt I stayed pretty positive - other than my 5 minute sob fest with my father. I kept telling myself, "hey, this is the time of your life. There is nothing you can do but wait for your luggage so don't worry about it." Everyone who knew I lost my luggage kept telling me they couldn't believe how well I was handling the situation. So yay! Props to me!
After my luggage came I didn't think that anything else could go wrong, I was having a blast, enjoying being abroad and living my life... WRONG!!!!! Fast forward about four weeks to yesterday.... brace yourself, this might get a little intense...
So my computer was acting weird yesterday (Monday) morning. At one point the picture on my screen completely distorted and froze. I restarted my computer and everything seemed fine... so I turned on my iTunes and continued to get ready for class. All of a sudden my screen froze again and the song that was playing on iTunes started to skip... weird because songs on iTunes have no reason to skip, its not like they can get scratched or anything. So I decided to shut it off until I got back from class around 6. I came back and it seemed to be working fine. I happened to talk to my dad on the phone and mentioned that my computer had been acting weird. Umm... I spoke way too soon. Within 10 minutes my computer froze again and this time would not restart. Crap. After talking to the computer guy at Jayco, it was determined that I had a hardware malfunction, which is nothing that I did, its just something that was wrong with the computer and was jut now surfacing. Grrreeeaaatttt! So we checked out all our options and on the bright side my computer was still under warranty. But that means that I had to ship my computer home to get it fixed. Ok, ok, I can handle that. A week without my own personal computer, sure it blows but its not like I can't use my room mates or anything. I was staying pretty positive, no tears, just a little aggravating when I wanted to check my mail or facebook or listen to a song on iTunes and went for my computer and oh wait, its broke. But ok, I can deal with it.
Here is where it gets good. I recommend that if you need to take a break to pee or make some food this is where you should do it....
So my room mates and I signed up for a wine tasting class, which was tonight. We were on our way back, and walking down the stairs to the metro. Heres my metro routine - I keep my metro ticket in my wallet, I always take my wallet out of my purse, keep it decently close to my body as I get my ticket out and then slip it back into my purse. Well, tonight some very nice, sweet, considerate, gentleman, with the love of Jesus shinning so brightly out of him that it blinded me, decided he would take my wallet off (and literally out)i of my hands. WHAT?! Oh wait thats right, this guy was a down right a**hole (I did the stars so Grandma doesn't have a heart attack and I mean its more lady like right?) who needs a come to Jesus session and will definitely have some things to answer to on Judgment Day. Yes, my family and friends, I was robbed or pick pocketed (pick handed?) tonight. Reality bites. So everything I have, my credit card, debit card, license and 100 euros was in that wallet. Not to mention my pride, my sense of security, and my optimism... My friends would tell me later that I screamed and ran up a few stairs after him and then stopped. The only thing I remember is having my wallet in my hand and then looking at the "jerk" (I'm using quotes because I am thinking of a different word but don't want to shock you with my vocabulary) run off. And he was wearing a purple headband?! Seriously?! I mean come on Ash, you're better than that, getting robbed by a guy wearing a purple headband?! Ok, so my mom told me I need to quit being so hard on myself that its not my fault.
Welcome to the life of Ashley Nicole Bontrager. You think you k now but you have no idea. So after freaking out, being a little hysterical (Don't judge, you would be hysterical too if someone ripped everything you have from your hand, its traumatizing, not to mention life changing), calling my dad to cancel my cards, calling my school to let them know, and my room mates being amazing and comforting me, I calmed down....a little. We took the metro home, even though I felt so uncomfortable, so scared and violated- the whole way I had a death grip on my bag and my phone - which by the way, my crappy cell phone circa 1995 is the only thing I have left. And I'm shocked it didn't crumple under my grip. I pretty much kept my cool, as well as I could until we got back to the apartment. Then the tears started flowing - so much so that I even threw up everything I've eaten today because I was so upset that I got sick. Sweet. Good weight loss program right? Just kidding... don't worry. So I had about a 40 minute balling my eyes out, sobbing, barely able to catch my breath session. I called my mom hoping that would calm me, but all I wanted her to do was agree with me that my life sucked right now - she wouldn't so that made me mad too. Sarah got on the phone (Oh because those girls are loving life right now in Florida - not a care in the world. Yes, right now I am a little bitter.) and gave me her words of wisdom but I was still upset. So I had another 20 minute crying, feeling sorry for myself, sulking session and then talked to one of my amazing friends here - (Yes Crystal, its the one in the "Fayette" shirt. haha) who made me feel a ton better. Although reality still bites, I'm starting to feel more positive.... I said more, not completely.
So sorry for all of this negativity, but I think that I personally have been handling everything pretty well, especially for me. Its not really one thing in particular that I feel I am bitching about, its the combination of all three things. I hate not being in control and all of these things have ripped control right out from under me... or should I say my hands. - at least I still can make a joke or two. And writing this blog was such a release. It felt so good to get out my true feelings, without inhibitions. And hopefully you got some laughs (although I might think of you in a different way, laughing at my miseries....) So, my pessimistic state is over. I'm sure I'll randomly get upset again and shed a few tears but in the end everything will work out and there is nothing more I can do about it. I mean, other than sell my body for money so I can actually eat this next week... But I'll try to look on the bright side. I mean the good thing is, the "jerk" who took my wallet is going to have to pay in the end, although right now he's 100 euros richer... And don't worry, I'll be saying my prayers before I go to bed to ask God for forgiveness for all the nasty words and thoughts that ran through my head and out of my mouth during my little predicament tonight.
So to conclude, reality bites, sometimes (I told you I'm going to look on the bright side) but in the end, you have to roll with the punches and move on. There are always friends and family there to help you get through and hand you toilet paper to clean up the craps that life decides to take on you sometimes.
So first off, lets go back to the beginning. I sat on a runway in Chicago for two and a half hours during a THUNDER STORM. I HATE THUNDER STORMS. I arrive in London with 40 minutes to connect to my flight to Barcelona, which should have been a three hour lay over. My luggage doesn't make it. Oh, and then, it doesn't come for three days. Yes, thats right ladies and gentlemen (although I don't think there are any gentlemen reading my blog...) I'm in a new country, a new continent, surrounded by a language, that I only speak a little of, without anything of my own. Sucks right? I felt I stayed pretty positive - other than my 5 minute sob fest with my father. I kept telling myself, "hey, this is the time of your life. There is nothing you can do but wait for your luggage so don't worry about it." Everyone who knew I lost my luggage kept telling me they couldn't believe how well I was handling the situation. So yay! Props to me!
After my luggage came I didn't think that anything else could go wrong, I was having a blast, enjoying being abroad and living my life... WRONG!!!!! Fast forward about four weeks to yesterday.... brace yourself, this might get a little intense...
So my computer was acting weird yesterday (Monday) morning. At one point the picture on my screen completely distorted and froze. I restarted my computer and everything seemed fine... so I turned on my iTunes and continued to get ready for class. All of a sudden my screen froze again and the song that was playing on iTunes started to skip... weird because songs on iTunes have no reason to skip, its not like they can get scratched or anything. So I decided to shut it off until I got back from class around 6. I came back and it seemed to be working fine. I happened to talk to my dad on the phone and mentioned that my computer had been acting weird. Umm... I spoke way too soon. Within 10 minutes my computer froze again and this time would not restart. Crap. After talking to the computer guy at Jayco, it was determined that I had a hardware malfunction, which is nothing that I did, its just something that was wrong with the computer and was jut now surfacing. Grrreeeaaatttt! So we checked out all our options and on the bright side my computer was still under warranty. But that means that I had to ship my computer home to get it fixed. Ok, ok, I can handle that. A week without my own personal computer, sure it blows but its not like I can't use my room mates or anything. I was staying pretty positive, no tears, just a little aggravating when I wanted to check my mail or facebook or listen to a song on iTunes and went for my computer and oh wait, its broke. But ok, I can deal with it.
Here is where it gets good. I recommend that if you need to take a break to pee or make some food this is where you should do it....
So my room mates and I signed up for a wine tasting class, which was tonight. We were on our way back, and walking down the stairs to the metro. Heres my metro routine - I keep my metro ticket in my wallet, I always take my wallet out of my purse, keep it decently close to my body as I get my ticket out and then slip it back into my purse. Well, tonight some very nice, sweet, considerate, gentleman, with the love of Jesus shinning so brightly out of him that it blinded me, decided he would take my wallet off (and literally out)i of my hands. WHAT?! Oh wait thats right, this guy was a down right a**hole (I did the stars so Grandma doesn't have a heart attack and I mean its more lady like right?) who needs a come to Jesus session and will definitely have some things to answer to on Judgment Day. Yes, my family and friends, I was robbed or pick pocketed (pick handed?) tonight. Reality bites. So everything I have, my credit card, debit card, license and 100 euros was in that wallet. Not to mention my pride, my sense of security, and my optimism... My friends would tell me later that I screamed and ran up a few stairs after him and then stopped. The only thing I remember is having my wallet in my hand and then looking at the "jerk" (I'm using quotes because I am thinking of a different word but don't want to shock you with my vocabulary) run off. And he was wearing a purple headband?! Seriously?! I mean come on Ash, you're better than that, getting robbed by a guy wearing a purple headband?! Ok, so my mom told me I need to quit being so hard on myself that its not my fault.
Welcome to the life of Ashley Nicole Bontrager. You think you k now but you have no idea. So after freaking out, being a little hysterical (Don't judge, you would be hysterical too if someone ripped everything you have from your hand, its traumatizing, not to mention life changing), calling my dad to cancel my cards, calling my school to let them know, and my room mates being amazing and comforting me, I calmed down....a little. We took the metro home, even though I felt so uncomfortable, so scared and violated- the whole way I had a death grip on my bag and my phone - which by the way, my crappy cell phone circa 1995 is the only thing I have left. And I'm shocked it didn't crumple under my grip. I pretty much kept my cool, as well as I could until we got back to the apartment. Then the tears started flowing - so much so that I even threw up everything I've eaten today because I was so upset that I got sick. Sweet. Good weight loss program right? Just kidding... don't worry. So I had about a 40 minute balling my eyes out, sobbing, barely able to catch my breath session. I called my mom hoping that would calm me, but all I wanted her to do was agree with me that my life sucked right now - she wouldn't so that made me mad too. Sarah got on the phone (Oh because those girls are loving life right now in Florida - not a care in the world. Yes, right now I am a little bitter.) and gave me her words of wisdom but I was still upset. So I had another 20 minute crying, feeling sorry for myself, sulking session and then talked to one of my amazing friends here - (Yes Crystal, its the one in the "Fayette" shirt. haha) who made me feel a ton better. Although reality still bites, I'm starting to feel more positive.... I said more, not completely.
So sorry for all of this negativity, but I think that I personally have been handling everything pretty well, especially for me. Its not really one thing in particular that I feel I am bitching about, its the combination of all three things. I hate not being in control and all of these things have ripped control right out from under me... or should I say my hands. - at least I still can make a joke or two. And writing this blog was such a release. It felt so good to get out my true feelings, without inhibitions. And hopefully you got some laughs (although I might think of you in a different way, laughing at my miseries....) So, my pessimistic state is over. I'm sure I'll randomly get upset again and shed a few tears but in the end everything will work out and there is nothing more I can do about it. I mean, other than sell my body for money so I can actually eat this next week... But I'll try to look on the bright side. I mean the good thing is, the "jerk" who took my wallet is going to have to pay in the end, although right now he's 100 euros richer... And don't worry, I'll be saying my prayers before I go to bed to ask God for forgiveness for all the nasty words and thoughts that ran through my head and out of my mouth during my little predicament tonight.
So to conclude, reality bites, sometimes (I told you I'm going to look on the bright side) but in the end, you have to roll with the punches and move on. There are always friends and family there to help you get through and hand you toilet paper to clean up the craps that life decides to take on you sometimes.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
CARNiVAL!
Wow.
Carnival was amazing and crazy. It was sooo much fun! Some of my roomies and I went costume shopping on Friday to gear up for the big day. I found these purple mariposa (butterfly) wings and it came with a fuzzy head piece. I also got gold sparkly glasses. I was so excited.
It was a long night... like I said we got there around 5:30 PM and didn't leave until 3:30 AM when the trains started back up. But it was all worth it. Even losing my head piece and having bloody toes from being stepped on and walked on all night. So worth it. This morning one of my roommates and I spent like an hour just reminicing. It was amazing and I just wanted to write a little bit about it, but its so hard to describe everything because, well, its undescriable.... haha. Anyways, I took 135 pictures, yes I know. So I won't post them all but here are a few...
Carnival was amazing and crazy. It was sooo much fun! Some of my roomies and I went costume shopping on Friday to gear up for the big day. I found these purple mariposa (butterfly) wings and it came with a fuzzy head piece. I also got gold sparkly glasses. I was so excited.
It was a long night... like I said we got there around 5:30 PM and didn't leave until 3:30 AM when the trains started back up. But it was all worth it. Even losing my head piece and having bloody toes from being stepped on and walked on all night. So worth it. This morning one of my roommates and I spent like an hour just reminicing. It was amazing and I just wanted to write a little bit about it, but its so hard to describe everything because, well, its undescriable.... haha. Anyways, I took 135 pictures, yes I know. So I won't post them all but here are a few...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
