Home.

Whole year came and went.
I'm stuck with what to say on this blog, being that this still feels slightly like shock. A list or summary of the year would be just impossible.
I'm trying to get myself used to the idea that I'm gone from there.
One day being surrounded by all my friends, family, and atmosphere of spain and only a few hours later being...home. I'm still trying to wrap the idea around my head.
Not waking up in my bedroom from Madrid gets a bit more difficult everyday.
.Although i don't want to think , say, accept, or admit it....I am here to stay

     I guess all good things must come to an end. Although, I'd like to think that it's the start for new beginnings.
Time comes and goes, but memories are here to stay.

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"Time Flies"- understated phrase of the year

Well it has now gotten to that time in the year, the time that I have to accept the fact that i must soon leave.

I have no more than three weeks left here in this beauiful country, and i stil cannot wrap my head around the idea.

Things now have gotten so wonderful. I am more comfortable with the language, getting on great with my class, understanding everything I am being taught, and living with a wonderful family. However, this marvelous time also happenes to be as I am about to pack my bags.

Although it is difficult, I have to remember to keep my mind open and head up high. Although it is difficult for me to remember, leaving houston was incredibely difficult for me. I had a very lost sensation and thought that I had left absolutely everything behind. The change was very difficult, but as I have learned-little by little, it was so worth it. When I do return, it will be another beginning. It is very possible that at first I will sense the same, "i just left everything behind" feeling like i did at the beginning of the year, but little by little I will grow to love the situation just like I learned to here in Madrid.

Spain, Spanish, the people I met here, and everything else about this exchange is now a permanant part

of me, and will remain to be even when i do return to the USA on the 1st of july.

Looking back through this year, It is hard to even contemplate how much has changed. I have learned more than I ever have in my life. I've learned the material things, like Spanish, but also so much more than that. I experienced what it is like to start over, in a place where you know nothing or no one, I've experienced how difficult it is to express yourself and communicate when you are surrounded with another language 24/7. Yet, of everything that I have learned here, and of everything that has changed, I am certain that my perspective of the world and of priorities are what changed the most. That is what I think is the most important gift this year has given me.

In the beginning of the year, in one of my first blogs titled "ch ch ch changes" I  now realize how differently I think about Spain, then and now. In the beginning of the year, I thought my school, classmates, and classes were just horrible and was too negative toward the changes, yet now, I would do ansolutley anything to stay with these kids at least another year. Once I was able to open up to the students in my school, and once the language barrier wasn't has strong as in the beginning, I realized how much diversity my class offers. There are girls and boys of all types in the same class, yet I did not realize that at first--i only needed to look a little bit deeper.



Concha and I, my religion teacher. Also
one of my favorite teacher



Also, I have proven myself wrong about when I said that the classes lack discussion. It is the absolute contrary. Just the other day, in music class, the class had a full out heated debate about world politics. In History class, I can't remember the last class of these few months where we did not have an interesting discussion about the world in that class. Being here, rather than at my previous school in houston, I have the opprotunity to hear the points of views from people from the other part of the world. Also, a few months ago I transfered into the optional relgion class. I decided that it is a real opprotunity to be taught about christianity while I;m here in Spain, considering that I don't know much about it and it would not hurt to learn.

It turns out that religion is one of my favorite classes and the teacher is one of my favorites as well.In all ways, I have grown to love my school here and will definatley miss it.

I've gotten so close to my class, 4,D and will miss them dearly when I leave.

  



Itziar,me,Laura, and Suri



   


Laura and I :)



     

   







My Religion class, a day in the center of Madrid





 IES Alameda de Osuna 4D 2010-2011



Since the start of kindergarten, this is my fifth school, and yet this class is without a doubt my favorite so far.

I already miss them-and I haven't even left yet.

Fifty?

The moment of when my plane departed from Houston seems like just a day ago. I'm looking back at the year and I just can't beileve how quickly it has flown. 50 Days? I know the best thing to do is to not think about the end and to seize every day here.
Well, that is what I am trying to do but it's easier said than done
It is such an odd and uncomftorable feeling to realize that the life I have become so adapted to and grown to love is limited to fifty-more-days.

And as the four wise men once said, "I get by with a little help from my friends"

It's been just about two months since I have last updated my post. And yet again I begin the question of "Where do I begin?". A good question , I might add, that is difficult to answer.
Just like any two months in a whole other life, these months have been filled with many changes, expierences, adverntures, friendships, and so much more.

I look back at the past eight months and realize how much has changed and how far I've come. It only takes a minute of reflexion to get back to that state of shock.



I will attempt to break this blog into various sections because that seems to be the easiest way to in an orderly way, explain a little of what's going on here.

SCHOOL:



 "Welcome to Alameda de Osuna"





Well, it has now gotten to that point where I am taking every test and doing all the homework. I am in school here just like any of the other kids, and therefore have no excise to slack off, I actually like it better that way for many reasons. I've gotten to know just about every kid in my class by now, there is an extremely  wide variety of interests and personalities. The truth is the majority of my friends are outside of my school, but there definaltye are some people that i feel I will keep in touch with in the years to come.
Everyday in class, its sad to think that in a matter of weeks, I will no longer be in this classroom with this group of kids. Its quite overwhelming at time, to be honest. Who knows when I will be able to come back this far again?
I have grown sentimental feelings with the four walls of my classroom, being that it has been a constant place that I have been since the very beginning of my time here. 4D.

on shot of 4D, my very raditional classroom



some of the kids from my class, during "informatica"

 I've grown close to the atmosphereof my school life here in madrid and in my class, and leaving will definaltley be difficult at first, without a doubt.








HOUSE LIFE:

Host dad- Jose Luis
Host mom- Elena
Host brother- Alvaro
Host sister- Maria

Well, I really love the house I a living with. I am staying with a stupendous family, that have grown to become my real family here in Spain. I will miss them an Incredible amount when i return. However, luckily my host sister/ one of my best friends will be returnng with me to the Texas during the month of July.

maria and I in Gran Via

I only hope I can give here the same expeiernce I have had here, although Madrid is very hard to compete with.
We have been to numerous old towns and villages, and about three weeks ago, we went up North to Cantabria which was absolutley beautiful. Everything is green and there a hudreds of small village homes, cows- sheep ad horses, and beach coasts that could easily be the most beautiful in the world. Its a place that I see myself returning to. Luckily, we are retutning in two weeks for a wedding.

SOCIAL LIFE:

I think of everything I've gained on this experience, the most valuale of them all are the friendships I have developed. It's something thats a bit to difficult to explain on a blogpost. For anyone who is reading this has ever considered during a year abroad- i seriously encourage it. The people that go along with you, at least i my case, are some of the world's greatest, without a doubt. Whether its all AFSers, or the just the ones who came to Madrid, all i know is i have been surrounded with people that i will have friendships with for the rest of life- amazing amazing people.

I am sure that's getting old by now because I tend to repeat it in just about every post.  I guess I just cannot stress it enough, because of it weern't for them, I probably would not be here in Spain right now.



hilali y nikolai












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ville





i think that just about raps it up for the day, I'd say this is a decent yet small summary of the past few weeks of my time here in Spain.

Hasta luego

Danielle

p.s. Happy Mothers day to the world's most fantastic mother!

p.p.s. I will see all of you that I love there in houston very soon!



seven months

Hello!
Well, I think I have waiting TWO months, if not more to write on here. For those of you who are reading, I am really sorry, truley.
I actually wrote a nice, long, post with pictures and everything and it disappeares :(
I am going to give a really really breif update and things that are going on around here becuase to much time has past to give all the details.
FIRST CHRISTMAS: i had my first christmas, it was a lovely family gathering and a ton of food and desserts and later followed by dancing video games until 2 in the morning.
NOCHEVIEJA: this means, new years eve in Spanish. Here the New Years is a really big deal and has many nice traditioins. For example, wearing red under-clothes is good luck and everyone eats 12 grapes in the last 12 seconds of the year, making chipmunk cheeks.Well, first off, the Spanish definatley know how to celebrate their new years. Here, everyone was with there familes at midnight, at the turn of the year, and afterwards at 1-1:30 all the guest started coming. I did not get sleep until two in the afternoon! The whole night was full of laughter, fireworks, and Churros!
LOS REYES MAGOS: I found this holiday to be even bigger than christmas. This is celebrated on January 6 and is the day to give and recieve presents, more than christmas. The traditional Spanish icon for the holidays is not Santa Clause, but three kings. These 3 kings are the ones the supposidly delivers the gifts.

As you can see, the vacations were full of a ton of festive holidays and celebrations. And even more to come,
the weekend after the break, we went skiing in the beautiful Pyranneas Mountains on the border between Spain and France.
As for my Spanish: Well, to be honest, many words and phrases I wrote in this entry, I had to revise because I wrote them in Spanish accidently and not in English.. My mind is completely absorbed in this lanuage. I think in Spanish and dream in Spanish and understand pretty much everything thats being said. Of course theres a lot more that I have to learn but I am confident that I will be leaving here with fluency. Although sometimes, I have good days and bad days in Spanish or even for weeks at a time. Fortunatley, this week is a good one, bu for example, about three weeks ago, I had horrible spanish for a couple of days, almost as if I had forgotten half of it. Luckily, it was only a couple of days and I have been told that it is normal.  Considering, that in my first entry my Spanish vocabulary consisted of "hola, adios, y siesta" I'd say its come along way.

Also, for some big news:
Do to some changes, I now live in a different house-hold. I live with my class mate, Maria, who is also my best friend here. The family is incredibly loving and I get along tremendously with them.

Off to studying!
pictures are coming soon
Besos a todos (kisses to all)

Danielle

Happy Birthday Nina Whyte!

Well, today is January 6th and I went to Barcelona on December 1st. So yes, I have waited way too long yet again to make a post, I do apologize. My last post was about the hike in the snow which took place on November 27th, only four days later I left to Barcelona.
Barcelona is incredibly beautiful and arsty city. It has the Gaudi house, Parc Guell, and most importantly the amazing blue coast.
Fortunatley, I got y camera charger in Barcelona and managed to get some nice pictures.
Because of that, this post is going to be mostly of pictures rather than text:



Beautiful Coast

 

Lamb heads at a Barcelona food market



While in Barcelona, I also saw a wide variety of people, mostly playing music.

During our five day vacation to Barcelona, we also traveled to two surroundiing villages, stiges and gerona (I'm not sure how to spell the second one)

Stiges was the most beautiful little village on the coast with traditional looking homes and such a warm feel, even in December.

And some pictures from Stiges:

Gerona was just as amazing as Stiges. It is not on the coast but it still had so much characteristic. Over there, I actually got the chance to go to a synogouge hundreds if not a thosands years old.
And some more pictures:

I did do more in Barcelona, but this post is getting long as it is. Barcelona is fantastic and I recommend the city to anyone.
I STILL have so much to catch up on! My first Christmas, the day of Los Reyes Magos (today), and just life in general. I promise I will update very soon and not wait a month like I usually do.

Happy birthday to Nina Whyte! now sixteen and on the roads, your my best friend forever 'shake 'n bake'!