Spring Break

Hey guys,

Sorry about not updating in a while, but here we are now.

Let's begin with Semana Santa, or Holy Week/Easter. On the first day of vacation (Semana Santa is our week-long spring break), my friends and I threw a surprise birthday party for a friend, Alfonso. The highlight of this day may have been seeing REC 3 at the movie theater, the third film in a Spanish movie series about zombies. Apparently the first one was good, and the second one was worse but still okay (I haven't seen them). However, the third one was terrible and I'm a bit sad that I paid to see it. It may have been so bad that it was good, but then again, it may have just been that bad.

It was just that bad.

A different day of Semana Santa, I went to Fuengirola and spent the day with Hannah, a foreign exchange student from Oregon (I've mentioned her before). We had a lovely day at the zoo, at the beach eating pizza, in a castle, in a candy store, on a bench putting together my toy boat from the Kinder egg I got from the candy store, and wandering around (surely looking like some hot guiris).

Sand castles brought to a new level in Fuengirola

Views from the castle

TEAMWORK

On Wednesday I went to see the Semana Santa parades in Marbella. There were parades/processions every day of the week in nearly every city in Spain. It really is something incredible. Wikipedia explains what exactly happens at the processions pretty well:  

Málaga, Seville, Madrid, Valladolid, Zamora and León hold elaborate processions for Holy Week. A tradition that dates from medieval timeswhich has spread to other cities in Andalusia, the "Semana Santa en Sevilla" is notable for featuring the procession of "pasos", lifelike wood or plaster sculptures of individual scenes of the events that happened between Jesus' arrest and his burial, or images of the Virgin Mary showing grief for the torture and killing of her son. In Málaga the lifelike wooden or plaster sculptures are called "tronos" and they are carried through the streets by penitents dressed in long purple robes, often with pointed hats, followed by women in black carrying candles for up to 11 hours. These pasos and tronos are physically carried on the necks of costaleros (literally "sack men", because of the costal, a sack-like cloth that they wear over their neck, to soften the burden) or "braceros" (this name is popular in Leon), and can weigh up to five metric tonnes. The pasos are set up and maintained by hermandades and cofradías, religious brotherhoods that are common to a specific area of the city, whose precede the paso dressed in Roman military costumes or penitential robes. Those members who wish to do so wear these penitential robes with conical hats, or capirotes, used to conceal the face of the wearer. These "Nazarenos" or "Papones" (this word it´s typical from Leon) carry processional candles, may walk the city streets barefoot, and may carry shackles and chains in their feet as penance. A brass band, marching band, a drum and bugle band, or in Málaga's case a military band (such as that of the Spanish Legion or other military units) may accompany the group, playing funeral marches, religious hymns or "marchas" written for the occasion.

 Here are some photos that might help you better understand what was going on. (Sorry they didn't turn out that well!)

I had never seen anything like the processions before, and it was really interesting. I only ended up going to see them on one night, but I'm glad I got to see them then.

A different day of Semana Santa, I saw Titanic 3D with my friend Georgia (in Spanish of course). I would definitely recommend seeing it. Also that day, Georgia and I went to this shop called "Iceland" in Marbella that has all this food from England, and Georgia ended up having her first pop tart ever!! (She's from England but has lived in Spain for 6 or so years.) Spain doesn't normally have pop tarts, so it was quite an experience fro me to eat them after so long, even though I don't have them very often in the US. While we were in the theater, Georgia pulled the pop tarts out of her bag and, not having had them before, ate the two pop tarts that were in the wrapper together and was later very surprised when I told her that there are two in each wrapper and they're better when you toast them!! It was a hilarious, first-for-everything, moment! (I hope that all made sense.) I think we're going to go see The Hunger Games this weekend since that's when it finally comes out in Spain! Except, I still have to read the books -- or at least the first book -- before then so this week is crunch time!!

Not much happened last week. It was a little bit difficult getting back into the hang of things after nine days of vacation, but I survived. Today I brought my yearbook to school, and everyone always loves looking at it. (They don't have year books here.) If you're reading this and are planning on going on exchange (from the US), bring your yearbook!! It is perfect to show what school is like back home.

And now, please enjoy these random photos from the past two and a half weeks :)

Delicious tapas before seeing the processions

Playing Guitar Hero with my host family and some friends :)

An afternoon visiting Paula and Abuelo

Semana Santa was nice, but Spring Break always reminds you that the end of the school year is coming. It's already April 18th and I'm freaking out. I only have about three and a half months here before I must return to Iowa. It's difficult to wrap my mind around. I'm going to make the most of the time I have left :)

Maybe I should just live at the zoo. Hmm. . . .

Hi everyone :)

I would like to begin by saying "thanks" to everyone who left encouraging comments on my blog post from last week. I feel so blessed to have family and friends who speak life into me! I love you all so much.

I think that my "November Blues" have lightened up a bit. I'm trying to stay positive and stay busy, whether it's by exploring the community or just throwing myself into a hardcore Spanish study session (alliteraton - aw yeah!). Molly and I were going to take Flamenco classes together, but they're all either full or too late at night. Boo. So now I'm looking into some art classes. I want to really immerse myself into the culture here, but it has been so difficult to find things to do! I wish that activities were just done through the school like in the US - all the sports, clubs, theater, etc. Actually, I think that my school might be doing a Christmas play, but I'm not really sure. Either way I signed up to act so I guess we'll see where that goes!

This past week hasn't been too terribly busy, but it sure feels like it's been. Here are the highlights...

On Wednesday evening, a friend of Paola's came over and brought her 10-year-old daughter, Clara. Clara was so sweet, and she is sort of like a little sister to me now. I wish I had host siblings so bad! Anyways, we ended up making a video together. Check it out! (It's mostly in Spanish, but that's the fun part!) --->

Good times! xD

On Thursday I read aloud in class from my Economia book, in Spanish of course, and my class clapped for me! Little things like this make me want to dance! It was about three paragraphs and I'm not exactly sure what I read, but I still feel good. The only downer on this incident was afterwards when my class asked me, "Que pasa?" (what's up/what's wrong) because apparently my face and neck got really red as I was reading! Urgh! I explained to them that sometimes I get flushed when I get nervous, and they found this very funny. Oh well. I've been getting compliments on my Spanish improvements lately, and again, it gives me that dancy feeling inside!

On Saturday I explored Marbella and San Pedro with Molly and Gabriel, an exchange student from Canada that currently lives in Fuengirola (a city not too far from Marbella). Yay exchange students! It rained basically the entire day, but we tried to make the most of it. Later in the day Matthew joined us and we all headed over to Nina's (a Rotarian) house for the night. Nina and her husband were so nice! I felt so at home with them. We had an amazing dinner, watched a movie, and went to sleep exaughsted from the chilly, wet day. On Sunday we went to the zoo in  Fuengirola! Yes, I know, my second zoo in one month. It was rainy again, but we still enjoyed ourselves. Molly and I saw a white tiger poop! Okay, maybe you didn't want to know that, but we did. Last weekend sort of reminded me of Rotary weekends back in Iowa, but in a smaller, Spain version.

Matthew, Gabriel, Molly, and me at the zoo!

Today I went to Malaga City with my Rotary Counselor to get my student visa. Well, as it turns out, the police station -- or wherever we were at -- was having problems with the computer today, becuase for some reason or another they couldn't access such and such file and now I have to go back on Friday, hoping that we'll simply have better luck. Okay. I did get to see a little bit of Malaga today though! I saw the cathedral, The Roman theater of Málaga, and I even went to Picasso's house! Well sort of - you see Picasso was born in Malaga and lived there until he was about 10. Now, the home where he grew up in is open to the public and you can see his house, as well as some art pieces by him. It was very cool!

Malaga has so much interesting history, being one of the oldest cities in the world. It is about 2,800 years old! I have touched on this briefely before, but I need to tell you again - I love the history here [in Europe]. Much of what I saw today is older than the U.S. all together. It is one thing to read about history in books, but to see it, to walk in it, to feel it as you pass by is completely different. The kids in Malaga go on field trips to Picasso's house for goodness sakes! Don't get me wrong, I like the pumpkin patch and all, but it can't really compare with Picasso and 400-year-old cathedrals.

Roman theater of Málaga

"Still life with spoon" by Pablo Ruiz Picasso. As soon as I saw a spoon, I knew I had to take a picture for Shelby. Love you, Shelbaby *Hose B!

Part of the Málaga Cathedral. I have found that it is difficult to photograph cathedrals because they're so big!

I was planning on making a Thanksgiving meal for my host family and the other exchange students next weekend, but instead I'm just going to help with Christmas dinner and throw some American food in there. I absolutely love Thanksgiving, and  it makes me sad when I think about not spending it like normal with my family and a big meal and the parade and afternoon napping. Okay well I guess I'll have a siesta, but you get the point.

I think that's all for now. I love and miss you all! If I don't post before Thursday, have a fun and safe Thanksgiving - eat some extra food for me, okay? :)

Love,
Josie

xoxo

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