Time to breathe amongst traveling and school

I haven´t been blogging lately for a number of reasons.  For one, I have been traveling practically every weekend since I don´t have class on fridays.  Second, been having lots of homework and projects lately, and lastly I´ve been catching up on sleep when I don´t have anything else to do.

I am so thankful to have the opportunity to travel.  So far in Spain I have been to Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca, and Barcelona.  In Italy I´ve been to Rome, Florence, Pisa, and Siena.  I just returned from Paris, and it is one trip I will always remember, we also made a trip to Versailles to see the famous palace.  I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, got in free to Notre Dame, Louvre museum, and the Palace of Versailles.  this is the most traveling I have ever done, so a need of sleep is always necessary.  I´ve also learned that before traveling one needs a good nights rest and a proper breakfast or else it will bite you back during your travels with being physically exhausted and having a massive headache.

In Spain, Toledo has got to be my favorite city so far.  I have a love for small cities with a lot of charm.  Toledo actually used to be the capital of Spain!  Italy is beautiful, my favorite cities have been Florence and Siena, small cities in comparison to Rome with a lot of charm.  Rome is great to visit, but I couldn't imagine myself living there.  For Paris I wanted to visit and check it out, but did not think I was going to enjoy it that much because it's a big city with lots of tourists.  Lo and behold, I received what I did not expect.  I am so happy I got to go, because it is truly a magnificent city.  I know why they call it "the most beautiful city in the world."  While I went to all these places I also noticed culture changes for each country, the people, how they dress, eat, and talk.  The beauties of traveling!  Paris reminded me a lot of the states.  My friend Andrew also mentioned the same thing because of the large ethnic diversity and the fact that Paris is a big city, like NY or LA.  I felt right at home in which I did not expect. I hope to go back one day, but in the meantime, I look forward to my next destination!

SPAIN

Toledo:

Segovia:

Salamanca:

Barcelona:

ITALY

Rome:

Florence:

Pisa:

Siena:

FRANCE

Paris:

Versailles:

Hence the title of the blog, I finally have enough time to blog other than doing school work.  It´s a different lifestyle definitely because I´ve been going up and down everywhere, taking buses, trains, and planes.  Something that would never happen being at UCR.  Balancing school work amongst these travels has been something I needed to master.  

Something I have done on my one free weekend in Madrid has been hitting up museums like the Prado and Reina Sofia, two amazing museums which we also got in free because of time slots where they let the public enter for free.  These are both some of the most famous museums in Europe, especially the Prado.

Time really does go by fast when you are having fun.  For the past weeks, my sleep schedule has been a little off.  I'm used to the time here, but I think when one is studying abroad they find themselves staying up late talking to family and friends since it is still early in the states and everyone is on skype.  I have to take the time to thank skype though, I get to see all my loved ones from back home and I am so thankful for that.  Shout out to everyone, miss you guys!

The time in Spain is truly irreplaceable though, because 9 months ago I had no idea what to encounter.  Finally living here for a while has gotten me used to how things work and know where everything is for the most part.  There have even been times when people visiting Madrid see me as a local and have asked me where things are.  It feels great knowing where you´re going and confident in it, without having to feel much like tourist.  Whereas, on August 30th I had no idea where anything was.

My most recent experiences have been visiting Telemadrid where my host mom works, and getting a tour of the studio.  In my study abroad application I mentioned I am interested in Journalism, so when my host mom picked me up from the hotel the second day being in Madrid, it was such a great surprise to find out she is the Art and Entertainment Director of Telemadrid.  I got a taste of what I want to do as a career and it was truly unforgettable!  My friend Alex and I saw the 2:00 p.m. news live in action, met the anchor of the evening news, and having lunch with the employees was a great way to end the tour.  This past friday was also my last excursion for my class, Medioambiente y sociedad en España.  The professors surprised us with having a once in a lifetime view of the city from the top of the Torre Europa, which is not open to the public.  They had connections and we went all the way up to an area where only helicopters land in case of emergencies.  When you get a view of the whole city, it is definitely one of the things you will remember most from a trip.  That moment was a surprise to all of us because we had no idea!  It was also bittersweet because we realized this was our last excursion and someone mentioned as we were on our way to have lunch "this is probably the last time we will all be in the metro together."  It's sad when you know things have to come to an end, but the memories will always remain....let's make the best of the month we have left!

Just recently my host mom asked me to help her translate interview questions. She went to London to interview the guys from "The Hangover."  Growing up, my parents always stressed the fact that it is important to be bilingual.  They always encouraged me to speak Spanish and I am thankful growing up in a household with two languages.  They would usually talk to me in Spanish, and when I was little I would respond with both languages.  When you're little you don't really see the big importance, but it's interesting how when you grow up you see why it is so important.  Spanish plays such a big part in our society, and I know that if I ever have kids I will encourage them to speak Spanish as well.  Without knowing both languages, I wouldn't have been able to help translate for my host mom, help interpret for people when the cashier only knows English and the customer only knows Spanish, and be able to help someone practice English with intercambio (I help someone with their English and they help me with my Spanish) sessions.  I have come a long way, with many conversations and decisions being made along the road, where it has only made me grow.  Taking interesting classes, learning to balance fun and school, seeing different lifestyles and experiencing cultures, meeting new people, and making close frienships are things that will always occur not just in study abroad, but for the rest of your life journey.  Keep on livin´