Setting Goals

Hello Blogger World. To know why the above plank is so awesome, you will need to read on.

On Thursday I got a care package and it made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside! There were letters and jam and cake balls involved - enough said? Thank you Mommy! Also on Thursday, I made smores with Paula and Abuelo! Although we had to use cookies instead of graham crackers and the chocolate wasn't Hershey's, the smores were still VERY GOOD! They were almost the same as in the U.S. Since we didn't do a Thanksging meal, the smores definitely made up for it!

I think it's safe to say that Abuelo likes smores - he had three of them, plus one plain marshmallow!

I went to Malaga (again) on Friday. With a bit more luck than Tuesday, I was able to everything squared off with my visa. Now the police station is working on my ID and I can pick it up in January. Yay for not being a tourist anymore! I feel lucky to have such a good Rotary Counselor - he took me Malaga both times last week and is so nice!

I went to Tarifa last weekend, and it was just as charming as before. This time I went with Paola, her two friends that own the house in Tarifa, and Molly! We went to some great restaurants, explored a Roman city, and got to wander the lovely Tarifa streets. The plank you saw at the opening of this post is on original Roman Roads, built in the 2nd Century (around 200 AD). OHMYGOODNESS, HISTORYNEVERREALLYAMAZEDMEUNTILICAMETOEUROPE. Oh and we had churros for breakfast two days in a row, so it was obviously a good weekend.
 

Us at one of the best Pizzarias EVER.

  

Me and Molly at the Roman Ruins (Baelo Claudia) with some Coca-Cola.





Me and Paola at the Roman Ruins.



I truly love Tarifa, and I can't wait to go back.

Last night I Skyped my Mom and siblings for a while!  It was only the second time I have used Skype with my family while on exchange, so it was definitely nice to talk to them! The only thing is that Skype really does bring everything to life. You see, in Spain it is very easy to forget that a whole other world is going without me in Iowa. I live my life here, and I know that everything is going in Iowa, but it just sits in the back of my mind. With Skype -- the voices, faces, conversations -- I am reminded that I really am away from my home in Iowa. (It's strange because when I first got here, I had reverse feelings, such as Wow, a whole other world [Spain] has been going and I've been in my own little bubble in Newton. It was very eye-opening at the moment.) Hence, today was a little rough. I miss you guys, and sometimes I just wish I could just hug ya'll back in Iowa. That's one thing Spain sure needs to work on - hugs. Yes, they have the two kisses when greeting/departing, but they don't hug enough, and when they do hug, it's never quite long or tight enough. So when I get back next summer, please don't be surprised when I hug you ALL OF THE TIME.

Today I decided that to keep myself busy I am going to set goals for myself, little and big, throughout my exchange. I want to have goals to work on throughout the coming months, but I also want to have little goals for myself each day. Tomorrow my goal can be to find an awesome song in Spanish. If you have an idea for a daily goal for me, let me know!

Here are some bigger goals that I've set for my self so far:

-Read The Chronicles of Narnia in Spanish by the end of my exchange.

-Walk or run around my community every day.

-Read at least half an hour of Spanish every day.

-Learn how to cook paella and Spanish omelets.

Well I have many random things I've been meaning to post, but I'm going to sleep now. Hopefully I'll get them up soon.

Here's a big virtual hug!

Josie