Oh hey.

Hey all! Just a quick update about my upcoming trip this weekend. Headed to GRANADA with IES from tomorrow til Sunday. Flamenco, Arab baths, the Alhombra. Gonna be a great time :) Catch you all on Monday after I've beasted through some lab work for Fluids and Strength of Materials. Weeeee!

Valencia and Las Fallas!

Holyyyy cannoli. What a day. SO much fun!

So Friday night, I finally got to meet up with a friend of mine, Miss Sally Fehskens. We sat outside in Plaza Mayor and had cañas and just enjoyed the nice evening. Was so good to see her :) Then I got home and crashed around 9PM because I was EXHAUSTED. This past week really kicked my butt. Being sick didn't help either. Oh but after all that sleep, I woke up at 7:30 AM on Saturday ready to go! Seriously, I felt so much better.

Saturday. Like I said, up at 7:30 AM to meet the group by 9AM at Ciudad Universitaria. We all met and got on bus #20 (of, like, fifty-some) and it was off to Valencia. It was about a four and a half hour trip, I think. Not bad at all. We made a pit-stop in the middle of nowhere about two hours in. There were SO many people going on this bus trip, it was insane. We finally unloaded in Valencia around 2PM and we were on our own until 5:30AM, when we'd meet back at the bus.

So first things first. We went and got something to eat at a little restaurant.

Then we kinda wandered around the different neighborhoods looking at the different fallas. These things were SO big and SO pretty and SO well done. Each neighborhood makes one and then they're voted on. The best one gets saved and put in a museum while the other ones are burned. We also got to see the parade. Sort of. We got stuck in the back because there were a lot of people. But it was still cool. Thennnn around midnight, they started burning stuff.

They'd start each burning off with fireworks (ps. That's the closest I've even been to fireworks. That kinda thing would NOT fly in the states. I was picking bits of firework out of my hair), and then they'd set of fireworks around the falla. These fireworks would eventually set the whole thing on fire and then SHWOOMP. Big. Giant. Flames. It was just so awesome to see. Quite toasty, too. In a matter of minutes, this big giant structure was just a pile of ashes. This went on until about 3:30AM and we were able to see about three different burnings. Thennnnn we just kinda hug out different places, trying to find bathrooms and keep warm and stay awake. And finally, we got back on the bus and were on our way home.

I think I'm back to my sick self again haha my eyes are killing me and I'm just exhausted. SO WORTH IT THOUGH. Gonna pop some NyQuil and head to bed early tonight. But not before skyping the family and wishing mi padre a happy Dia de Los Padres, which was yesterday. Aka. Spain's Father's Day.

EXCITEMENT. And then I promise to go study...

I was just notified that I've been selected as a 2011 McNair Summer Research Scholar! Meaningggg that I get to spend the summer in Rochester doing BME research with a faculty member and taking a GRE prep course. GREAT DAY :)

Alright. Art and architecture history awaits...

Rain, rain, go away...

The weather lately has been really bad for my physical activity level. Unless I wake up and the sun is beaming through my window calling "Andi! Come out to play!", I will not go running. And I haven't gone since Thursday. Also, your available space to dry clothes on seriously decreases when it rains, seeing as you can't hang clothes on the line outside. Le sigh. Guess this means I should go studyyyyy...

This Saturday. VALENCIA. LAS FALLAS. ALL DAY, ALL NIGHT. Yes.

Un día exitosa :)

HI ALL.

Just have to post about my successful afternoon. I had class until 4, after which I stayed back with Sam to chat with some of our Spanish classmates. They're all really nice and funny and it was good to talk with them and bond over the fact that we have no idea what's going on in Fluid Mechanics. Then I had some errands to run. You may recall about a month ago when I had to put minutes on my phone and buy a gift and things like that and pretty much had a breakdown. Ah but today...today was different. I made my way down Calle de la Princesa in the rain with my special little yellow umbrella (which, by the way, was harder to maneuver through the crowded city streets than I'd anticipated) with a mission. I not only added minutes to my phone, but I bought stamps, envelopes, and even a book (in Spanish!). All without dissolving into a bucket of tears. It felt really good. I know it seems silly, but it's the little things, ya know? What a difference a month makes. Just a little self-esteem booster for me and reassurance that I'm not completely hopeless haha :)

So yeah. Tonight Aindrea and I are going on a pub crawl and I'm rather excited to meet some new people. Seems like a very tourist-y thing to do, but I don't mind. I just sure hope it stops drizzling. Bah. OKAY BYE :)

Carnaval!

First two midterms completed = overdue Carnaval update.

So. Carnaval. Basically a big party weekend right before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. People dress up in fun costumes and there are parades and other activities all over the city.

Friday: Aindrea and I went to the opening parade which ended in Plaza de la Villa. A bunch of people (actors, I'm assuming) were dressed up in kooky costumes were parading down the street to the plaza. The last to arrive was this jolly tubby man who I learned is called Don Carnal. Here in Plaza de la Villa, Don Carnal asked for the key to the city from some higher-up in the town (this was all spoken in Spanish. I understood most of it, but am kinda fuzzy on the details).

When he and his band of crazies received the key, he announced "La ciudad es nuestra! (The city is ours!)" and Carnaval has begun! It was really cool to see the skit play out and to see all the kooky costumes. "Viva Madrid y viva el Carnaval!"

Saturday: Aindrea and I also attended the grand parade near Banco de España. There were SO many people, but luckily were tall and were able to push our way to the front to catch some of the action.

There were all kinds of performers including dancers from different Spanish-speaking countries and acrobats. So exciting and SO many people. Seriously, we almost experienced a thrown-down between some older folk because they were arguing about being too short to see anything.

Quite amusing. Later that evening, we opted out of attending the giant REC Madrid in Casa de Campo and just wandered around Sol instead. Still a great night. Many an interesting costume were displayed downtown that night haha

Yayyy Carnaval! I'm so glad I was here to experience it. This week was full of studying since I had a midterm yesterday and today. Oh but I did go out for Venezuelan food Monday night with Gillian and Aindrea. Tonight, I'm having Ecuadorian food and possibly going out for a while. I really am having a wonderful time and get kinda sad when thinking about how we're almost halfway done with our time here. I feel like I've just arrived! Ah! Oh, and I have plans to go to Barcelona for the first half of Semana Santa. So yay :) Yep. Life is good, friends!

Not to brag, BUTTTTTTT...

...Aindrea and I definitely saw the King and Queen of Spain last night.

STORY TIME:

So I was chillin in my room, conjugating verbs like a champ on studyspanish.com when Aindrea came in and told me that someone important was coming down the street outside our apartment. We look outside to see the normally busy street with not a single car on it and policemen lined up along it. First, some policemen on motorcycles drove by, then some important-looking black cars. And THENNNNN we saw the King and Queen's car! We knew it had to be them by the way it was being driven surrounded by four other cars, one on each side. It was black and shiny and had a fancy seal on it and flags too. Yup. ROYALTY. So excited. Some other people drove by after them in other important-looking vehicles.

So yeah, that was kind of AWESOME :)

Had a wonderful Carnaval weekend! My next post will include pics and the whole recap. Right now I'm focusing on my two midterms this week and three next week. AH!

<3