Report Card Time

Well it's April 1st, but April Fool's Day doesn't exist in Spain. Instead, Spain has their April Fool's Day equivalent on December 28th. I think it's called El Dia de los Santos Inocentes (The Day of the Innocent Saints). The only "prank" I remember from that day was that our water (at the house, and all the houses in the neighborhood) was turned off. I don't know if that was intentional or not, but I remember being upset because I felt gross and needed to shower, but none of the water would work. Luckily the water was turned on later. However, if that was someone's idea of a prank, it was quite cruel. Somewhat clever, but cruel.

Anyways, there was a nation-wide strike ("huelga") on Thursday -- I'm still not 100% sure why -- and we had the option of whether or not to go to school. With that being said, nearly everyone stayed home that day. :) Here's an article I found about the strike: http://www.eitb.com/en/news/detail/859542/spain--unions-wage-general-strike-protest-labour-reform/ . Everyone probably would have stayed home on Friday too if it weren't for the fact that 2nd trimester grades were handed out that day. Here's my report card...

As you can see, I have either maintained or improved every grade except for English, which went from a 10 to a 9! I'm pretty pleased with that. I'd really like to do better this final trimester. However, I won't be at school for a while because it's Semana Santa (Holy Week)! A.K.A. Our spring break until next Monday! Apparently there are parades and other things every day in every city, so I'm looking forward to that. Semana Santa is very important in Spain, and so it'll be interesting seeing another part of their culture throughout the coming week.

I forgot to tell you a few things about school here in my last post, mostly about the teachers. First off, whenever our teachers don't come, we just don't have class. An adult comes in to supervise the classroom, but we don't get a substitute or anything! Also, when a teacher knows they'll be gone the next day and there class is the first hour, they usually kindly inform us so we can have an extra hour of sleep. It works quite well, I think. The other thing is that the classroom is much more open here -- teachers usually just read all the exam scores aloud, and they'll make comments about your grades in front of the whole class. There's not much babying with the professors. Students here have to be much more independent than in the US. They're usually not told what exactly to study, and they're certainly not given nifty worksheets to practice with, but instead they're told what chapters the exams are over, and then expected to know it when the time comes to be tested.

I don't really have much else to tell you all, so please enjoy this photo of the Marbella sun set a few nights ago.

That's all for now,
Josie

Instituto

The post you've all been waiting for, about... school! There are many differences between my school here and the American high school scene, but both have their own advantages and disadvantages. The course that I'm in here is called Primero de Bachillerato (First year of Bachillerato), equal to 11th grade. In Spain, school is mandatory until you're 16. After that (assuming you've passed the previous course, 4° de ESO, equal to 10th grade) you have the option of going to a specialty school for cosmetology, gardening, etc., finding work, or doing Bachillerato -- equal to 11th and 12th grade -- which is required to do in order to apply to universities. Ideally, you'll go to Bachillerato. 

Bachillerato is two years long (1° Bach = Year one of Bachillerato, 2° Bach = Year two). Unlike the US, you don't get to pick each of your classes. Instead, you usually have a few options as to the focus of your studies, according to your future career and/or what you plan to study in university . For example, at my school you can choose between the Humanities track and the Social Sciences track. How this works is that everyone takes the same core classes, but the Humanities people take more language classes (Greek and Latin) and the Sciences people take more math/economy classes. I'm in the social sciences track, which is probably better for exchange students since it doesn't involve so many languages! Many people say that Humanities is the harder of the two tracks, but I'm not really sure if that's true or not.  


Throughout the day, I remain in the same classroom with the same group of students, and the various teachers come to teach their subject each hour. The Humanities people in my class leave every now and then for their Greek/Latin classes while I stay with the rest of the sciences people for Economy class and additional math classes. I have 10 subjects all together:


1. Math
2. Lengua (Spanish Class, kind of like English class in the US)
3. PE
4. English
5. French
6. Philosophy
7. Proyecto Integrado (We read/examen various Spanish works of literature)
8. Economy
9. History
10. Science


(I also have a special Spanish course two times a week that my school provides for students learning Spanish.) School begins at 8:30 and my class has six subjects a day, each an hour long. Our schedule is different every day of the week, so I still haven't memorized the schedule. Everyone is always asking, "What do we have next?". After the first two classes, we have a 20 minute "recess" to eat, relax, etc. After that we have two more classes, followed by a 10-minute recess. We then have our final two classes of the day and go home! (Ending at 3:00 pm.) There aren't any sports/clubs/teams/etc. throughout the school -- you have to find them around the community -- so school is just school. In my institute, there are three different buildings in which the classes of ESO (equal to 7th-10th grade), Bachillerato, and specialty workshops (like cosmetology) are. We have an outdoor basketball court, soccer field (on the cement), and volleyball court, in which people roam during recess. Sometimes I have this feeling I'm in elementary school again, but it's 7th - 12th grade. 


In my school, the students of Bachillerato are separted into three different classrooms, with about thirty students in each group. My class, 1° Bach C, is pretty awesome if I do say so myself.

1° C! LA MEJOR! (With our Philosophy teacher... stud.)

My classroom from the back wall

If we're honest though, I don't do much in school. I spend many of my days studying Spanish, drawing, writing notes/letters, doing nothing, etc. This is the last week of the second trimester, and I'm pretty sure I passed three of my classes this time around (P.E., Proyecto Integrado, and English). Many people ask me why I bother going to school, but there are a few answers to that. 

1. It's required by law in order to keep my student visa.
2. It's required by Rotary. 
3. I want to experience and live in the culture of Spain, just like any other 17-year old Spaniard would.  
4. If I didn't go to school I have no idea what I would do with my life, since nearly all my friends are from my school and would be there during the day... You can only entertain yourself for so long?

I used to not do anything because of language barrier. Now, there is still a language barrier, but not nearly as big. I can understand a lot of my classes if I concentrate. This coming trimester, I'd really like to improve. I have a pretty good grasp on the language that I have the capability of doing better, it's just finding the motivation. Class structure is much different here than in the US. In the US, we write tons of papers, do projects, and have tests as well as quizzes. Here, however, it is nearly all exams. During class, we usually read/discuss text from the book, and afterwards there is very little homework. This is when Bachillerato begins to seem like what I imagine university more as. Students have to study out of their book like crazy at home (I'm pretty sure most of them just try to memorize their text books, no joke) in order to pass the exams. The grading system here is 0-10, 10 being the best. If you receive a 5 or more in a class, it's passing. The thing is that tons of people don't pass. They study like crazy but so many times they still fail the exams. Getting a 10 on an exam is nearly unheard of. If you study really hard for an exam, I'd expect you to get somewhere from a 6-8. Nine if you really know your stuff. It isn't uncommon for someone to fail a few classes and have to repeat the whole year over; there are a good number of 18- and 19-year-olds in 1° Bachillerato. 

If students in the US studied as much as students here do, they'd surely have a 4.0. However, I think that high schools in the US often teach much more efficiently, through learning in multiple forms (other than exams) and being more interactive in. High school is definitely more fun in the US, becuase of the extracurricular activities within, various projects (like Food Drives), dances, and all the other things that make school more than just a place where we study. (The real reasons you usually go to school.) When I got here and people were in awe of American high school from me telling stories and movies and whatnot, I didn't really understand why. Now I do! Now, when I see movies with scenes of American high school, I think to myself, "Wow, I kind of miss that. We have something unique in the US." We have football games and prom and cheerleaders! We have school plays and lunch in the cafeteria and classes people just take for fun like sewing or painting or even newspaper! There is a sense of  school spirit and unity that I miss, and I look forward to returning to for senior year. However, I know with out a doubt that I will miss my classmates here so much! One perk of not changing classes is that you get to know one set of people really well. At first, I was worried that I wouldn't get to know many people, being in the same classroom all day, but somehow I've still managed to meet nearly everyone in 1° Bachillerato! However, 1° Bach C will always have a special place in dis girl's heart. Love you guys!

Some things will just have to come in time.

Happy two months to me, wooo! Well, I guess technically today is two months since leaving Iowa and tomorrow is two months in Spain, but still. The past week hasn't been very eventful. I finally went to McDonald's here on Friday. I got the usual - a chicken nuggets Happy Meal. It tasted almost the same as in the US! On Saturday I went shopping with Molly at La Cañada, a HUGE mall in Marbella. I found two cardigans and two scarves (along with some sweats for P.E.), so I'd say it was a successful day. This week, I don't have school tomorrow or Thursday because of holidays, which I find kind of strange. Why not just take the whole week off instead of going every other day? Ah, oh well. I'm happy to have the two days off.

Anyways, remember when I wrote about the openness of Spain? If not, well the people here are pretty close to each other emotionally and physically. This is still true, but I feel like there's more to it. You see, I've been here for two months now, and I can't help but notice that my classmates are still kind of distant to me. I understand that I'm the new girl and that friendships only come in time, but it's difficult nevertheless.

I'm hoping that this is just one of those things that will work out in time. I've heard it said time after time by previous exchangers that the second half of exchange is usually better than the first, not only because you have a much better grasp on the language, but because you also have closer friends. I want to make close friends here. I have too much of an opportunity to make lifetime friends here to not try. I'll continue to be friendly to my classmates, I'll try to get to know them better; hopefully they will do the same in return. :)

The past month has been pretty hard for me with stress and homesickness and just general frustration. I think a big part of that has been the "distant" feeling I just explained. It's so easy to say to myself Ugh, I have this problem here in Spain, but if I were in the U.S. I'd be just fine. I never have these problems at home. And those thoughts of frustration lead to homesickness. That is why it is so important for me to stay positive mentally, and stay busy/distracted. When I'm busy, I'm immersed in Spain, and that's exactly how it should be.

On a good side note, Paola and I just put up the Christmas tree!

Getting Ron into the Christmas Spirit.



It sure doesn't feel like Christmas is in three weeks. No snow, no mittens (except for the ones that Molly bought! haha that's another story), and a strange lack of Christmas music. I have been listening to some Christmas music online lately, but often it makes me miss home and I end up listening to something else. Some have said that Christmas is the lowest point in an exchanger's year, but I'm determined to make it one of the best times! I have the opportunity to have Christmas in another country with different traditions and different people, and I'm going to make the most of it!  I know that I will probably be very homesick at times, but I will be gaining new experiences and celebrating Christ's birth in a whole new way. If that's not cool, than what is? :D

Well, that's about all I've got for now! I'm going to try to write a post about school here soon, so be sure to check back every now and then. Love you guys!

Muchos besos,
Josie

"Closed"

Hello Blogosphere. Good evening, or whatever time of the day it may be that this post finds you in. Spain has opened my eyes to so many new things during the past few weeks -- nearly month! -- and I'd like to share a little bit with you.

Before I came to Spain, I had read and been told many times that Spain has a very different sense of closeness than the U.S. does. However, I still didn't quite know what to expect! When I arrived in Malaga and met Paola and Abuelo for the first time, I was immediately presented with Spain's closeness in a physical sense, with kisses (as everyone in Spain greets each other with kisses). On my first day of school, I couldn't help but notice everyone hugging, leaning, and just generally being really close to one another. At first I thought that some people were merely being flirty with each other, but within a few days I began to realize that the way my classmates were acting was the norm. So this must have been what they meant by having a different sense of closeness, I thought to myself. Well, not completely.

Yes, I have found the people of Spain to be much closer to each other physically, but it wasn't until a week or two ago that I realized how emotionally close to each other they are. Everyone has everyone's back, and it's awesome. During my first few days of school, I couldn't identify "groups" or cliques of students like one can in the U.S.  I thought to myself after a while I'll figure out the groups here. Except, it never happened -- not really. Everyone is friends with everyone more or less. Sure, people break off into different loose groups of friends during the two recesses and outside of school, but that's expected (can you imagine an entire school , k-12, just chillin' together in a gigantic group?). The entire atmosphere here, both inside and outside of school, is so much more open than it is in the U.S.

When I show people my NHS yearbook here, they usually 1. Are in awe that cheerleaders (and yearbooks for that matter) are real and not just something in movies and 2. Ask if there really are "jocks" and "nerds" (cliques) etc. At first, I answered them with something like, "Kind of. There are definitely 'groups' of students, but my class is pretty tight with each other." Now, I would tell them, "Absolutely, and it's ridiculous." Maybe I need to back up a little. I had an epiphany last week as I was talking with a friend, Adri, at school. He was telling me about a friend of his that is living/has lived (?) in Miami for two years (the conversation was in Spanglish). I was shocked when he told me that his friend didn't like Miami! The beach, the sun . . . MIAMI! I asked him why and he told me, "My friend says that the people are . . . 'closed,'" making a closing gesture with his hands.

The more I thought about what Adri said, the more I realized how true it was. The atmosphere at home (meaning Iowa; America), especially at school, is so "closed" -- I don't know how to explain it much better than that! But I would have never thought so before coming to Spain. Before coming here, I would've said that I'm an extremely open person; open to new things, people, places. Now I realize how untrue that statement would've been, compared to the openness of Spain! Even being a teenage girl that is: thousands of miles away from home, living in a foreign land called Spain, learning a mysterious language called Spanish, I have a box. All too often, I live in my own little world, my box, and am ignorant of the wondrous world around me and those in it.

At school here, my class works together all day, helping each other figure out the work. If somebody doesn't understand something, there is always someone that will help them get it -- no big deal. All my classmates chat with all my classmates, about anything and everything - school, family, friends, ladadada. Last week, I had a classmate confide in me about a really personal topic, and I was quite surprised that they would share something like they did with me, being the new, foreign girl. I feel like I've almost become a part of a big family at school, and with Spain in general. When I come back to The States, I definitely want to bring this openness that Spain has about it. I feel like my classmates here have something figured out that for some reason, American High Schoolers can't get because of barriers put up with another such as cliques, and pride, and self-consciousness. I can't really put my finger on it, but it's like they know that we're all supposed to be here for each other, and that we should all be able to depend on one another. They make the way high schoolers in America treat one another seem so immature.

I wish I could put my thoughts into better words. I am finding this concept difficult to explain. All I know is that it's there, and when I come back to America, I am going to be such a different person than the one who left just one month ago. Being here, in Spain, is giving me a chance to "see" what kind of person I was in America, and what kind of person I want to be.


"Now I’m thinking freely.
I’m going to open my mind to all these
New found exciting possibilities."

-"And Run" by He is We

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

First Impressions/Spain Trivia/One Week, Whaaa?

Hey yo! Do you know what today is? My "one week" in Spain! Wow! In some ways, it feels like I just got here, but then again, I feel like I've done so much to have been here for just one week. So, now that I have been in Spain for a few days, I thought that I would share some of my first impressions with you through a game of Spain Trivia. (A lack of homework = cooler blog posts) I'll list the questions, and then at the bottom of the post are the answers. (Just match the numbers up.) Good luck!

Questions:

1. True or false: In Spain, it is okay to wear shoes in the house.

2. What is this, and how does it work? (See photo below.)

3. Does Spain have a king or a president?

4. Choose the best answer to fill in the blank: At Spanish school, __________.

a.)The students stay in the same classroom while teachers move around.

b.)The teachers stay in the same classroom and students move around.

c.)There are cotton candy vendors.

5. What are these and where are they located? (See photos below.)

6. True or false: There is an excessive amount of toilet paper in the school bathrooms.

7. True or false: Water bottles are cooler in Spain.

8. Who typically eats dinner at an earlier time: The USA or Spain?

9. What is a siesta?

10. When greeting someone in Spain, what cheek do you kiss first: left or right?

Answers:
1. True. It is actually expected that you always wear shoes or socks in the house. My host mom said this is to avoid catching a cold.

2. That is what one flushes the toilet with. It works by pulling up (see photo).

3. Okay, this is kind of a trick question. Spain has a king and a president.

*Note: the President has a strange resemblence to Mr. Bean. (See below.)



José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero



4. If you chose 'C', that's awesome, but incorrect. If you chose 'A' you are right! Unlike American high school, you have one class of students that you're with all day for the school year. Teachers come to the classroom throughout the day. In my class, there are about 30 students.

5. Those are light switches, and they seem to be randomly placed throughout the house. For example, the light switches for the kitchen and bathroom are located outside of the rooms, whereas the light switches for the bedrooms are located inside the rooms. 

6. This is about as false as false can get. At my school, there is no toilet paper in bathrooms! Instead, there is a roll of toilet paper on the teacher's desk that you can take with you on your venture to the restroom. Me? I carry a roll of toilet paper with me in my backpack - no joke.

7. This is . . . true! Bigger does not always necessarily mean better, but in this case, I think it does. See what I mean in the photo below.

These are everywere in Spain, and they were on my Chicago/Madrid flight. The city water isn't very good quality, so it's better to drink from the bottle.

8. If you said the USA, then you are correct! Here in Spain, meals are eaten much later in the day compared to the US. Lunch is usually around 2 or 3, and dinner can be anywhere from 8 pm - 11pm (at least at my casa). Also, there is no school lunch! My school has a 20 minute breakfast break around 10 am, and then a snack break around 1 pm, but no lunch! When I get home from school is when my family has lunch. I'm actually adjusting to this fine. Lately, I'm hardly ever hungry.  

9. A siesta is only the greatest thing in the world that the US needs to adopt: a daily afternoon nap. I've only took one siesta so far (sadly), but I plan to get more in. Also, I'm pretty sure shops in town close for lunch/siesta time. As in, the shops are open in the morning, but then close for an hour or two (or three?) in the afternoon, then open back up after that until closing time later in the day/night. I'm not quite sure about how that all works, but I bet I can figure out the system before I return to the US.

10. In Spain, you kiss the left cheek, and then the right cheek (I'm pretty sure). I'm still getting used to the whole kiss and greet thing!

Well I hope you learned something new! Next week I will probably have a normal post about what I did, and probably fill you in on the happenings of this week too. I hope all is well back home!

Hasta luego,

Josie

One month from today, one year ago today . . .

Hi again! I know it's only been two days since my last post, however, today marks a special day. On September 15th, exactly one month from today, will be my first day of school in Spain. This of course is assuming that I will be in Spain by then. With the latest visa news (see last post), I just don't know what to expect anymore. Here, school starts in nine days, and I don't plan on attending the little bit of school that may go on between the first day and my departure. Maybe a lunch or two with my friends, but class? Mm, not so much! Don't worry though, I will be receiving plenty of education to make up for the next few weeks. Sure, school doesn't start until mid-September in Spain, but the last day isn't until June 30th!

One year ago today, I was savoring summer. School started August 25, one day after is does this year. I was excited to become a sophomore, but sad because that summer that had truly been amazing and unforgettable was all of a sudden ending. Cross country was on my mind, even homecoming was already on my mind. But you know what wasn't on my mind? Youth exchange. I hadn't even heard of Rotary Youth Exchange one year ago. Yet here I am.

On the first day of sophomore year, I was excited for a fresh start. So many changes in my life had happened during summer, during the past year really, and I was ready to begin again. I was determined to make the most of the year. One of the many things I had learned during summer was that the world is bigger than you and me, that there is so much more beyond the walls of school, beyond Newton. As school went on, I became very frustrated. I couldn't understand how some people (in high school) could be so caught up in their own little world, when there's so much more than us. It was comforting to know that there is so much more to life then what went on in school, in Newton, but frustrating because I felt like there was such a shallow outlook surrounding me. I don't share this to lecture anyone, I share it so you will understand how cool the next part of my little story is.

This is the post where you find out how I got into all this exchange business. Let's go back three years . . . In eighth grade, I had a teacher whose son went on exchange with Rotary to Brazil either the previous year or a few years back. She would talk about his experiences all the time, and I remember thinking, "Wow. That would be amazing; that would be so cool! I should seriously look into that . . . Nah, I would miss everyone too much. I would miss a year of high school that I could never get back . . ." And that was the end of that. Time passed and I forgot about it.

We now return to last year, the beginning of my sophomore year. It's November, so school has been in session for about three months and I'm sitting in of my favorite classes of the day: Newspaper. I took Journalism as the prerequisite for Newspaper freshman year, then joined the Newspaper staff sophomore year. It's an actual class where you earn grades, and you do what it sounds like: make newspapers. Cardinal Chronicle, the school newspaper that our Newspaper Staff publishes, comes out monthly. Little did I know that November's issue would start a chain of events that brings us to today.

November's issue had good articles about the start of the swim season, chorus concerts, the annual food drive. . . but the article that caught my eye wasn't about any of those things - it was about the three foreign exchange students that Newton was hosting. If you'd like to read the article, go ahead and click here (it's on page five). So it begins. After I read that article, I imagined myself as a foreign exchange student. What an experience I thought to myself, especially since I want to be a missionary - being immersed in a new culture, living just as they do. . . I thought of my teacher in eighth grade. I did a lot of thinking, and even some talking at home. I joked around with my sister and brother saying I was going to be an exchange student. It could never really happen though I told myself. Still, after a few days, I began researching foreign exchange. It was one of those things that one doubts could ever happen, but is intrigued by nonetheless. However, my searches weren't very successful. There were many results, yes, but how could I know which ones were reliable? I needed to talk to some people who actually had a clue. First though, I needed to talk to my parents. I told them that I was interested in becoming a foreign exchange student, but I had no idea what it would all entail because I couldn't find much useful information. So, when they told me that if it was something that I really wanted to pursue to go ahead and talk to my counselor at school, I was shocked. My mom told me that this might be the perfect opportunity with what I was going through - I had told her about how frustrated I was at school. This would be my opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself, than the walls of my school. So, no objections? Alright! A few days later. I told my guidance counselor at school I was interested in being a foreign exchange student and I asked her if she had any information about it. Sadly though, the guidance office had no resources for me!

I was back at square one. My guidance counselor did however recommend that I talk to the Activities Director in the main office, since his son went on exchange a few years back. A few days after going to the guidance office I talked to the Activities Director, explaining my dilemma. He said that two students from the high school were on exchange right now and they were going through the same program his son did. But what was the program called? He just couldn't remember. So what does he do next? He calls his wife - surely she would remember! And who would this wife be? None other than the eighth grade teacher who sparked that first bit of interest in me two years before. Rotary she tells him. She also tells him the name of Newton Rotary Club's Youth Exchange Counselor. Awesomesauce.

I called the counselor and she didn't answer, but hey, I'd gotten further than I was the day before, which was success in my eyes! That night I researched Rotary and was eager to talk to the exchange counselor. The next time I called the counselor, she answered and I explained: I'm interested in foreign exchange and I could use some more information. She told me that she was pretty sure the deadline to submit an application had passed (it had - October 31 I'm pretty sure), however it had only been a few weeks and they would probably accept it if I got in quickly. First, she told me talk to my school counselor and make sure that I had a graduation plan because most exchange students plan their exchange for years. She then told me to research Rotary a little bit (check!) and to fill out the application at this website. She warned that the application was very extensive, but to call if I had any questions. When I finished the application, I could call her and we'd go from there.

So . . . when she said that the application was extensive, she wasn't joking. It took a few weeks to fill out that application, but it felt so good when I was finished - it was December 13th. I am now convinced that any application I am ever going to fill out again will be a breeze compared to Rotary's! I also made sure to talk to my counselor at school. After looking over my credits, it looked like I would still be able to graduate with my class, even with a year abroad. I would receive elective credit for any classes took abroad. I was disappointed to find out that I'd only receive elective credit, but excited because that is when I first thought - "This might just be possible." I called the youth exchange counselor, and she set up an interview at my house with me and my parents to kind of see if I was right for exchange and exchange was right for me. There I would give her my application. The interview went well, and I gave her my application. She told me I should be getting a call or email from the District Youth Exchange Officer soon about an upcoming event in January for the "outbounds." I then learned that an outbound is a to-be exchange student, living in their home country. During your exchange you are an inbound, living in your host country. Only a few days later - December 23rd! - I received an email from the district outbound coordinator about the annual outbound winter retreat. It sounded like such a fun time, but . . . I couldn't go! It was scheduled for January 15th and 16th, only a few days after I was scheduled to have surgery (that's another story). It was a mandatory event ; they were going to have the second of two interviews there, and I was going to miss it! Surely this couldn't be the end of my journey. I talked with the outbound coordinator and explained that I couldn't go. He said that it was fine but to send a parent to the retreat one day so we could get some information and that we'd need to have an interview as soon as possible afterwards. My surgery went fine and my dad ended up going to the retreat. He got some good info and things were rolling.

A few days after the retreat, the outbound coordinator called me for my top country choices. I told him 1. Spain, 2. Italy, 3.Brazil, 4. Greece. He said that a lot of people wanted Spain, so I probably wouldn't get it . . . On February 12th, I would have my interview with two other students who also couldn't be interviewed at the winter retreat.

Ah, so there it is, folks! My very first blog post was on February 13th, the day after my interview. From there, one thing led to another, and on June 15, I received my guarantee form basically saying, this is it - it's final and you're going to Spain, my friend! For a while, I wasn't sure if I would be able to go financially, but everything came through. During the first few months that I got into everything (November - February-ish), I didn't tell many people that I was looking into foreign exchange. Sure I told some of my close friends, my family knew, but I didn't want to get my or other people's hopes up. What if it doesn't work out? Everything could fall through like 'that.' When I found out that Spain had accepted my application in February, I started to tell people about it. Most of them had no idea I was even looking into youth exchange, but they still thought it was awesome! God opened doors since the day I read that newspaper article. Even though I got in the game late, I couldn't make the mandatory retreat, and I shouldn't be able to afford youth exchange, I'm still here. If that's not a go ahead, I don't know what is.

Over the past few months, I've noticed I've been forgetting some details about how it all began. It feels good to have it all sorted out, written out. I'm kind of glad I've forgotten some things though, because now I realize how important recording what's going on is, whether in this blog or a journal. The past year has been exciting, yet I'm forgetting what  hasn't been wrote down. So, my goal for this upcoming year in Spain is to blog or journal at least once a week.Yes, my mom already requested that I blog once a week to be assured I'm alive, but that is somewhat beside the point.