Ma Vie

My final round of...PAELLA!

2006-08-03T03:51:00.000-07:00

On Sunday afternoon my host mom fixed me my ninth and final round of paella for lunch at the beach home. Since the rice just fills me up so fast, a fourth of my portion was saved and fed to Mio, the family's dog, who is so wild. He runs really fast and looks like a tumbleweed or gigantic furball, which he is. Nevertheless, he LOVES to pounce on people and give kissy-licks. When I'm standing up, he loves to lick my TOES!

My ninth round of paella...the ninth round happens to be the final round but it sure doesn't feel that way. In order for the ninth round to feel complete with no other paella platters to come, it would have to be followed by a tenth round, since the number ten feels like completion in such a way. In God's eyes, seven is the number of completion, but when we were kids, we had to learn how to count to ten as one of our first milestones. Ten happens to be the first number with two digits, which makes it seem so important. Just as nine falls short of ten, so my ninth helping of paella, in a way, falls short of being the last one. Maybe this means something: maybe I'll have my tenth round if I come back to visit my host family some day. Pray that God will work something out as I would LOVE to come back to visit and see more of ESPANA!

Reverse Culture Shock

2006-07-27T03:30:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, leaving the States for a long period of time is like being temporarily snapped out of your life at home. I feel as though somebody pressed the "pause" button on the video of my life in SoCal. And when I come back, the "play" button will be pressed back into action, and though it will be the beginning of August, in my mind it will still feel like the middle of June! This experience is sort of like what the Pevensie kids go through in The Chronicles of Narnia. They escape into the wardrobe after their cricket ball smashes through the professor´s window. After dealing with their obstacles in Narnia, the kids age a few years before once again coming back through the wardrobe and into reality. Once they come out of the wardrobe for the last time, the kids look exactly the same as when they first went into hiding. Their life continues from where they left off, and must now face the obstacle of confessing to the professor about their ball smashing through his window. Maybe when I come to my host family´s house to spend my last night before flying home, I´ll open the door to my room and find myself back in my own room in California. I will look exactly the same as I did a few days before flying into Madrid, with my long hair and all.

These shoes were made for walkin'...walkin' to the beach and the countryside...ending with my eighth round of...PAELLA!!!

2006-07-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

On Friday, the "Mando-Man" took us to visit a couple of shoe factories in order for us to get a taste of the economical side of Spain. The factories we visited were Panama Jack´s (predominately a hiking/recreational boot factory, which hopefully got your attention, DAD!) and Pikolino´s which makes virtuously all types of shoes from the finest materials and machines. We saw a 3-D video (complete with glasses) in the Pikolinos factory which explained the import-export business in Elche (the main city). I found out that the Panama Jack factory in America is known as Panama Joe´s. Have any of you heard of it, by any chance?

On Saturday I went back to Santa Pola via bus at 10:30 am and stopped by the mercadillos (open-air markets; swapmeets) to pick up Alexis´Christmas gift.....shhhhhhhhhhhhh.............I´m not saying another word...................................not until Christmas, so hang in there, baby! We spent the entire day at the beach along with Luciano once again, had lunch, spent the night (pretty much the same routine), but instead of heading home on Sunday we stopped by the countryside to visit my Spanish "extended family" (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, you name it!) of which I took a photo that you all will soon see. There was a swimming pool, so we all took a dip both before and after we feasted on my eighth round of YOU-KNOW-WHAT! The house was so interesting! The cooking facilities were old-fashioned-looking complete with stove and bread oven! There was an olive tree overlooking the pool so again I was reminded of the Man praying in the groves before sacrificing His life for us all.

This past weekend...comedy, tragedy, museums, beach, and SUPERMAN!

2006-07-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

I went to see a drama on Thursday. It was set around the time of Shakespeare and was pretty dramatic which made it funny. The actors wore period costumes and played musical instruments in addition to acting out a love story in Spanish. On Friday we went to La Luz de las Imagenes in Alicante via train which were some exhibitions displaying various paintings of Christ´s true (holy) face, known as "Veronica" which is the meaning of the lady´s name: "true face" (vero = true; nica = face; I believe the language is Latin). The exhibitions took place in cathedral-like buildings (no photography allowed inside whatsoever; sorry) which also displayed illustrations of certain "miracles" associated with the painting of Christ´s face. One of them was of the painting multiplying itself three times (in front of a crowd of people watching) and another one depicted the "miracle of the tear": While a group of people were looking at the painting, a tear supposedly ran down Christ´s face and moments later it started to rain. Upon hearing this, I realized right off the bat thet the "tear" most likely was the first raindrop of the storm. As for the multiplying of the painting, I think that the group of people had gotten themselves arwy with sauce, cancer sticks (if they existed back then) and other forms of common, popular drugs, or maybe they actually did happen, but I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God only uses miracles sparingly and for the crucial benefits of others, not simply just to show people who He is by being show-offy with His power. I do believe that God does have special ways used in revealing Himself to people, but in very discreet ways. The so-called "miracles" illustrated in the paintings seemed to me like nothing but a magic show, especially since the Catholic Church associates miracles as being performed by their glorified "saints" alone rather than the Holy Spirit working through the saints (those who have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus as their Saviour). And like I said, when God displays His power, He does NOT show it off like a magician; this is what makes Him unique from all other gods and especially "miracle-workers" controlled by Satan, who absolutely LOVES to show people what he can do in such a manner. So PAY ATTENTION: If you hear of any magic show-like miracles happening in the news, chances are the person performing them is NOT of the true God, and is merely trying to lead people astray from the Truth. Remember what Jesus said about false prophets showing up in the last days! Do NOT be deceived!

On Saturday me and my host family (along with Luciano) went back to Santa Pola beach and spent the night there. We took sand and saltwater baths, dried ourselves off, showered off with freshwater, ate, and Saturday evening we watched the movie SUPERMAN dubbed in Spanish (Luciano is a big fan of Superman, but he fell asleep shortly after the movie started. Maybe he actually was Superman in his dreams and the Clark Kent we saw in the movie was actually him in the future as a grown man.). I told my host mom about the time when my brother dressed up as Superman for Halloween of 1988 (back when I was four and him two) as well as the RED TIGHTS he borrowed from me. While we were trick-or-treating, he ended up falling down on the sidewalk which skinned a hole in the knee so I never got to use my tights again (I was actually happy about that, since they were made of sweater-like material which I absolutely HATED!!!).

YET ANOTHER ROUND OF PAELLA!!!!!!!!

2006-07-17T04:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I just had my SEVENTH round of paella yesterday in Santa Pola, this time with carne (meat/beef). I must have been really hungry because I nearly polished the whole thing off!

PAELLA UPDATE!

2006-07-13T02:50:00.000-07:00

Wow! I never thought a new update would come this soon, but yesterday my host mom just made me my sixth round of paella for lunch, this time with shellfish! I believe this type is my favorite kind since the rice mixed with the seasoning kind of resembles beach sand and really creates a scenery with the seafood mixed in. Thank God the rice doesn´t taste like the sand, though. I remember going to the beach for a day trip back when I was about four years old. My mom packed me some cheetoes in my lunch (back when I actually LOVED those cheese-covered, rod-shaped nuggets of lard) and I accidently dropped a few in the sand. I didn´t think the sand would make any difference to the taste, but boy was I wrong. If I even described the new taste to you, I probably wouldn´t get this whole entry posted since I would be rushing to the bathroom. After this, I always complained about having to eat on the beach since sand will inevitably turn up in the food (especially if you are a little kid with sand-covered hands). I believe this was the trip with Aunt Mari, a friend of hers (maybe Beverly Johnson), a little girl named Noelle, a younger boy named Ryan, and a baby boy whose name has long been washed from my memory. Noelle and Ryan are the two kids I can definately remember, especially since Ryan was messing with the beads on my pigtails! Tonight I may be going to see a free play in the Patio de las Armas, inside the archaeological museum where we saw the original statue of the Dama de Elche. Tomorrow I will be going to the La Luz de las Imagenes exhibit in Alicante, which is required for my Spanish culture class. More about that on Monday when I have the chance to post another entry.

A tale of three sisters

2006-07-12T04:43:00.000-07:00

Lorena, the middle daughter in my host family (who happens to be my age) is already in Paris working at Disneyland. She knows five languages: Spanish, French, English, Italian, and Catalan (a regional dialect similar to Spanish, but also a little different). I believe this is a summer job for her, since her career is in translation (she translates books into various languages). Her family will be visiting her in Paris, but not until long after I´m gone (boo-hoo for me since none of the other family members know French). As for my own career, I still don´t have any idea what I want to do, but Lorena´s job of translating books gave me the idea of actually translating some of Jackie´s romance novels (but this is all just wishful thinking; I believe she already has a translator and I´m not fluent enough to actually begin translating at least for now.). The other two daughters, Maria-Jesús (24) works at a shoe store and has shown me a pair of Flamenco shoes which are similar to those used for Mexican Folkorico, only they apparently run smaller. I only get to see her during lunch break when she comes home to eat with us and during the evening when she comes home for dinner. Her novio is named José and she will be getting married to him next summer in the same church where her mom was married back in Sept. 1979 and where her baptism took place as a baby. We both have been looking at different styles of wedding dresses together and I have drawn her some styles that I may like to wear if I am ever to make such a commitment in the (FAR) future. Zaida (16), the youngest daughter is with us all day except for when she goes shopping and baby-sitting Luciano. She´s the typical annoying teenage girl who likes to argue with her mom, wear the latest style of clothing (which I would NEVER be caught dead wearing), and hang out with friends and novios at the Centro Comercial. As for Jesús, the father, I only see him at dinnertime since he works at a gas station late in the day until closing time. My mom, Encarnita, works at home sewing and altering formal dresses and other types of clothing. She´s the one who is there to converse with me most of the time and is in the same age group as my friend Jackie. Although she´s the only one there to talk Spanish with me most of the time, it will be sad for me to leave all my host family members. However, we made promises to keep correspondence and the opportunity to visit if I am ever to return to Spain (maybe during my break time if I end up studying abroad in France for a year; but it won't likely be until after I graduate). Sometimes treasured moments bear a hefty price tag!

PAELLA UPDATE!

2006-07-10T04:55:00.000-07:00

Before leaving for Barcelona (sometime last week), my host mom made me my fourth round of paella for lunch. Yesterday when we had lunch at the monastery, I had my fifth round which was kind of soupy. Armando told me that the soupy version is popular in the Catalan region. I´ll be posting more paella updates every time I sit down to dine on that dish once more.

BARCELONA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-07-10T04:16:00.000-07:00

OK ´I´m back to tell you what happened this past weekend. On Friday morning, we met at the park to leave for the big, beautiful city of Barcelona. As soon as we arrived, our first touring site was the Codorniu wine cellar where we again saw vineyards, wine caves (and LOTS of them!), and even a chandelier made out of green wine bottles! We even mounted a tram which took us around certain caves (and BOY was it like a Disneyland ride; Alexis you would have loved it!). I "stayed and tasted my first champagne" (against the wishes of Liesel's father in Sound of Music) and it tasted like the sparkling cider you drink around Christmastime, only it was bitter and lacked the marvelous apple flavor I always look forward to every year. Champagne is the main type of wine they make at the Codorniu. After the toast, we visited Parc Guelle, where the architecture looks just like the candy houses in Willy Wonka, Hansel and Gretel, and the kiddie game Candy Land. I found out that the last name of that particular architect was Gaudi, which is where I believe the adjective "gaudy" comes from to describe something that's way too much. And "too much" those houses were! The Sagrada Familia Cathedral was way over the top! It had steeples that were much too high and a facade that was much too wide with statues all over the place! I tried to get a quick picture of the impressive facade as the bus drove by it(we could not go inside; construction was underway) but it came out crooked. It will still look impressive to the eye, however. Speaking of statues, by the way, there were a couple people around the church wearing steel and copper coloured clothing and makeup that looked like the real thing! Since they were standing on pedestals, they looked like actual statues until I saw them move, which made me jump out of my skin! Armando took a picture of me with one of them and when you finally see it, you will NOT believe that the man I´m posing next to is an actual person! I also took a picture of a woman dressed as a copper statue of the Virgin Mary holding her child. We then toured a couple of art museums which illustrated the history of the Catalan region (where Barcelona is located) as well as some Picasso and Miro museums. The Miro museum was pretty silly because he believed that in order to be a good artist, you had to go "back to the basics" and paint like a child again. I even took some pictures of his childish works of art in front of which you will laugh to the point of not being able to stop! Unfortunately, no form of photography (including taking pictures without flash) was allowed in the Picasso or Catalan museums, so I bought some postcards of my favorite Picasso paintings. The funny thing about Picasso was that later on in life he was running out of ideas, so he started painting his own interpretations of previous paintings made by other artists. His own versions of Velasquez' Las Munecas were funny to look at since they look something like the characters in The Nightmare Before Christmas! The Seminary (which was actually a monastery) was beautiful because it looked something like the gardens of the Alhambra outside! Once I am able to download my pictures, they will definately tell you more of what I saw!

HAPPY JULY 4TH!

2006-07-04T02:06:00.000-07:00

One more thing, sorry I can´t be around for Independence Day this year! I will miss dancing and chanting with Alexis about this special holiday (she ALWAYS likes to put on a show whenever the family celebrates something, be it a birthday, Christmas, Easter, everything!). Two years ago, she wanted me to perform a series of jumping-jack movements with her (depicting fireworks) and balance herself on my back while chanting, "IT´S JULY 4TH!" over and over again (Don´t worry Alexis, I´ll do one jumping-jack for you to show that I love and miss you.).

This may sound off-topic, but while I, Armando, and Mary Anne were coming back from Ibi, Armando pointed out a range of mountains which are typically covered in snow during the winter. He mentioned that they were known as the Sierra Nevada, from which those in Central California were named after (although they are much shorter). There were no sequoia trees to be seen (sorry, Dad); these are more like the desert mountains in San Bernardino. I also discovered a while back that Sierra Nevada translates to "Snowy Range." That means the state of Nevada literally means "snowy" or "snow-covered" and upon realizing that I thought, "How ironic! How often does it snow in Nevada?" I remember hearing on the news about Las Vegas getting some snow a couple winters ago, but that was an anomaly. I hope Celine Dion loved it, though, since she grew up in Quebec where the land is covered in snow half the year. I´ll bet it transported her right back to her childhood!

WET WITH SWEAT!

2006-07-04T01:48:00.001-07:00

On Sunday I went with my group leader Armando and one of the girls from our group, Mary Anne, to a rural town known as Ibi. They were to participate in a 10-mile long marathon race and since I had nothing else to do, I volunteered to come and support them. Thankfully, both of them finished the race and I snapped a couple of photos of them coming in. It was a long, mountanous 5-mile course (the participants were to run out and back again, making a total of 10 miles) in which parts of it were not so hilly, but had white sand that reflected the energy and heat of the sun, making them REALLY burn (Mary Anne was glad I didn´t participate because she was suffering tremendously from this effect!) ! They were all wet with sweat after the race and I´m glad my host mom provided me with a huge bottle of water to pour over Armando after he came in. He really needed it, especially since he finished before Mary Anne. Maybe I should write a song entitled, "Wet with Sweat" and have it translated into both Castellano and Spanglish. But I would have to find a good translator to find a catchy title related to the English meaning. The Castellano version could be a ballad with a moderate rhythm and the Spanglish version could be fast-paced and more like Gloria Estefan style. I guess the Castellano verson could be fast and upbeat as well, especially if it is used for Flamenco purposes. Now THAT would also make anyone wet with sweat!

ANYONE FOR A MARATHON RUN?

2006-07-04T01:48:00.000-07:00

Murcia

2006-07-03T03:29:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday the whole class went to the city of Murcia where we visited the home of Miguel Hernandez (a poet who who wrote poems during the time of the Spanish Civil War). Many of his poems have been transformed into beautiful songs; the one we studied in class was "Nanas de cebolla" (lullabies of onions) which he wrote while he was in jail. During that time Spain was going through a period of famine and the only nourishment available for the baby was bread, water, and onion. In fact, while we were walking through his house, the melody of that particular song was playing in the background. We also saw a school next to the house under his name (for students pursuing a writing career). After we toured the house we visited a couple more cathedrals. The first one we visited had walls and ceilings that had been painted over due to the contagious disease of influenza during the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. Inside the chapel (which was pretty unique since the style of architecture was a mixture from the gothic (arches, towers, and figures) arab (LOTS of gold accents), and recent time periods (pipe organs and a small choir loft which was in the back) the figures on the ceilings had been painted over when it became a hospital for those who were severely ill, for fear that they too would get sick (this does not make any sense, even if some of those figures might have become saints through the Catholic Church, since there is no sickness in Heaven). In the second cathedral, we sat down and listened to a children´s choir rehearsing a beautiful arrangement of the Lord´s Prayer in Spanish. I was quite surprised hearing them since these young kids (between the ages of 6-12) already knew how to sing harmony! I never learned how to sing in parts until junior high. Back home, I had suggested to my church choir director that we sing a couple songs in various languages for special occasions (such as the Christmas and Easter seasons) and have the English translations up on the screen. He said he would keep my suggestion in mind (since we had previously sung a portion of Latin for the POPS concert this past May) but I will understand if it does not work out, especially since it is tiresome to not only learn the notes of a song but also the pronunciation of the lyrics! After we visited the cathedrals, we were given some free time to eat and shop around (when I actually got to share my faith with some of the group members!)

PS: Sorry, but I will not be able to provide pictures of the "unique chapel" we saw in the first church, since no form of photography was allowed. You will just have to use your imagination.

More about Mexican food in Spain

2006-07-03T03:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend some of the students in my group went to a Mexican restaurant and did not actually like it (Have any of you eaten at El Torito? They thought the food tasted the same as it does in that particular restaurant). Even though some of you may like Mexico 1900, I personally do not care for it since they use lard as a main ingredient in their food. If I were to pick two favorite Mexican restaurants, I would choose Senor Campos and Veracruz (another restaurant in Whittier, I believe it´s near the Quad).

What do you think this is, a Taco Bell?!

2006-06-29T01:36:00.000-07:00

Thank God I was prepared for this long before leaving for Spain, but I have some advice for all those who are planning a trip to this country (especially my friends from Mexico and those living in the border states). When entering a typical Spanish restaurant, if you ask for a tostada, the mesero (waiter) may gladly bring it to you, but you will likely be in for a disappointment. All a "tostada" is in Spain is a simple slice of toast. No frijoles (beans), no lechuga (lettuce), no verduras (veggies), no queso (cheese), no sour cream and olivas (olives), nada. Just a simple slice of toast. That´s all. Maybe the waiter will gladly provide you some kind of spread for the top, but if you ask for any of the items listed above, chances are he´ll give you a funny look, not to mention dirty (My host mom often serves tostadas with meals; last night when I explained to her what a tostada was in Mexico, she seemed to be quite interested.). Also, do not consider it an error if you ask for a bag of tortillas (expecting what you would get at El Pollo Loco) and end up with enough omlettes to feed an entire family!

Don´t go yet; I have more advice for all you Spaniard wanna-bees:

Expecting typical Mexican tostadas and tortillas in Spain is one thing, but (above all) NEVER EVER even try to order a taco. A "taco" in Spain is used to define a swear word. For example, "Ella siempre dice muchos tacos a su novio." (She always says a lot of cuss words to her boyfriend.) The word "taco" is not a swear word itself, but if you ask someone on the street if there is a Taco Bell nearby, you will likely be turned away. There are absolutely NO TACO BELLS in Spain (JASON, PAY ATTENTION!). If you hear a bell ringing, it is likely a church bell or a clock tower; don´t expect to encounter Jose Ole or any street vendor wearing a sombrero. There may be a few Mexican restaurants around (we found one in Elche, but it was closed for the night), but chances are the food will not be as good as it is in California. In fact, if you run into a Mexican restaurant outside the Southwestern part of the US, the taste of the food may not even agree with you there (just ask my real mom!).

Here is the bottom line for all you Mexican food lovers:

SPANISH FOOD IS NOT MEXICAN FOOD AND MEXICAN FOOD IS NOT SPANISH FOOD! (The rice in the paella dish may have a similar taste, as Mexican rice also happens to be known as Spanish rice) but THERE ARE NO POLLO LOCOS NOR TACO BELLS IN SPAIN!

I hope I have made myself clear.

Sorry I kept you wating so long!

2006-06-26T03:37:00.000-07:00

But I have been having way too much fun! Here I will describe in a nutshell what I have been doing lately: During the week after we got back from Granada we visited another ancient castle (on top of a hill) where we saw traces of ancient Spanish civilization. Afterward we visited the home of a playwright and then a vineyard where they showed us how grapes are cultivated to make wine. We were given a tour of the wine cellar and even tasted a sample of white wine. (No, Alexis, it is NOT the same as white grape juice; you would not like it AT ALL!). Two days later we went to a restaurant on a farm where there was a small bullring owned and run by a retired bullfighter. We ate paella for dinner (a Spanish rice dish mixed with vegetables, chicken, beef, and sometimes fish) and afterwards some of the students in my group tried their hand at bullfighting! Even though the bulls were only yearlings (baby bulls with no horns) it still looked pretty dangerous so I chose to watch and just take pictures (especially since I was wearing a skirt!) But we still had class the next day and the students who did show up (the ones who confronted the bulls) were limping and feeling quite a bit of pain (another reason why I never entered the ring). In fact, one of the girls was bleeding and did not show up for class at all. This past weekend was the festival of the hogueras (bonfires) so my host family took me to the beach in Santa Pola where they own a second flat and often come to stay during the summer. During the weekend we went down to the beach where one of my host sisters was babysitting a 5-year-old boy named Luciano. We accompanied him to the beach where I entertained him by gathering seaweed and pretending it was pasta. We then played for a while in the sand and when we returned to the house I taught him some kiddie songs in Spanish, French, and English (like most little kids he caught on pretty well and had so much fun with the songs!). For lunch my host mother made us paella (round three for me; she made us some before I went to the dinner preceding the bullrun.) and ate helado (ice cream) for dessert (I tell you, the desserts in Europe are WAY superior to those in America; all we eat is fatty, processed junk in favor of the real, authentic stuff that takes much longer to cook. One aspect of Spanish culture is that the typical family actually takes the time to prepare a meal and bring everybody together to enjoy it at the same time, since work schedules are way more flexible with a two-hour break for lunch and enough time to enjoy dinner as a family; life is not so fast-paced as it is in California. Maybe this is one reason why Europeans eat lunch and dinner so late during the day.). On Saturday morning my host mom took me to the mercadillos (open-air markets) where the fruit and produce is the best quality and the clothes and other necessary goods are sold for a fraction of what you would buy in a regular store (especially in America!). During the evening we visited some of her friends who live in Santa Pola and each of them greeted me with a kiss on each cheek (In Europe, it is customary that only two guys shake hands when meeting; a pair of two women and one man and woman kiss each other on both cheeks, even if they had never met before.). They offered us refrescos (soft drinks) and we talked about things that were going on in life back in Elche. There was a kiddie fair nearby so we took Luciano but he unfortunately forgot his fichas (tokens to go on rides and play games) but they were fortunately valid for the next day so I guess he went accompanied by someone else. To my surprise, he willingly accepted and did not shed one tear when told that he would have to come back the next day; at his age I would have cried a whole ocean of them! Well, that´s all for now. I hope to keep you posted for when another significant event comes up! Tataaaaaaah!

I ACTUALLY VISITED WONDERLAND!

2006-06-19T03:56:00.000-07:00

Boy was I in for a treat two days ago! On Saturday we visited the Alhambra, an ancient Arab palace and gardens (complete with fountains and pools) that actually resembled the maze Alice in Wonderland went through leading up to the court of the Red Queen. There were beautiful flowers all around us (including bouquets of red roses and some white ones waiting to be painted red). But I think the Queen and her cards were sleeping, because I never saw her come out. Nevertheless, I felt as though I were a part of an actual Disney production, especially since I saw a Mickey Mouse balloon floating on the ceiling of one of the rooms in the palace. As soon as I am able to download my pictures, you will have a chance to find the hidden Mickey (By the way, did you know that there are actually hidden Mickey silhouettes in many of the Disney productions? Sleeping Beauty is one of them.).

To find out more, visit the link:

http://www.hiddenmickeys.org/HiddenMickey.html

TAKE MY PRINCESS FOR A RIDE ON HER CHARIOT!

2006-06-19T03:16:00.000-07:00

After landing in Madrid, for awhile I felt as though I was riding in a moving vehicle, even when sitting and lying down. For example, while I was lying in bed at night, I could feel it moving backwards, even though it really wasn´t. Remember in the movie Runaway Bride when Julia Roberts´ character (Maggie Carpenter) is engaged to marry Bob (a high school football coach) and he asks some of his team players to "take his Princess for a ride on her chariot¨and they start running forward and carrying her while she is facing toward them? During the first few days in Spain, I felt as though God was taking me (His princess) for a ride on an invisible chariot.

After checking out of Madrid, we visited Toledo where we saw some Arab, Greek, Christian, and Jewish museums. After that, the bus transported us to Elche, where our host families were waiting for us. My mother´s name is Encarna (short for Encarnación), my father´s name is Jesús, and I have three host sisters named Maria-Jesús, Lorena, and Zaira. We celebrated Lorena´s birthday the night I arrived. She is the same age as me! After I spent two nights with my host family, I traveled to Granada for a weekend trip to see some age-old caves that have been adapted for modern living. For centuries, people have been living in caves to escape the cold temperatures of winter. I also saw a Flamenco show in a gypsy cave which was a lot of fun. The dance steps are similar to those of Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, except that one does not twirl the skirts as much (more emphasis is placed on the arm movements, which are similar to those of traditional ballet.). In Santa Fe, we saw some churches and the actual site where Christopher Columbus signed the document allowing him to travel to India by taking a western route (before discovering the Americas and back when it was thought that the world was flat). Speaking of a flat earth, I once had a dream where I was at the beach and my mom (my real mom) warned me never to go too far out into the ocean because if I swam past the horizon, I would fall off into nothingness. When I woke up and asked her if that was true, she responded: ¨Of course not, honey! Remember the world is round, not flat.¨

El sujeto de...FOTOS!

2006-06-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Although I am excited about leaving for Spain, I have some not-so-good news for you guys: since my digital camera is busted and because I would not feel comfortable carrying around an expensive device in a foreign country, I will be unable to post pictures on my blog until I am able to have them developed and scanned. However, I will label each disposable camera I use by dates of usage, keep a diary of what I do each day, and will gladly share my developed fotos with you all when I get back. In the meantime, I will explain in as much detail as I can about all my experiences and you will just have to use your imagination. Lo siento (Sorry!).

By the way (as you know), there are two different words in the English language that describe a written collection of daily experiences: diary and journal . Both of them contain a translation of the word "day" which are dia (Spanish) and jour (French). Let's just have some fun by mixing these interesting translations with the endings of each word (-nal and -ry). Then we will introduce a few new words to our English dictionary! Among these words will be: dianal, naldia, rydia, naljour, jourry, ryjour, etc. and maybe we can mix the two translations together: diajour and jourdia! Also, did any of you know that the word journal is the French word for newspaper? So whenever you go outside to pick one from the driveway each morning, be sure to think of me and say a little prayer...

Continue to play this little word game, and if you come up with any new words that are not listed above, feel free to let me know!

yadda...yadda...yadda..here's my BLOG!

2006-06-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

I hope you like it. This is what I will be using for keeping in touch while I go to Espana this summer. I wish you all a good, long siesta and much FUN!