Stopping through Switzerland- Yes, the journey over here itself was an awesome start to our adventure. The yellow shirts, card games, pictures, videos, security, orientation in New York City, the classic shouting of- "Airport numbers- GO!", and of course the awesome Swiss Chocolate (&being confused by the two currencies) made up one heck of a trip here, which is sure to be repeated going home. Blog link: JFK to Madrid and also the trip.
Getting lost in Madrid- Now, we never actually get lost. You just loose yourself with all the excitement of the everyday adventures, bustling streets, and never-ending activites going on.
AFS Orientations- The orientation in October was really fun. In the stages of getting to know each other- it was like the first stepping stone in the year.
Taking random pictures- This is much more fun than you think. End of story.
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| Picture credited to Jake Moser |
The Ice Cream Cake- The strangest story ever, but we had a great time celebrating my & two other exchanger's birthdays at the amusement park in Madrid. Nothing like water rides in almost cold weather, and human pyramids.
Dumbledore's Army- All of us AFS kids got together to watch Harry Potter in theaters- in the nice original version, English. Before the movie some of us met in Retiro Park and say went all out to look just like the characters. We later went to go eat at the famous "Foster's Hollywood" which is an American restaurant that is the only place that gives free refills.
Searching for Snow- Possibly one of the most memorable events of the entire year. An AFS trip to the local mountains to go hiking and ultimately, searching for snow. We had to climb, but we eventually found some. What's winter without snow anyhow? Not only a beautiful trip, but a lot of fun with the whole group. Blog link: Searching for Snow
Thanksgiving- The stories and troubles of 1- finding a turkey, 2- preparing it, and 3- making everything else (when you're in a country that doesn't necesarily have the typical American Thanksgiving foods...) was a whole lot of fun. I think the funniest part was just listening to the Spaniards talk about how it'd be impossible to buy turkey's as big as the ones we described. We did however, find "The American Store."
Christmas in Madrid- I've never seen such a beautiful city lit up before. The big tree in the center of Sol is crazy impressive. This past Christmas really taught me some values on how lucky I am to have what I have. Blog link: A walk through Sol. and Navidad and also Lights.
The Royal Mysteries- We will never understand it, but this breadcrust is a 'very famous' piece of modern art from the Reina Sofia Museum. Along with some others. The elevator of this place is the best.
Carnaval- Still need to blog about this one, but I went around McDonald's to see if I could get group pictures. A bit weird, but the reward is that you can actually see what it's all about. A festival bigger than Halloween, but people usually go with a group theme. And everyone dresses up from all ages. Everyone.
AFS North meets South- I was able to meet and see some AFSers that I hadn't seen since September while they came down for a vacation to Alicante. It was really nice to get together and visit again!
Home meets Home- I was able to meet up with my American school's annual 'Spain Trip' back in Madrid for a weekend. Being able to show my "home" my new "home" was awesome. It made me realize how much I'd grown since the beginning. But like- what's cooler than being with your Spanish teacher- IN Spain?!
Will you marry me?- My older host sister's wedding was a very cultural experience. And my job as photographer turned out to be a success. I had always wanted to photoshoot a wedding, and finally got the chance.
Mistakes- Life is full of them. But you learn from your mistakes, and grow. And when you grow, that's a highlight, right? So make mistakes. Try new things. Don't be embaressed. Remember, it's a part of life.
But as a last note, looking back at all this makes me realize how much filled up this year. I miss Spain, and I haven't even left yet...
-mb
Hi MaryBeth!
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to let you know how much I have enjoyed reading your blog during your adventures! I am heading down to Chile with AFS in July for a semester, but I originally was planning on going to Spain, and I can't tell you enough how nice it has been to read your blog! You have done such a nice job, and it has been really helpful to all of us that are not yet on an exchange! THANK YOU! Enjoy your last weeks in Spain and good luck to you in the future.
Wow it looks like you have had so much fun so far! And some really great learning experiences as well! I have really enjoyed reading your blog and I thank you for how helpful it's been to read about your mistakes and experiences and how that it's ok to make those mistakes and even a good thing to make them. It makes me feel a lot more comfortable to be going! I hope that you have the best time in your last couple of weeks!
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