squirrels.

Today's adventure was filled with castles, churches, and chipmunks?!


That's new.


Villena is a small city about an hour from Alicante. My host family and I went there for a quick trip, as we also visited my host grandparents. It's a small town of about 30,000 people with a castle, bullring, and all the other Spanish traits of a small town.


We didn't actually go inside the castle today, but on the way to Villena we passed two other castles. According to my host parents, it is normal for a village to have it's own castle. Most of the castles are empty, (meaning not the type you enter and see glorious things from years ago) but offer an incredible view of the city below.


After visiting the town, we went over to another part and saw a church/building that serves an important role for the village- especially for the Moors and Christians Festival held every September.



We stepped outside the building as I continued to take more pictures. The significance of the building I don't completely understand myself, but it is famous for the area.


As I was adjusting the settings on my camera, my host family starts to get all excited. I guess I looked too instensely focused with my camera, as my host family was yelling at me, "Quick! Mary Beth! QUICK! LOOK! NOW! HURRY!"

In a panic, I turned around expecting to see...well, I'm not really sure. My original guess was a shooting star. Sad to say my idea was shattered when I came to terms that we were standing in broad daylight. So I whipped around frantically looking for 1. an UFO or 2. a response of complete laughter from a "Made you look!" type of joke.

Neither happened.

So I, ready with my camera...saw nothing. "What? What?" I started to ask, looking around at everything.

"THE SQUIRREL!"

My train of thought: "What?! What's it doing?! Is it close? Infected with rabies? No. That's impossible. How would we ever know that? Is it eating something it shouldn't be? DID IT STEAL SOMETHING?! Climbing a tree?! Flying?! Doing something interesting?!"


And nothing. The squirrel was simply just...there.


My second train of thought: Alright. You got me. *I did a complete circle to see who was sneaking up behind me with I-don't-even-know-what prank up their sleeve.

There was no one. I turned to my host family. So?

"TAKE A PICTURE!"


I tried.



You see, the problem is that I was caught off guard and had no time to change my camera settings. I was going through some shock though. A squirrel? They wanted me to take a picture... OF A SQUIRREL?


Out of curiousity I asked, 'why,' as I tried to shoot pictures of an object too small and too far away. I knew the pictures wouldn't come out, but hey- it's the thought that counts, right?


My host mother slowly started to walk towards the living creature, as I follow in hopes of getting a better picture. I shortly stopped in confusion, as her interest in the squirrel had me rather startled.

The squirrel shortly disappeared behind a wall. I looked at my host family.

"Wwwhat?"

My host mother and sister told me they had never seen a squirrel before. Ever.

I can assure you that was the last thing I was thinking. It so happens that I'm from Minnesota, and we're the home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Squirrels are the pesty animals that kids can use as shooting targets. People hunt squirrels. (I think. Maybe just for practice?)

Infact, squirrels are so common they don't even have them in zoo's. Squirrels are in zoo's but are free to run around and do whatever the heck they want because they are not 'exotic' animals and are nothing but an everyday nuissance. Right?

I gave my host family a second look. Are you kidding me?

It's possible I asked this question another dozen or so times. I was given the same answer. That was the first squirrel in real life (minus "the books where they have really bushy tails") that they have ever seen. They continued to explain how they don't have them here. It was not a joke.

I am still confused.



Personally I can't imagine going to adulthood without seeing a squirrel. I mean, it's like walking through a park and not seeing a bench. They're there- usually ignored, but they're there and expected to be there. To be there without thinking it's un-normal or anything.

Never in my life would I expect to be talking to an adult who has never seen a squirrel. I thought about it a little longer, trying to think of how many squirrel's I've seen since I've been in Spain. The problem is I don't go around and look for them. Or count them.

Have I seen a squirrel since I've been here?

A few for sure. How many, well... that's a better question. But atleast one. Right? I'd like to hope so. How could I have NOT seen a squirrel??


The search begins.

-mb




On another note- when I made the 'yuck' comment about a snail that was found... my host father asked me: "So you think a snail is disguesting, but a squirrel's not?"
I continued to say that 1.- Squirrels usually leave people alone. 2.- You only get rabies from them if you get too close. and 3.- We don't pick them up off the ground!

I can say I've had a lot of squirrely excitement for one day...

100 Days

Five for Fighting has a song, 100 Years. As many of you may be familiar with this song, it serves as my model for my time here in Spain.


One hundred years is used to represent a lifetime. A lifetime is a long time.

Infact, it's the only time that you have.

And in exchange sense it's a year. The only time we have here.



In the lyrics of 100 Years the song explains how when you're 15, you still have time. You have "time to buy, and time to loose."
At 33, "you're on your way."


Age 45 brings obstacles, as nearing the halfway mark, the song continues to sing, "the sea is high" ... "I'm heading into a crisis"


'Chasing the years of my life'

Half time goes by

Suddenly you're wise

Another blink of an eye

67 is gone

The sun is getting high

We're moving on




So there it is. We come to Spain being 15 (for a moment), not knowing exactly what's going on. We change. We grow.


We get on our way, as 33 (for a moment) can be compared to the first three months. This is a time where there are a lot of curve balls thrown. Unexpected things happen. Daily routine begins to be normal. But what is normal? During this time you think you have it down. That you get it. That you understand. Little did you know...


We are then 45, (for a moment) as winter and the middle months can bring 'crisis' or in other words boredom, confusion, and homesickness. Unexplained questions, frustration, and learning experiences help push through a learning process that is a bit hard to breakthrough.

We blink an eye, and 67 is gone. The months after winter. Spring comes, and we panic. Where did all the time go?


We're 99 (for a moment) dying for just another moment. The closure of the experience. The part that no one ever wanted to talk about...


The part that brings everyone to tears. We all thought it was just a dream. Is it really ending?




Hey 15, there's never a wish better than this.

When you only got 100 years to live.





100 days left.

-mb




***Photos 1,2,4,6,8,9 credited to Caroline Weldon

112

The days I have left in Spain. The national emergency number. Our 911.

And that's what's going through my head. A national emergency.

Egypt? New Zealand? Madrid? Japan?


What's going on?!



And back to the first comment. ONLY 112 DAYS LEFT?!


Goals. Gains. Growth. Have I been on target? on time? Is where I am now where I had wanted to be a while back? What is the one thing that I'll forget, and regret when I get back home?


The questions. Were there from the beginning and will never end. Whether you are on exchange, or living your day to day what you might think of 'boring' life- there are always questions.


The conditional statements. How could/should/would this be if...
The hypothesis. An "If, then" statement. (Thank you Mrs. Richardson I never have forgotten this.)

The answers? There are none. But don't think about it too much. That leaves you always looking at the unanswered questions, leaving you to wonder about what you don't have.

"The grass is always greener on the other side."


How I love this statement.

When on a golf course, grass is sometimes to be blamed for mistakes.

When moving to Minnesota, at first we didn't have grass as our house was just built. Makes the above quote ironic, eh?

When flying from Switzerland to Madrid, you could slowly watch the bright green grass turn into what could be mistaken for a very dry desert land.

When in Alicante, the bright green grass is amazing. Who ever thought going further south would bring greener grass? That is, until you find out it is fake grass.


So there you have it. The grass is greener on the other side. But have you actually been there? Because fake grass looks really green from a distance. And does the green grass you see have the appropriate soil to grow the crops you want to grow? And what if that grass is wet and attracts mesquitos? You can't see that from the other side of the fence, now can you?


What does all this mean? You are on a side. Maybe by force. Chance. Or maybe you got there by jumping that fence. But the point is you're there. And whatever you have, you have. It's simple. You are not on the other side of the fence.

So live day by day. What will tomorrow bring? We'll find out soon enough. If today is worrying about yesterday, tomorrow's yesterday will be just a day of worrying.


Time changes things. Like seasons. 112 is a number. Whether the number is big enough or not doesn't matter. What matters how those one hundred and twelve days are spent.

And every day brings something new.

Recently I have made a few discoveries. Found stories. Been explained things. So here's my "Seven Wonders" list...


1. Security Cameras- There ARE security cameras in my school. They are on top of the roof- to watch the gates to make sure no one leaves. The TV screens are in the secretary's room, and whether they actually record or not I'm not sure. This still confuses me, as the kids seems to find the places where there are not security cameras and jump the fence. And then again, if the kids don't want to school, why bother with a fence and cameras? Just don't come...?

2. Toilet Paper- is kept guarded by the school's secretary. Yep... if you want toilet paper for the bathroom, you have to stop by the secretary and take some from a roll that is on the counter. I am still very confused...

3. Photocopies- So you need a photocopy. You just walk down to the library and ask...right? Wrong. There is a photocopier in the secretary, and you have to pay. Papers are anywhere between 5-15 cents per sheet. This is rather cheap compared to the ones in shopping malls, post offices, etc. Most people don't have a copier and you have to go up to the local shop to use one.

4. Books- I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but school books are bought by the students. It gets expensive. And you don't always get them on time. I suppose it 'just works' though, as I didn't buy a science book until- October? Neither open my philosophy book until about.. December? more or less. The teacher doesn't always use them. Just lectures and notes. They can be pretty hard to find. You get a list from your school and have to hope that the corner bookstore that you live by or another one that you know still has your books. From my experiences you can't just buy them either. You have to come back in a day or so to give them time to look for it. (IF they have it...)


5. Water- as some of you might know, America is noted for their 'free refills' at many restaurants. In Spain? Not so much. You have to pay on average two Euros (about $2.80 USD) for a beverage. And water? The same. And water comes in glass bottles a lot of the time. Like wine bottles, but different. I have been told that it's common for kids to go and fill the bottle up with water from the bathroom sink, in order to advoid paying for more. Never thought of it. Clever.


6. Water...Part 2- One discovery about Alicante is the water. You can't drink it from the tap. (This confuses me about the story above, so I am not able to say how un-drinkable it really is) But the biggest difference about the water that I notice is the clothes. The white doesn't come out as white, and when the whole thing is finished they have a different texture/stiffness. The is partly from the fact we don't use or have a dryer. Even in February/March our clothes are dried outside on a rack. I wonder what that'd be like in Minnesota...

7. El Pais- A world-wide Spanish newspaper. My school gets different newspapers everyday, and I am enjoying reading those during the time I have in the library. What's interesting? There's more information about the United States than any other country. Our news. What we do right or wrong. It's all over the press.




Before closing, the student Austin Bice who past away in Madrid after being missing for 10 days was NOT an AFS student. The press must have gotten this wrong, as I have had some people ask me if I knew him, which I did not. He was 22 years old and studied at a college in Madrid- since January. Sending prayers and thoughts to his family during this tough time.

The AFS Egypt (and Tunez?) students had to go home in January. Everyone is back home safe. As I do not know more information about this, I cannot be more thankful that I am able to continue in a palce where I feel safe. I feel for the Egypt students, as that must have been really hard to end an exchange experience early. I'm hoping to hear news that no AFS kids are in danger in Japan, but have yet to hear anything.


Wishing everyone the best,

-mb

spanglish?

Lately I've been talking to my "homeroom" teacher about my literature class. This has more or less just been us going back and forth on how I need something in 'simpler Spanish' to do, as reading one million old Spanish really isn't ideal for the non-fluent speaker.

So she gave me photocopies of our lit. book. Six of 'em. About the Renaissance.

I had to go back and double check the word for 'simple' in my dictionary. There's quite a difference between simple and small. So off I was to get that cleared up. The next day at school she asked me how it was going, and I continued to tell her how it took an hour for someone to explain the first column. She then made photocopies for me of a Spanish grammar packet, which has proven to be more helpful and realistic.

Later in the day she calls me over in the hallway (using the name of a German exchange student) and gives me this:


I just kind of gave her a smile and returned to my class. I wasn't really sure what to think. Spanglish? A school paper? Cool. So like the difficult words will be in English, and everything in between in Spanish. I can work with that.

Wrong.

I read the whole paper, understanding practically everything. Amazed, I had a lot of new words added to my vocabulary. But wait- there were a lot of English words spelt wrong...who wrote this?

So I read it again. I couldn't help but notice all the English grammar mistakes. "Livin"? Since when do writers write in teen language?

And then it hit me. How did I miss it? Spanglish. Not a mix of words- New words. In the language of Spanglish.

All the words in highlighter (pink/orange) aren't words. Unless I missed one, those are all made up words in the language of Spanglish. It made my day, really. Click on the picture to zoom.

With adding "O's" and "A's" and random verb endings, Spanish pronunciations, "ado", "aba", and everything in between, you are able to see the connection between the two languages.

placete- place
remembrearme- remember me
choppeada- chopped
cuarers- quarters
huntear- hunt
forgetear- forget
similarmente- similarly
felo- fellow
redy- ready
daun al dosk- dawn to dusk
anithin- anything
despait- despite
halfo- half

So there it is, my teacher's attempt at English. She can't possibly know what the paper says, so I'm guessing I won't be tested over this- especially since she didn't give me the entire article.

And that's it. Small but different.

My adventura d'day but you understeaba everythin o the leest halfo despait los things transladado.



Yo He finisheado- til lee(gh)ter,


-mb



PS: the writer? Llán Stavans

the random things

So over time I have collected some snapshots of the everyday random things.

The cups at McDonald's have intructions on how to insert a straw into your cup.

In Spanish, and Portuguese...

The type of plugs here are different. Watch out! Here we use 110/220V.

220V gives a lot more of a shock than 110V...

An outlet next to a light switch- I have yet to see a light switch like we have in the US, as most of the ones I have seen here look something like this.

I think just about every medicine box is also written in braile.

The shower. What do you mean, where is it? It's clearly there. To the left you can see a nozzle, that is attached to like a hose. Welcome to the beauty of foreign bathrooms.

Yep. The toliet. The part everyone is embarressed to ask about. You push the button down. There are two options- one side is bigger than the other. I'll leave the math of physics for you to figure out which one you use when. After living in two houses I have found it's not uncommon to try to 'save' a turn and not flush the toliet after every use.

...Yeah.

A bidet. If you're curious, google it. People in Spain don't just wash their hands.

A Pepsi can 'sin conservantes'.

Spanish phones. Nutella. Ice water. What else in life do you need? We cannot drink the tap water here in Alicante.

"Los Otros Dos" It's fun translating movie titles, as they aren't exactly the same...

Napkins.

A random car parked along the side of the road.

Shopping, anyone? Found this randomly while walking around Burgos. Kind of hard to drag around while shopping...

Spain is more obsessed with Coca-Cola than any other place in the world I have been to. They have a lot of tables and chairs in different cities that are more or less like the picture above. I am still on a search for Mello Yello...

Only is Spain do you find an advertisement this Spanish...

Ironic, no?

Correos. The customs office is in Barajas. That story is soon to come.

-mb

The Waiting Game

March 1st, 2010

Was exactly one year ago. It was also the day I received a note saying I had been accepted into AFS-Spain.


Yesterday I was reading through my journal that I have been keeping since 1/25/10, which was the day I found out AFS accepted my application. After hearing from AFS-USA, the next step is to wait and find out for the host country to accept your application. And finally after that, you have the waiting process to hear from your host family.

For those of you who have gone or are going through the waiting process, it is a very difficult one. First, you have to wait to see if you will be living in the same country the upcoming year. This brings questions. A lot of questions. And with questions comes uncertainty.


Not being able to tell someone whether you will returning for another school year is very frusterating. Will you be on the basketball team next year? Will you be in band? Will you be going to prom? Should you sign up for that club? Do you need to read that summer reading list for literature class? Should you buy that sweatshirt? Because if you do, are you going to bring it with you on your trip?


Try planning your life once year in advance. It drives you crazy- I know. And even more- it's impossible. Every comment made about "next year" or "next time", you are stuck there questioning yourself- "but will I be here?"


So you tell them. I may not be here. Their response? ..."Well you don't know?" Of course you don't. ..."And when will you know?" ...the answer?

"I don't know."


So there it is. The waiting game stopped for me March 1st, 2010. Right?

Not even close.

Being an exchange student ultimately is the biggest waiting game in the world. Finding out your host family does not end the game. After you find your host family, you have unanswered questions. You meet your host family, and get excited for school. You get excited for school, and you start looking forward to the next event. Halloween. Christmas. Or maybe your country doesn't even celebrate those.

The New Year. Spring Break.

Pretty soon you are looking at the end of your year. But wait. You just got accepted?


And even when you get back home, you are just thinking about when you will see your friends again, or when you are able to return to your host country.


So there it is. An exchange year. The ultimate waiting game.


Somehow I can clearly remember this day, one year ago. The clarity of this memory actually scares me in so many different ways. One year down.

But I have time left, right?

Let's hope so. What I've learned from this is to live in the present. You can't always look to the future because when you get there, you'll have forgotten to have lived your past.



Step by steps my friends, step by step.

-mb