Lions and Tigers and Fairs, Oh My!

Okay, I'd like to begin by apologizing for the cliché post title. I couldn't resist, and you will see why later.

I have now been in Spain for almost three weeks. When I think about it, I don't feel like I've been here for that long. However, when I begin to think of everything I've done and all the people I've met, there's no way I could've been here for less than that time. I hope that makes sense! A lot has gone on, so I'll give you the highlights of my time here since my previous post.

On Saturday, October 8th (my third day here), was a special Rotary dog show event. Even though I didn't really care about the dog show, it was a good time because all of us RYE kiddies were there together. I came with Molly and Jaime (her host brother who went to the US last year), and later on Matt came with his host brother Eugenio (only one year younger than Matt and I), I think. Sidenote: I am having a terrible time with remembering names. I think it will become easier, but right now it's bad! Anyways, it was cool all being together, and seeing Matt again since the outbound picnic back in July. Also that day, Jaime, Molly, and I went to a special open-air market in San Pedro, which was pretty cool. Here are some pictures of the market:

On Sunday, October 9th, Paola took me up to the mountains! Technically speaking, we went to Sierra Bermeja. You can click on that for more info if you want. All I can say really, is that the moutains are so beautiful. I can hardly take it in. I see the mountains everyday, and I keep on thinking that somehow I will become accustomed to the beauty here, but it just hasn't happened. At Sierra Bermeja, Paola and I saw some incredible views of Estepona/Marbella (?) and the sea, and of course, more mountains. Sometime, I want to go hiking in the mountains, and maybe go camping up there too. 



Reina and I - just chillin'.



On Monday the 10th, I had my first day of Spanish school. Although I couldn't understand any of my classes (aside from English Class), I met so many nice people and somehow made it out of there alive. When I got home, I was so exhausted that I took a two hour nap. That first day of school has by far been my most tiring so far. Now, school is definitely tiring (and easily gets boring), but I think that my mind has become accustomed to 6 hours of Spanish with out completely crashing. Because of holidays/feria (which I will tell you about soon), I've actually only been to six school days, so I still haven't quite got into a routine yet. Once I do, I will write more about my life in Spanish school.

Wednesday the 12th was a national holiday in Spain, so nobody had school or work! I was fine with this because my mind was melting after the first two days of school - Spanish OVERLOAD. So, Paola and Tutsi (Jaime's mom) took Molly, Jaime, and I to Gibraltar (<---click on that for more info), a British Territory in south Spain known for the Rock of Gibraltar (<---yep, you can click that too). So basically, the Rock of Gibraltar is a HUGE rock (mountain island?) with a lot of monkeys and British people. It was really fun because we went up the rock where there were caves and tunnel like things in the rock with rooms. Also, we got to see some amazing views from the rock.



We have now been to England! We even got the stamp in our passports!



On Saturday the 15th, Jaime, Molly and I went to the zoo in Estepona! It was called Selwo Aventura, and themed like an African safari! Although the animals weren't that different than those that I've seen at zoos in America, the setting was completely different. There were hills, valleys, plants from around the world, and of course, the mountains. The animals were cool, don't get me wrong, but the scenery here is breathtaking. The zoo kind of made me feel like I was in Scout's Safari. Does anybody remember that show? Because that's what it seemed like at times. At one point, the three of us rode on this safari bus and went all over the zoo, seeing all sorts of cool animals such as lions, tigers, and bears. The only downer of the day was when this crazy, huge bird bit Molly's leg. It just walked over to us and chomped down! Good thing Molly is used to loco animals, being from Australia!



See the zebras?

 Last week, I only went to school on Monday and Tuesday because of the San Pedro Feria (Fair)! I'm not sure how it all works, but I'll tell you what I think I heard: Feria is an anual, week-long celebration that happens in towns at different times of the summer/early fall, depending on when they celebrate . . . something, the town Saint, I think (?). Either way, on Wednesday the 19th, nobody in San Pedro had school or work! Yay! So, Paola and Tutsi took Molly, Jaime, and I to Teleferico Cablecar Benalmadena, located between Marbella and Malaga. There, we went on a cable car and saw beautiful views of city, sea, and mountains. Check out below to see what I saw!

And finally, what I'm you've all been waiting for: FERIA! Where to start? Technically, Feria was kicked off on Monday (the 17th) night, with a fireworks show. I however, being the exchange student that knows next to nothing around here, did not go to the fireworks. I didn't kick myself too hard though because we have fireworks in the US - we even have them in Iowa! Tuesday night was the first night of feria festivities. (There was all kinds of stuff - music, dancers, etc. during the daytime throughout the week that I never went to . . .) Anyways, on Tuesday I went to the fair with some friends from school. When we first got there, I couldn't believe how cool everything was! It was much bigger, brighter, and louder than I'd imagined, but I liked it that way! My first thought was, "Wow, this kind of smells like the Iowa State Fair, but Spanishy!". There were amusement park rides, tons of food, tons of venders selling anything from scarves to paintings, a discoteca, a concert hall, fair games, and sweet music (some Spanish, some English) with the base cranked way up. I loved it. . . . How it worked, was there there were a few streets that were lined with all these things, and you could walk wherever you wanted. The street that I probably spent the most time on was the one with all of the rides. Here's a viedo that might give you an idea of what Feria is like:

Back to Tuesday though. That night, I went on bumper cars with my friend Miriam (she's in the video above), and it was so much fun! That may have been the best two euros I have ever spent. On Wednesday, Molly, Jaime, and I went to the cable car thing I talked about before. Apparently on Thursday and Friday there actually was school, but nobody goes because of Feria. I've been told by a few people that this is normal, that when there's a holiday in the middle of the week, students just take the rest of the week off too! Personally, I don't have a problem with this.

On Thursday night, I went to Feria again with a different group of friends from school. This time I went on two different rides with some friends, and both were awesome. On Friday night I went to Feria with Molly, and some friends she introduced me to the weekend before. Molly, Victor, and I went on "La Barca" aka the huge pirate ship ride. It swung back and forth, and we stood in one of the two cages at the ends of the boat, and it was simply amazing. Also on Friday night, we went to the discoteca at the Feria! I have to say, my first discoteca was pretty awesome. Imagine Homecoming, but 10X better, then put that on steroids - BAM, it's a discoteca. We left around 2 or 3 am, and I spent the night at Molly's house. On Saturday I went to La Canada, a shopping mall in Marbella, with Molly and her host family. Generally, it seemed the same as any other mall I've been to, except for some different stores, and the flat, ramp-like escalators (imagine an escalator, but flat, and slanted).

Just when you think that there couldn't be more feria, there is definitely more feria. After a good siesta Saturday afternoon, Molly and I went to la feria again! We went on some rides, had cotton candy, and had these AMAZING Spanish waffles called Gofres. Basically, they're fried waffles with chocolate syrup and whip cream, and when you eat them you feel like you're eating a piece of heaven, and all in the world is right. . . Also, I learned that in Australia, they call cotton cady "fairy floss"! This didn't really make sense to me, but "cotton candy" didn't really make sense to Molly, so I guess it's okay!



Tuesday night at the Feria!



So many games! Molly ended up bringing a snake home!



A piece of heaven



By Sunday afternoon (yesterday), I was wiped out. It was the last day of feria, but there was no way I was going. I did however have an interesting day though, because I met my next-door neighbors who only live there on holiday (it's their vacation home, as they are from England). It turns out that the family had four 15/16 year old girls with them (daughter, cousin, two friends), so I made some more friends! We went to a beach bar/restaurant and had a really good meal, then we went back to their house and played some cards. Around 9 or so, I had to come back home because after a 5-day break, this girl had school Monday (today).

That's about all for now! Until later, please enjoy these random photos that mostly fill in the gaps of this post :)

Spanish Jamon - I could eat it all day

Having fun in an elevator



Me and some ice cream



Piratas del Caribe?

Sardines!

Things people have made me at school! They're so nice.

Me at a grocery store with the two-in-one basket/cart

The sea! I had never seen it before arriving here.

Another fine piece of art by my classmates. Feria ^^

Hasta luego,

Josie,
Josephine,
Pepa,
Josefina,
Rubia

Hola!

Hola from España!  After about 17 hours of airplanes and airports, I finally arrived in Malaga yesterday morning(10:30 am Spain time, 3:30 am Iowa time). Ah, where to begin? So much has happened already! I guess I'll start on Wednesday morning.

Wednesday morning my family and I, along with my friend Jennifer, had breakfast at Perkins before we headed to the airport. It was very good! After that we headed to the Des Moines Airport. We got there a few hours before my flight, so we had some time to just hang out. As you can see below, we had a fun time :)

If you didn't catch that, that was "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes" in Spanish. Props to Reece who taught everybody! About an hour before my departure time, my mom and I left to security. It was very emotional saying bye to everyone. I am very close to my family, and it was difficult saying bye :( After the goodbyes was security, which was actually a breeze compared to what I expected. I was randomly selected for a special search where they check out your cell phone, but we got through fine. My mom and I waited at my gate until it was time to board. At this point, I had been crying since I said goodbye to my family before security. Saying bye to my mom was very hard, but I had to go. The ladies who scanned my boarding pass were very nice - they gave me some Kleenex.

My flight from Des Moines to Chicago went fine. It was about an hour long, and I got a window seat. I sat next to a businessy looking lady who lived in Chicago. We talked some, and I found out that she minored in Spanish in college. I told her where I was headed, and she wished me "Buenas suerte."

After my flight to Chicago landed, I had two hours until my Madrid flight left. After asking around a bit, I was able to find my gate. I still had a while until it's departure, so I decided to get something to eat, as it was about 3:00 pm, and I hadn't had anything since breakfast. After walking around Ohare for a while, I decided on McDonalds, and got a Happy Meal. (Ironic, right? Last meal in America . . .) So I headed back over to my gate and ate my Happy Meal. As I was eating, Secrets by OneRepublic played, and I started crying because Carolyn loves that song. I imagine I must have looked pretty ridiculous, because people were staring .  . . Random girl in a big, blue blazer, crying as she eat her chicken nuggets. (Once again, ironic: Happy Meal + crying = ?) But then I was suddenly happy because at the bottom of the McDonalds box was an iCarly toy, and my next-door neighbor who is 12 tried giving me her iCarly toy the night before.

The flight from Chicago to Madrid was fine. Long, but fine. I think that flight was about eight hours long, but with the time difference and my current fatigue, I can't say for sure. I sat next to a lady who was headed to Barcelona to go on a cruise. I find this a bit strange. Maybe European cruises are better than American ones. But still. The flight had dinner, which was pretty good actually. Beef and mashed potatoes and some very good cake. Bueno. After dinner the plane turned most of the lights off and Mr. Popper's Penguins started playing. I decided on trying to get some sleep instead of watching it. I fell asleep a little bit after it started, woke up randomly throughout, and then woke up for good as it was ending. So I'm guessing I got around two hours of sleep? Later on was breakfast. Some kind of croissant with meat and cheese, fruit, hot tea and juice. There was a choice between orange and pineapple juice, so I decided on pineapple, which I'm pretty sure I haven't had before, or at least for a long time! Breakfast was okay, and the juice was very good! The flight was also nice because the attendants spoke English and Spanish, as many people only spoke one of the two. It was dark the entire time the plane was over the ocean, so I have yet to see the ocean. Boo :( BUT, as the plane got into Madrid, the sun was rising and the scene was gorgeous. Sun rise in Madrid <3

After I got off the plane and stepped into the Madrid airport, I was very frantic as I only had an hour to get to my gate. After asking around, I found out I had to go through Passport Control before I could get to the gate. Thankfully I was able to power walk with my carry-on to get ahead of this huge group of Americans headed to Passport Control. I waited in line for a couple of minutes and reached one of the desks. A man stamped a Madrid stamp in my passport, and I was off! After that I had to catch a train in the airport to get to my gate. The train was cool - it reminded me of the one in the Atlanta airport. After getting of the train, I power walked to my gate. Keep in mind, this whole time I'm in somewhat of a haze between my sleep deprivision and the sudden shift to everything in Spainsh in Madrid. At the Madrid Airport, I disocovered what many of my friends in Europe have been raving about: moving sidewalks. It's like an escalator, but flat. So you're going 2X as fast as you usually would if you walk on it! Very efficient. Anyways, I finally made it to my gate after what seemed like an eternity. About 5 or 10 minutes after I got there, the plane was boarding, so I had barely made it! Once I was seated on the plane to Malaga, a sense of relief fell over me. I was on the homestretch, and soon I would be in my Spanish home. On the Malaga flight, the attendants only spoke Spanish (as far I know), so things were a bit . . . different. Whe people were still boarding the plane, and attendant began talking, but I naturally zoned out, as I haven't a clue to what she's saying. After a while, I realized she was talking to me! (Oops.) She was pointing down the aisle, and a guy with a briefcase was looking at me. Oh, okay, I need to get up so he can sit down in a seat in my row. I don't know what you're saying, flight attendant lady, but thanks for the gestures ;) The flight was about an hour long, and it went fine. I didn't talk to anybody, but I did read a Spanish magazine that had English translations. It was pretty cool! I read about a girl from Granada who is spending the year in the US. Strange, huh? On the articles that weren't translated, I began starting to try translating them, but eventually I decided to just look at the pictures. One picture looked epecially familiar. After looking at if for a while, I realized it was some sort of parodied version of Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez. We had learned about the piece in Spanish . . . one? I believe. I ripped the page out so I could show Senora Kies and Schrader. Until then, I found the picture online:

As the plane landed in Malaga, I was in awe. I could see little out of the window, but what I did see was beautiful: mountains, the city, lots of green trees and plants. It was nice. In Madrid, I had very little time to take anything in, but now I did. I am really in Spain. I am in Europe. I crossed the ocean. Whoah. The Malaga airport was nice. I didn't have another flight to catch, I didn't have to be in a rush, I could take a breath. I had cried on every plane, and was freaking out (I still am), but I finally had a chance to slow down. Immedietely after getting of the Malaga plane, I power walked to the bathroom because I hadn't gone since Chicago. Between having a strange fear/akwardness with airplane bathrooms, and not having enough time in Madrid, I was so happy to see the restroom.

After that, I began the search for El Reclamo de Equipaje (Baggage Claim). Thanks to Spanish Two, English subtitles, and arrows, I found it in no time. As I was waiting, I found a portable luggage rack, and after some playing around, figured out how to move it around. Oh, sleep deprivision. One problem though: the Madrid ---> Malaga luggage wasn't coming. ? Finally a guy who was on my plane to Madrid and Malaga asked an airport security looking-man where our luggage was. The entire conversation between them was in Spanish, but I figured out what was going on by gestures. Apparently out luggage was in a different room. So I followed the other guy and eventually found my luggage safe and sound. Now I had to get out of the airport. Again, thanks to arrows, I made my way.

At the exit area, I looked around for Paola (my host mom), and after about 20 seconds, she walked up to me with Abuelo (her father). She greeted me with a hug, and when I turned to Abuelo, he said "besos." "Kisses?" I thought? Paola reminded me that you greet everyone in Spain with kisses - a kiss on the left cheek and a kiss on the right cheek. Oh yeah, duh! I completely forgot. Paola speaks Spanish and English, and Abuelo only speaks Spanish.

From Malaga, it was about an hour drive to Estepona, where I live. The drive was absolutely beautiful. Mountains, the sea, palm trees . . . But the driving in Spain, is crazy. It's comforting that only people over 18 can drive, because it is insane. There are these crazy circle drives everywhere, where many roads meet at this circle, then just hop in when it's clear ahead! I don't know if you can picture that, but maybe I can post a picture another time. Also, it was a bit strange seeing the speedometer read 120. That is, 120 km/hour of course, but still, strange. Mom, you will like this: on the way to Estepona, you had to pay A TOLL! Remind you of Chicago? :) Also on the way home, I saw many "white villages." If you don't know what I mean, think of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants when Lena is in Greece. It was like that. I would show you a picture, but I didn't get a good one. Maybe another time.

When we got home, I met a lady who comes to the house three times a week to help around. I forget her name, but she seems very nice. I also met Reina, the dog (somewhat of a mixed terrior?), and Ron, the cat. I can't pronounce Reina's name very well because you have to roll your tongue to say it, which I can't do. But, I am working on it. I'm hoping it will come to me!

The house is very nice, and I have a good bedroom. I plan on doing a blog post showing a tour of the house, but not today. I have yet more things to tell you! After my suitcases were put in my room, Paola took me for a walk on the beach, along with Reina. The sea is so beautiful. I could hardly take it in. Paola says that on clear days, you can see the tip of Africa (Morocco)! She also said that there is a lot of illegal immigration from Africa - people swim across the sea. I told her about the immigration from Mexico into the US, but they don't swim across the sea!

Later on, Paola and I went to San Pedro (I think) to get some chicken. On the way, we stopped to say hi to some of her friends, a husband and wife, at their business. I think it was a pharmacy, but I can't remember for sure. Anyways, I met them, and they invited us over for lunch at their house. We accepted and headed to to their home. I don't remember their names, but the couple was very nice. They have an exchange student from Australia! Her name is Molly, and she's been here since January. We talked a lot, as we both speak English. However, it's way cooler talking to her, than just any person speaking English, because of her accent! Oh, I love it! For lunch, we had some sort of stew/soup . . . I think. The soup was okay, I didn't care much for it though. The bread was very good, as were some kind of beans we had. I wasn't very hungry, so I didn't have any of the vegetables. But it was very nice meeting Molly, because she knows what I'm going through. Apparently the couple also has a son who went on exchange last year to the US. He wasn't home, but I'm excited to meet him later on because he is my age, and like Molly, knows what I'm going through! And has been to America.

After that, we went to get the chicken. The store Paola like to buy from was closed, so we went to this place owned by some men from Belgium, and got the chicken. On the way home from the store, I began falling in and out of sleep, having mini-dreams. When we got home, I asked Paola if it was alright if I slept some, and she said that was fine. She asked if I wanted something to eat, but I wasn't hungry. I have noticed here that people are always trying to feed you!!

Well, I laid down for my nap at about 5 pm, and woke up at 3 am. Ugh - jet lag. So I went on facebook haha and checked my email, let everyone know I had made it okay. I went back to bed, and woke up at 1 pm. Again, UGH!!

For lunch, Paola made the chicken and tomatoes, some "patatas" (fries), and gazpacho. I was a little nerous about the gazpacho, but it was okay. It's a typical Spain food. We drank it instead of eating it like a soup. The chicken and patatas (which I found out, you eat with a fork here) were very good. Afterwards, Paola and I went to Marbella, and I got a cell phone. I won't be calling the US much, because it is so expensive, but I will be able to reach those in Spain that I need to. After that we walked around the shops and the port. It was so pretty! There were many restaurants from oter countries: Chinese, Mexican, etc. There were also many familiar sites: a CocaCola truck, Hard Rock Cafe, Estee Lauder. Adele was playing in the huge department store that I got my phone in. I started tearing up on one song, because I remember on time I was in the car with my mom and the song was playing. I almost broke down in the store, but somehow held myself together. I miss everyone so much. Marbella is a very touristy area, so there is a lot of variety. There is also a lot of immigration from England. I heard many languages today, but it seems that everyone speaks English. It's sort of like the universal language for everyone.

This evening, at about 9:30, Paola, Abuelo, and I, along with Paola's sister and brother-in-law, Lola and Paco, went out to eat for Chinese. Yes, you read that I right, My first dinner in Spain was Chinese. However, Chinese food in America and Chinese food in Spain are different. The Chinese restaurant we went to was owned by people from Hong Kong. It was sort of strange because there were Japanese restaurants on both sides of the Chinese one!

At dinner we ordered a buch of food that was put on this lazy-Susan looking thing in the middle of the table, and then everyone shared. I don't remember what most of it was called, but I should have pics on Facebook soon. I do remember the fried plantanas and apples with ice cream was VERY GOOD. Mm, muy bueno. The worst part of dinner was seeing a teenage girl leaving with her pants low and her underwear showing. Ew. I heard that this was popular in Spain before, but it still weirded me out. I guess I've gotten used to guys and their boxers in the US, but girls and their underwear in Spain? No. Other than that, dinner was very good. I talked to Lola a lot, as she speaks both Spanish and English. I talked with Paco a little bit, but he only speaks Spanish. Paola and Lola helped me communicate with him when I needed it. Paco taught me that "Josephine" in Spanish is "Pepa"! Cool, huh? So for now on, he is going to call me Pepa. Abuelo also calls me Pepa sometimes now. I also learned that "Paco" in English is Francisco. Yes, Laura, P. Dave, all other who were in on this joke, I have already met a "Francisco." By the time we were done with dinner, it was 11:30! Spainards really do eat late.

Once we got home, Paola and I took Reina for a short walk by the sea. She is such an awesome dog. She doesn't need a leash because she just stays near. She may wonder off a little, but as soon as you call her she comes running over! My and Reina have a cool connection. Most of the time when I walk by her, she rolls on her back for a belly rub! She's so cute.

Well now it is 2:00 in the morning here. This post has took longer than I expected it to. Tomorrow is some sort of Rotary dog show thing, so I'll let you know about that later. Also, I think I'll see Matthew tomorrow! We didn't end up traveling together, but he arrived today! I'll try to post pictures soon, but I'm very tired, and haven't had a lot of down time. I hope everything is going well back home!

Love and miss you guys so much!

Josie xoxo

P.S. I'm too tired to edit this for spelling/grammar/all that fun stuff right now, but maybe I will later.