Rest & Relaxation

So we meet again, Buzz Lightyear. It's been one of those weeks

Sorry, I wasn't feeling like saying "Hola" or "Hello" this time. So I thought I should just throw in some Toy Story to spice things up a little. Because this will be a fairly vanilla (read bland) post today. My humblest apologies.

The most exciting news of the week: my plane ticket got switched, so I am for sure staying in Europe, never to return. Just kidding. I'll be in the lengthy process of coming back on May 14th. So watch out, America, because you forgot what a great thing you were missing. I would like to thank my Mommy for here patience in regards to the Travel Situation because she has been amazing in changing my ticket. I've also ran into some issues buying a plane (and a boat!) ticket, so she was able to call the credit card company and get all of that sorted out for me. Can she get a round of applause please? *Thunderous applause via the Intranets*

Okay, now to the excitement that was this week. Or not. This is going to be a short post, but I'm going to do my best. Just hang in there! For my Art in Toledo class, we went to the Cathedral here (I mentioned that Mams, Claire and I went there last weekend but shhhh...! We are going to ignore that for the time being). I'm actually glad I got to go again because there are a few things I think the audio-guide didn't know that my teacher did. The first time I went, I didn't realize that our Cathedral was the first one built in Spain. I can now check Visit the Oldest Cathedral in Spain off of my bucket list.

Before I continue, I need some sustenance. I'll be back in five; I need a Twix. You guys can all get settled and comfy while I'm gone. Cool? Cool.

I'm back! I think I eat enough Twixes that my maid judges me based on how often she finds the wrappers in the trash. Tis life, I suppose.

Like I previously stated, I really enjoyed the Cathedral, but I am also quite aware of my own idiocy and/or laziness. I might've worn flip-flops to a building where "it is colder inside than outside." (I'm pretty sure that's an actual quote from my professor.) I was happy to leave by the end because my toes have a tendency to turn purple when they are cold. Poor circulation much? Another note on laziness: I've woken up early enough for breakfast everyday this week. I made it down to the cafeteria once. My stomach hates me.

Friday afternoon involved going to another museum for my Grandes Maestros class, so we headed off to Madrid to visit the Reina Sofia. In true Emily form, I fell asleep on the buses because that is what buses are for. Or something. Anyway, I woke up when we were in Madrid and kept trying to convince myself we weren't that close because I really wanted to finish my nap. Unfortunately, the bus killed the dream I dreamed and it was time to wake up for museum time. This museum wasn't necessarily my favorite because it focuses more on modern paintings and we went specifically to see those of Picasso and Dali. And they don't fall under the Emily's Favorite Painters category. Van Gogh holds the top spot (although Dali was pretty crazy too, but less in a I-will-cut-my-ear-off-to-give-to-a-girl way and more in a I-will-call-my-autobiography-Diary-of-a-Genius way). Most of Dali's paintings were off in Paris anyway for some exhibition thinger, so we mostly saw Picasso's work. I know he is considered Super Good, but the only painting I really found interesting was Guernica, which I had seen eight gajillion times in other classes. To be fair, I hadn't really been impressed by it until I saw it in person and then I found it much more interesting. So it goes.


Now I have very little left to talk about, but I will still try to make it worth reading. This weekend was rather a non-event; simply me doing homework and planning my trip and being frustrated when websites won't take my money. (They can have this attitude if they give me my ticket. If they jack up the price 20 euros between times I try to pay though, I get irate.) In order to not end up in my room going crazy (crazier) from technology, I play a kind of weird game. (Intrigued?)

But more back-story first. In the past two blogs, I've commented on how I became the fearless navigator and leader due to...stuff. Either way, this is generally a poor life decision because I've never been known to be good at finding places. For a frame of reference: when I first got my driver's license, I needed directions from 11 year old Claire to get to a pizza place in my hometown. That is how terrible of a decision it is to let me be in charge of directions.

Anyway, I play this game where I go to streets of the city I know and then turn off at random interesting-looking streets (People from back home: Toledo is super safe, so don't worry that Emily is doing something crazy and is going to die in Spain. I promise, it is completely safe. Cross my fingers and hope to die and all that jazz). I turn off onto other interesting looking (There are people there! It isn't some back alley where you know serial killers hunt or whatever. Please stop being nervous. It is A-OK, I promise promise promise) streets until I have, at best, only a vague idea of where I am. As you may remember, I live in a literal labyrinth. So it becomes a Find Your Way Back kind of game (I don't go that far....I've scared you all with my living on the edge and bad-assery, haven't I? I swear I live a safe, normal lifestyle). This is also an excellent decision when I'm getting caught up in the I-have-homework-I've-procrastinated-on-and-I-need-plane-tickets-and-the-website-won't-work-stress-stress-stress sort of thoughts. I've come to realize I get caught up in my anxieties and overall my interior stress levels are a lot higher than people might think (because I always appear calm, cool and collected. Obviously). So this is a good stress reliever as well as gets me some exercise because Toledo believes in hills.

Honestly, this was more or less how my week went: hanging out, homework and wandering. It was a good change of pace from the perpetual tramping of Spring Break. Hopefully I'll add some pictures later today for you to enjoy. Don't be too scared of my daring boldness in the Lost Game.

Until next weekend!

The Grass Isn't Always Greener on the Other Side (of the Ocean)

Okay, everyone, I'm going to apologize in advance for this post because I didn't do anything particularly interesting this week. So this isn't a I-went-here-and-here-and-had-a-great-time-with-great-people-at-all-times sort of post. It's more of a mundane-things-happen-here-too type of blog. (Also, my pictures aren't connected to this week at all.)

Now you might say: But you're in Spain, Emily. How could you have an uninteresting week and weekend?

Clock at the Impressionist Museum

Well, we can't go to Paris every weekend. This week consisted of school and... more school. Some of you can even relate. I didn't even have my Visit All The Places class, so nothing new on that front. Also, this weekend was for homework because, in all honestly, I had an impressive amount that I had been procrastinating on. Shocking, right? This means I have two presentations, a debate, and two (three?) papers due this upcoming week among other things. One of which is seven pages long (!!!). So I'm having a, uh, relaxing weekend of All Of The Homework. And that, my friends, is how you have a mostly uninteresting week(end) in Spain. And the rain doesn't help.

Now I don't want this post to be entirely me complaining because life is so hard and how dare I get homework while I'm in school and everything is so unfair. So I've decided to elaborate on some of the things I've said in the past and address some of the things I've ignored in the past couple of blogs.

I know a couple of posts ago I listed things I missed and liked and was slightly confused about, so I thought I could expand on this a little. Things I miss have hit me the most this week...and the specifics are kind of embarrassing. Perhaps you know of my love of Mac & Cheese. Perhaps you don't. In either case, I am missing it far, far too much this week. And I think my desire for fake cheese is a little unhealthy. Because guess what? I've also been craving a grilled cheese like crazy. Mmmmmmmm....I miss you American cheese in all forms.

That was really the only expansion of my list. I miss fake cheese....Lordy.

The Louvre

I suppose I could add family to this list (Sometimes. Don't think I've got too many feelings for you guys. I have to keep up appearances, so I won't gush.) Claire and I have been keeping a countdown via social networking of how long it is until I get to see her and my Mommy-face. Words cannot express my excitement to see them. That was awfully close to gushing; I'm sorry!

In other news: my ability to Spanish is progressing. Nerdily (It's a word, even if I just made it up), I love looking at words in Spanish and noticing the similarity to words in English. For the life of me, I can't think of one example right now. Anyway, the knowledge that languages are actually living and changing fascinates me. So yeah, my nerd is showing a little. Also, my English and Spanish are melding, and it's harder for me to think in just one language. I couldn't think of the phrase "Spring Break" when Skyping my mom and thought "Semana Santa" instead. And I caught myself asking someone "How was your fin de semana?" So that's gotten pretty crazy.

La Hospital Something Something. I don't remember the real name.

On to the meat of this post. Just kidding. This is literally me rambling and hoping for the best. So it goes. Oh! I forgot to explain more about where I'm living, even though this should have been done in my very first post. I'm living in a dorm suite with three other girls where we share a bathroom and shower area. Our rooms are pretty big; I think it's probably bigger than my first dorm at the U. I affectionately think of it as Siberia due to it 1) being isolated and 2) being always freezing (really tile floor?). Because I am feeling incredibly generous, you can even see pictures of it. Which I will add later...(Generosity is joke. I mean, it's a dorm room.)

I live in La Fundación, which we call the Fund. I know I've said this, but bear with me because I'm going to give you a brief Spanish lesson. Exciting! Now if you think it should be said the same as the English word, you'd be wrong. It's pronounced "foo-nd" because the "u" in Spanish is an ooooooo sound. Knowledge!

This post is really unexciting. My apologies. I'll just continue the verbal vomiting and keep hoping. (Textual vomiting?) 

La Sinogoga I-Also-Forgot-the-Name

Hey, this is fun! I'm going to Italy next weekend to visit my friend, Isaac. My federal tax return paid for the trip, so that makes life awesome. The thought of Italy is what is going to get me through my longish, stressful week. I am doubly excited because I've wanted to go Italy for forever. Side note: My love and desire to see other countries probably stems from books that have these places as settings. So Amsterdam, Venice and Hogwarts are all on my list of places I really want to see. Don't judge.

Okay, I'm drawing blanks now.

What should I say???

Ummm.....

Unfortunately, I think my hope in salvaging this post was misplaced. I've added some pictures I didn't put up in the past blogs due to lack of space as a way of rewarding you for making it through this. It's the little things in life.

Guys, I promise this will be better and more cohesive next weekend. A weekend in the Tuscan countryside (I have no idea where Tuscany is in Italy...) should be more exciting.

Just think about Italy until next time. I know I will.

¡Hasta Luego!