A Good Day

So pretty much every single day is a good day. But some days are just better than others. This past weekend I had one of those days. Chelsey and I had been seeing signs all around Alcala for the Circus. Now my mom says that I have been to one...but I don't recall this so in my mind I've never been, and neither had Chels. So we had thought about maybe twice during the week, but then we went to Barcelona so of course the Circus was the last thing on my mind. Wouldn't ya know it though, as we are driving through Alcala to get home, we discovered that the Circus is maybe 100 yards from our house...Done and Done.We told Ana Maria we wanted to go and she was so excited for us. She had gone with Oscar earlier in the week and had nothing but good things to say about it. We timed it perfectly. The Circus started at 5pm. Chelsey and I were like giddy little children, no joke. Neither of us could stop smiling and we just found joy in every single thing that happened. It was so much fun.

The Circus ended at 7pm and at 730pm we met up with Lindsay and headed to Madrid for the event we had been waiting on for weeks now. FC BARCELONA GAME! You heard right my friends! I went to a freaking Barca game! I saw Iniesta, Puyol, Fabregas, Pique, Xavi and most importantly MESSI!!! IN FREAKING PERSON! Lionel Messi. The best soccer player in the entire world. And I was in his presence. I could have died right then and there and been perfectly happy. Oh that's right I almost did. FC Barca was playing Atletico Madrid. Now if anyone knows anything about European Soccer, you know that the fans are loyal to the death. Madrid fans do not and will never cheer for Barca and vica versa. So needless to say, a home game for Atletico Madrid was not the best place to wear my new Messi jersey.

For those who know me, you know that I am not someone who is scared to walk into rival territory supporting my team. I'm a loyal fan and not a sport idiot so I can defend myself. But when you're not in the states, and you don't understand the language very well, fear is inevitable. I kept my hoodie zipped all the way up for the entire game. I also didn't cheer when Barca had anything great happen....like scoring. Again if you know me, it was extremely difficult to just keep quiet. But hey I got to watch freaking Messi. Nothing was gonna bring me down. It was a good game and it went by way to fast if you ask me. Barca won 2 to 1. (side note: the attractive spanish man next to me kissed me on the head when Atletico scored. just wonderful)

We then took the long trip home, since the trains stop running we had to take the metro to the bus station and bus then taxi back home. It was all worth it. I had so much fun with Chelsey and Lindsay. In two weeks most of our group is going to a REAL Madrid game! Kaka and Ronaldo for those who don't know that awesomeness of this game as well. And since this game will be a home game for them, I will get to cheer as loud as I possibly want :) so excited!

In other news:

-It was Ana Maria's birthday this week! She told us that she was turning 25. She carries her age well. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to have her and my mom away from mom. She has done such a great job taking care of Chelsey and I. I honestly feel important to her, like she cares. I wasn't expecting that when we first got here so muchas gracias Ana Maria! y Feliz Cumpleanos!

-Next week....Lisbon, Portgual!! Can't wait!

till next time

~Chloe

Pure Joy.

It has been a wonderful week. I feel like I say that all the time. But really this entire experience has been the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, so again, it's been wonderful. Before I get to the highlight of my week I'll update on what's been going on. Last weekend we took a day trip to Cuenca, you can read all about it here on Chelsey's blog. It was the cutest little town, but sadly I hadn't been feeling very well for a couple days and Saturday it hit me like a ton of bricks. Chelsey was feeling the same way. By Saturday night we were both sure we were dying...not dramatic at all. We ended up spending the next two days in our beds, no church or school. Ana Maria did a great job taking care of us and by Monday afternoon we were ready to go at it again. Tuesday after class we went to Madrid with a couple girls to visit "Taste of America". They sell all these American food items that you can't find anywhere else. I may have bought my own little stash of Dr. Pepper....don't judge.

Then we prepared ourselves for the trip I've been most excited for....

BARCELONA!

I cannot even begin to describe how freaking excited I was. I have been wanting to go to Barcelona for as long as I can remember. And I'm just so grateful that I had the opportunity to do so. There is just so much to say about the trip I don't know where to start! I've heard that the beginning is the best place...so let's start there.

We left early in the morning, per usual. I knew this was going to be a great trip when everyone else had to change roommates for the week and I didn't. As I mentioned before Chels and I had been "down with the sickness" for a couple days so we were quarantined. We were totally fine by the time we left but they decided to just keep us together. Now, not saying that I wouldn't have loved rooming with someone else, but when one isn't feeling very well it's nice to have some sort of stability. Plus Chels and I together equals pure awesomeness.

Anyways, on the way to Barcelona, we stopped in Zaragoza where the Basilica de Pilar is located. We took a litte tour and I touched the pillar left by the Virgin Mary...I didn't kiss it though...I wasn't sure if that was sacrilegious or not. There were also two bombs hanging on the wall inside. They came through the roof but never went off...A MIRACLE! So that was pretty interesting.

Finally, that afternoon, we arrived! I made it to freaking Barcelona!! Pure Joy. That's all I can say. We checked into our hotel...now I don't mean to sound snotty or anything...but this place was horrendous. And I'm not the only one who thought so. It looked like those places in horror movies where the Jason hides in your closet and then chops you up. To be honest, I was completely terrified. I feel like such a brat...but the water wasn't even working when we got there! and the beds looked like that had nastiness things in them and the shower was salt water once it started working. I'm justified in being afraid right?

Luckily, the situation was made better when Lance and Jacqui took us to gelato. Not gonna lie, after eating italian gelato, nothing here has met my standards...well this place did it. It's called Amorino and it was divine. Divine I tell you. I mean goodness that great should be illegal.

We also got to visit the Boqueria Market on La Rambla, it was way cool. There was just so much fruit...and other interesting choices of food. I can't believe people eat some of this stuff....that I'VE eaten some of this stuff. Ugh. Yeah that's a cows tongue. No big deal.

We then wandered down La Rambla until we found ourselves at the pier. Man do I freaking love water! It was dark and you couldn't even really see anything, but just knowing that I was dangling my feet over the Mediterranean Sea...again Pure Joy. We then ventured back to the hotel to enjoy a wonderfully terrifying night of sleep.

The next day was our designated tour day. We woke up bright and early and hopped on the bus for a tour of the city. I discovered that I am completely naive. Barcelona is huge! I guess when you hear about the same couple things you kinda forget that there is a whole city there. We visited the Park Guell. This place shows off some of the architecture stylings of Gaudi. It was pretty freaking cool. And the weather? just fantastic in case you were curious. When we were leaving the park we received some great news....WE WERE MOVING HOTELS! Apparently, we weren't the only ones not impressed with the hotel. So we ran, literally ran, to our hotel and packed up everything and got outta there. It took ten minutes. That is very impressive for 23 girls. Just saying.

Anyways, after packing all our things onto our bus, we headed toward the Sagrada Familia. Simply amazing. I mean really, I don't have any other words...do you think my art professor will accept that for our essay? It's another Gaudi creation. Why is he so good?

We then visited the Picasso Museum. He wasn't always a crazy artist...did ya know? My favorite part was the Las Meninas section. He repaints different sections of the original Velasquez painting, except in his Picasso style. It was actually pretty cool. We then made our way to our new hotel, which was WAY nicer by the way. It reminded me of a place my dad would stay. For those who know him, I just provided the perfect description. After we got settled we went to dinner at a nearby Thai food place. Alana Woodbury was living in Thailand before the program and helped us order the best things. Let me tell you, it was great. I just love Thai food. After that we just settled into our hotel and talked with a couple of the girls. It's like a big ol' sleepover when we are all together.

The next morning was our last day on Barcelona...and I started it by watching the sunrise on the beach. You have my permission to be jealous. It was amazing! Seriously everyone should experience it at some point in their lives. We had to wake up pretty dang early since the sunrise was at 730 and we didn't know exactly where to go. But thankfully I'm a map genius and I got us there without any trouble. It was so worth it getting up. I love the beach. With all of my heart. My grandma has always told me that I belong on a beach, and it's so true. I'm a person who needs warmth, water, sand, sun, bright colors, relaxation, etc. The beach is just a place that always provides these things for me. I'm probably gonna need to live on/near one at some point in my life.

Anyways, that day was Friday and our free day. So after the sunrise Chels, Lindsay, Jenna, Hilary and I went off to see the city. The Fab Five as I like to call us. We first went to the Cathedral of Barcelona. It's really weird going through one without a guide like we usually do. But it was nice at the same time. We spent all the time we wanted there and were able to just walk around. This Cathedral always has 13 geese in its cloister to represent one year in the life of the martyr Santa Eulalia, a young girl tortured to death in the 4th century by the Romans for her religion. I also may have smacked a random ladies butt while in there. It was an accident of course, I simply thought she was one of the other girls in our group. Surprisingly, she thought it was as hilarious as I did so no worries, it all worked out.

Afterward, Chels and I went to a little plaza area while the other three went shopping. Now for some information about Chelsey. She hates birds. Not saying that I like them, but Chelsey absolutely despises them. Anytime one flies or waddles anywhere near us she flinches and makes faces. And this plaza was crawling in birds. I convinced her that we should go walk/stand around the birds and let me tell you, she is stinking funny around em. She has a video so someday when she finally posts it I will share but until then, just imagine us "ghosting" birds and squealing/screaming when they fly.

We then met up withthe other girls and went to Hard Rock Cafe then back to the beach. Duh we went to the beach again. I would have stayed there all day if someone had let me.It wasn't very hot (but it was nice) and the water was freezing so I didn't get in the water. In fact, Chelsey was the only one who did. Here's a video of the entire scene:

We had been told that, even though they aren't nude beaches, some people may be naked. We were finishing up our beach trip, so I thought that we had gotten lucky. I was so very wrong. This very tan, old Spanish man showed up all of the sudden. It was seriously out of nowhere....and he was completely butt-naked....and he walked right by us....literally about 15 feet away. Some people amaze me. Guess it's all part of the experience. We quickly got our stuff and booked it outta that area.

Once we were clear of him we slowed down and took our time walking down the boardwalk. We then decided we didn't want to walk all the way back to La Rambla, but we needed to get there...So we stopped Kitty and Adam, the best bike trailer peeps ever and caught a ride. It was so fun just chilling riding in a bike cart along the beach.

When we got to La Rambla, I made a shopping stop. Disclaimer: I've been extremely good about my spending while here. Chelsey can vouch for me. So I felt it was okay to purchase a couple things, namely FC Barcelona gear (it's not all for me). I was/still am just so freaking happy about my purchases. I even got to wear some of it to a game! But more on that later.

After we got some more gelato (I owed Chels for getting in the water) we headed back to the hotel. A bunch of the girls made plans to go clubbing, but I laid down at 830 just to chill and next thing I know it's 3am and I'm making sure my alarm is set so we can wake up in time for the bus to leave. I completely zonked out. Don't remember a single thing. Obviously I was exhausted, but those are the best kinds of sleep right? So ended my Barcelona adventure. Pure Joy. That pretty much describes my trip in two words. I am just so grateful that I was able to have this opportunity.

till next time

~Chloe

Gratitude

These past couple weeks I have been grateful for:

-Two working legs, that are the same length, that have never failed me.

-Caring friends. Friends that are aware of you and your feelings and are always there for you.

-An understanding mother. Even though I am in the most amazing place on earth, having the most amazing experiences, she is there to listen to me whine and complain about the tiniest things and she doesn't judge.

-Having the opportunity to make new friends. My friends back home can never be replaced, but making new ones has never been so fun!

-The blessing of having the best roommate on this program. I get along with all the other girls, but I am so grateful that Chelsey was the one I saw outside of class and decided I wanted to live. The Lord sure knew what He was doing last semester. We are pretty much the same person and I couldn't be happier with my choice.

-Having the means to even come on this program. I know it wasn't easy to make this happen, but I know that this is where I am suppose to be. And I'm grateful that my parents were/are willing to sacrifice so that I could be here.

-Ana Maria. She has been the most perfect host mom, I just feel bad for the other girls. No one can beat her. She has been the nicest lady to us. She is very caring and motherly and is honestly interested in us. She pays attention and is aware of our needs. I have never felt unwelcome.

-The ability to use the internet. Especially in my home.

-Skype. Yes, it deserved its own point. Skype is such an amazing invention and I don't know what I would do without it right now. I've been able to stay in contact with my family and friends. I miss my parents and sisters so much and it feels good to know that I can see them if I want. I'm able to make sure that I won't be completely out of Soren's life. AND I got to see both pairs of grandparents. (I haven't seen Grandpa Corbyn in who knows how long and may or may not have cried when he appeared in my view). I got to watch Jamie open her mission call (an experience I will always cherish) and Ash can keep me updated on everything else. Thank you Skype.

-New sheets! Ana Maria has changed our sheets probably four different times now and can I just say....I love it!

-Sun/Warmth. Having SAD definitely makes winter a lot harder than it already is. I'm grateful for the days the sun is out. I'm grateful for the random warm days in the middle of the week.

I am grateful for so many other things. Some huge, some small. But I just want to make sure that I sit down and acknowledge those things. The Lord has blessed me and I don't want these blessings to be whisked away because I took advantage of them.

In the words of Elder Ben Mack. Be grateful and Be happy!

~till next time

Chloe

One Month.

Every time I start to write a post about how epic last week was, I get overwhelmed by the fact that there is just so much to write! I don't know why I don't just keep up with things as they happen. Oh well. Last week was the biggest trip we will be taking throughout our program. We left for Andalucia Tuesday morning and came back Saturday night. Andalucia is basically the southern portion of Spain and it is my favorite place hands down. If I ever get the chance to come back to this country, Andalucia is where I'm going to go.

Tuesday: We woke up at the butt crack of dawn and began our journey southward. On they way there we stopped to see the La Mancha Windmills. If anyone knows the story of Don Quijote then you know that these are the windmills he thought were "monsters" and tried to defeat. Kinda a Monty Python-esque story. Read it. Anyways, we were only there for a couple minutes but it's fun to visit places written about in stories and start to make connections. We then continued on to our first official city, Granada. A couple of usgirls got to go to this great Italian place for dinner that night. It was so freaking good! And afterward Chelsey, Lindsay, Jenna and I watched Moulin Rouge. We are kinda obsessed with this movie and might sing it at the top of our lungs every chance we get. Don't judge.

Wednesday: We went a couple minutes outside of Granada to visit the Alhambra. This place is basically a fortress palace complex. I'm not really sure how else to describe it. There is so much history and we spent hours touring and walking through this area. It was a little bit chilly when we were in the shade but other than that it was a beautiful day. There was also a point in the Alhambra where you got a great view of the Sierra Nevada Mountains (apparently the U.S. is not original when naming things.)....I mostly just said that as a fun fact...yep.

After that we made our way to Cordoba. By the time we got there we had just enough time to get dinner and watch a movie. We started watching Baby Mama with some of the girls but I had to go to bed relatively early...Why you may ask? BECAUSE JAMIE PICKETT GOT HER MISSION CALL! For the last two weeks I have been carrying my phone around just in case she got it and opened it at some obscure time. Finally she found out she would be getting it on Wednesday and planned on opening it at 8pm Utah time....for everyone's information that is 4am my time...and yes I did wake up at 4am and skype her so that I could "be there". Just for you James, just for you. It was absolutely worth it. As soon as she began the process of opening it I was bawling. I guess it's a good thing I was on the computer and not actually there. Jamie has been called to serve in the Brazil Salvador Mission and reports July 18th!! It was such an awesome experience watching her open it. And I can not begin to explain the selfish happiness I feel that I get to spend most of the summer with her before she leaves. She is going to be a fantastic missionary :) woah a little teary eyed while writing this ha love ya girl.

Thursday: As you can imagine, that morning was a bit of a rough one for me, as was the rest of the day. But it was still a good one. We went literally across the street from our hotel to the Mezquita. It's actually a way cool building with three different religious influences filling it. Moorish, Islamic and Christian. I wish I had been more responsive, I would have learned much more, but if I'm being honest, I was half dead. After we took a tour of the city area around the Mezquita. There are a ton of cool little areas that are fun for picture taking.

We then got to go to the Medina Azahara. This was my kind of place! Located here are the ruins of a Arab/Muslim palace fortress thingy. It was unlike anything we have seen while in Spain so it was very refreshing to see something new. Especially for me at that point because I was walking around like a sloth and for the hour we were there I was running around like a crazy person. It was just wonderful! We got in trouble by the "palace nazis" because we kept climbing on everything but seriously how could you not! All Lindsay and I wanted to do was play some hide and seek. Sadly this did not get to happen but oh well. Afterward they should us a movie about the place...but as soon as the little went off I was out. My bad! We then made it to Sevilla.

Friday: Friday was probably the best day I have had while in Spain..no I take it back. It was the best day I have had while in Spain. And trust me, that is saying something. We got up and toured around the city like we normally do, but Sevilla is the most gorgeous city! Everywhere we went I was just blown away but how beautiful it was and more so that there was all this history! Spain knows how to do things right. When we went to the Catedral de Sevilla I got to see Christopher Columbus...yeah I was standing next to someone talked about in the Book of Mormon...no big deal.

After our tours we were allowed around 6 hours of free time....we would need every single minute of it! We immediately went to eat our lunch and Lindsay, Hilary and I may have split some chocolate cake...it was delightful. When we left the cafe to find Jenna outside she was sitting next to an old man, which isn't that strange since the people here like to talk to us, cause we're awesome. But this old man was great! His name is Carlos and he is 85 years old. When we reached Jenna, she introduced us and told him how everyone else spoke Spanish and how I didn't speak very much..I don't know if this intrigued him or something but he then proceeded to talk to me. He patted the spot next to him and asked me to sit and then proceed to say how "bonita y simpatica" we were. He also did not stop touching me haha. His hand was on my thigh most of the time we were talking. When we asked him if he was married he pointed on the other side of me and said "she's right there". Apparently his sociableness does not faze her. He even kissed Lindsay on the lips! Good ol' Carlos. We will never forget you!

We then went to the park and rode a zip line for probably about an hour straight, rode bikes around the park and then went to Plaza Espana where Jenna, Kristie, Marynn and I rowed a boat around the plaza. Seriously, it was just non-stop fun! I can not remember the last time I was just completely happy to be outside, wandering life, enjoying the simplest moments of life. I need to remember to be more grateful for days like that. And it wasn't over yet.

We met up with the group that night and went to watch a Flamenco performance! It was so cool! It was very small and intimate, I could feel the wind from the women's dresses spinning. I loved every second of it! Seeing the sights is great and all but this was really our first experience with some of the culture of Spain. We were all raving about it afterwards, i'm sure we woke up the entire city with our loudness.

Saturday: We had to head back to Alcala on Saturday. It was very bittersweet.

We were all really tired and ready to be back home but at the same time I could have stayed another week just in Sevilla. On the way home we stopped in Merida and saw some Roman ruins. Man it made me miss Italy. Seriously, once you've seen the Coliseum nothing else compares. But the ruins were still really cool and it was fun watching the other girls get more excited about their week trip to Italy in March.

It's been great to just be chilling in Alcala this week. We went into Madrid on Tuesday but other than that Chels and I haven't really done anything. For some reason we've both been having a hard time waking up this week. No we aren't staying up later than usual. We're getting about 8 hours of sleep so it's not really making sense. On top of it, we keep switching between feeling good and then feeling poopie. Hopefully after this week of next week of just relaxin we can get ready to Barcelona.

Today we took a day trip to Segovia and it was very cold. Ana Maria even bought us each a hat/neck warmer and got me some legging/tights just so we would stay warm. She is really a sweet lady! Anyways, it wasn't the best day I've had so far. But it did mark the one month mark. I cannot believe I've only been gone a month! It feels like I've been gone forever! I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing (maybe a bad thing today) but I can't wait to see what other experiences I'm going to have in the next couple weeks.

I'm gonna try and be better about posting more regularly. Cause let's face it...this is way to much information to put out there right now. I put off writing and then when the time comes to post I get stressed out about how much I need to write so I put it off even more...professional procrastinator right here.

Random note: my hair is getting longer! and I have more mass and weight then I've ever had in my life. WONDERFUL! And I learned how to enhance certain colors with my camera...kinda obsessed right now.

~till next time

Chloe

just another week in paradise!

Monday: I'm not entirely sure if I remember what went on this past Monday. It seems like such a long time ago! Monday's are usually pretty boring because we don't have enough time to go anywhere before our Religion class in the afternoon. We did plan on going into Madrid with Jenna and Lindsay on Tuesday, and I was suppose to help plan for our after program travel trip right after class.

Tuesday: After class I met up with "The Fellowship" and we started talking about where we want to stay, how we would get there, all those sorts of important details. Well Lindsay and Jenna needed to leave because Lindsay needed to visit the U.S Embassy to get her visa for Bulgaria (where she is serving her mission starting in April). Because she is leaving two weeks after she gets home from Spain she has to figure all of that out here.

Anyways, they left and told us to met them at the train station at 1230...I made us run late because of the planning and we didn't get there till 110. They were already gone at that point so we decided to go into Madrid and try to find them. We knew the general area they would be in and figured it should be that difficult to find the Embassy.

As we sat down on the train a girl sat down near us and, after hearing us talk for a minute, asked if we were American. This is a common occurrence, but her accent was not Spanish. Her name was Sophie and she was a native born Australian whose parents live in Alcala and who had also just returned from a semester in France. Yes, this 18 year old is a tri-lingual high school student...I fail at life. We talked to her the whole way to Atocha and she even shared some Madrid travel secrets with us. Like how to avoid taking the metro at times, and what places to stay away from and what places to visit. After saying goodbye to her we went on our ways towards where we thought the Embassy would be. It was a beautiful day, so we really didn't mind that we were wandering the streets and that no one knew where the Embassy was. After a while we gave up on trying to find the girls and went to SOL. I had been told by multiple people that San Gines was the best place to have Chocolate con Churros. So we went forth to find, and find we did. Seriously. No place will ever beat San Gines!! It was amazing! Then, being the fatties that we are, we went straight to Freddo Freddo, the Gelato Shop. Why yes, the same gelato shop that we visited before. This time the owner was way nice! She talked to us for a long time and told us all about her plans for her shop and what flavors she had, etc. And what makes it even better? She totally remembered who we were! Not our names of course, but she recognized us and even remembered what I had gotten the last time I was there. We've decided that we will be regulars there.

After that we headed on back to Alcala where we decided we needed to visit the supermarket. So off to Carrefour we went! Carrefour is the equivalent of Walmart. Maybe that's why we like it so much...it gives you the tiniest feeling of being home...even though none of the food is the same...and it's all in Spanish. Anyways, guess who we ran into while we were there? Yep, Lindsay and Jenna. The same Lindsay and Jenna we had spent half the day looking for! It was meant to be :) We got what we needed then went and got our favorite candy from our favorite candy shop THEN headed on home. It was honestly just a wonderful, warm, relaxing, adventurous day.

Wednesday: So Chelsey and I have decided that Wednesdays are our designated chill days. Every Wednesday since we've been here we've stayed at home and taken siestas or done homework. This wed. was no different. We even skipped out on playing soccer with people from church. BUT i got all my homework done! so boo yah!

Thursday: This was a marathon day for sure. Lindsay wasn't able to get her visa situation figured out on Tuesday because they weren't open for that sort of thing at the time she went. In order for her to be able to go during the time it was open she would have to miss class. Here it's not that big of a deal since everything is so chill. She didn't want to go alone and asked me to join her, since I can get around better than most others. So that morning I left home and went straight to the train station. We got to the Embassy and inside with no problems. Then the waiting began. It was really only about and hour and a half total, and it honestly went by pretty quickly. But no one could help poor Lindsay. She explained what she needed and why so many times and no one seemed to understand what they were suppose to do. It was so frustrating! I felt so bad, but I just kept telling myself and her that she is going on a mission...the Lord will make it so that things work out, especially since she is trying so hard and is doing what He is asking of her. After that failure of a trip we called the girls and told them to meet us in SOL. We got there a bit earlier than them, so we went to McDonalds and started watching Moulin Rouge on her iPod. I LOVE LOVE LOVE THAT MOVIE!! and luckily so does Lindsay! We literally sang Moulin Rouge songs the rest of the day.

Anyways, once the girls got there we headed to San Gines to cheer Lindsay up and show the other girls just how good it was. They agree. It's the best. Then, since we had told them how awesome the gelato shop had been on Tuesday...we went back to Freddo Freddo! This time she recognized us for sure, especially since I busted in there saying "We're back!". We learned that her name is Janice and we very saddened to hear that she would be leaving till March!! Chelsey and I were actually very distraught when she told us. We were so excited to be regulars to a place and know the owner and now she is leaving us...but don't worry. That just means we will be eating a lot of gelato in March before we leave.

We then went to find this old Egyptian Temple that is somewhere in Madrid, but instead ended up finding a cool little market thingy and a park. Even though it wasn't what we had been looking for, it was still very fun. We got to witness a couple pretty much do the dirty, right next to an old couple. Jenna and I played "James Bond" stalking the other girls in a maze of shubbery. We watched people break dance. And we sang Moulin Rouge at the top of our lungs. Just another day in Paradise. On the way home we stopped at Carrefour again to get some snacks for our first weekend trip. I also made Chels go into Ella Fashion with me to buy a coat since we were told it was going to be chilly....soooo glad that I did.

Friday: Friday we woke up way early and headed on our way toward Avila. We had been told that it was a higher elevation and that it would be colder, but I kinda shoved it aside thinking that I would be fine. When we got there it was freezing! At that point there wasn't any precipitation falling but it was muggy and cloudy and just down right cold. Thank goodness I bought that coat. After about half an hour of being there it started snowing, and all I had on my feet were my Sperrys. Yep that's it. Luckily I have awesome friends! Lindsay had tights and socks on...she took off her socks and offered them to me! I may have looked retarded but hey they matched! and my feet were 10 times more warm then they had been.

After our tour was over in Avila we headed toward Salamanca. We checked into our hotel, which was a lot nicer than I expected and right away started our next tour. We visited the cathedral and the University of Salamanca. I'll probably transfer there, just saying. Salamanca is beautiful and is totally a college town. Provo's got nothing on Salamanca. Our little group was pretty tired so after our tour we grabbed some food, and coke and ice, and went back to the hotel. Chelsey and I somehow ended up with this ginormous room so we had a little dance/eating/hanging out fiesta in our room! It was really fun actually spending time with the girls kinda dorm style. That's the one bad thing about this program, we all live so far away and in most our houses people aren't allowed to come hang out. It was really nice just being down the hall from everyone. We went to bed around 230 or 3 that morning. It was well worth it. OH AND we got to take nice, long, break free showers! I don't think i've ever mentioned this but our showers at home are, in the words of Chelsey, "3 squirts long". You rinse, turn off, add shampoo and body wash, rinse, turn off, add conditioner and shave, rinse and you're done. So being able to just stand in the shower was like heaven for us.

Saturday: We woke up in Salamanca (not like I can say that everyday) and headed home. We stopped in Toro and Tordesillas on the way. Luckily the weather was way nicer than it was on Friday. No snow, just sun. Toro was beautiful! The Spanish seriously know how to build there cities, on top of beautiful cliffs and mountain sides. We got off the bus and Jacqui asked me if I could get us to the cathedral..I couldn't since we didn't have a map but I did get us back to the bus.

We then stopped in Tordesillas. This time with a map Jacqui asked me to lead us to the convent. I successfully got us there without any problem! The convent was beautiful and very interesting. Afterward we were given time to wander around as usual so I led everyone back to the main square. When we got there, there was a four person band of old people dressed in blue. They were playing music for this elderly group of people, a couple of them were dancing. We all joined about 20 feet away to watch and enjoy and...well of course I had to start dancing. I mean come on, you can't just play music around me and expect me to just sit there. Once I started dancing an elderly man in the group called for me to join them...so naturally I did. It will probably go down as one of the highlights of my study abroad experience. After I joined most of the other girls joined as well and for the next 15 minutes we danced and laughed and took pictures with these complete strangers. It was absolutely wonderful. After that we came the rest of the way home.

You'll be happy to hear that Oscar really missed us! I feel bad cause every time he talks to us it seems he gets in trouble...I think Ana Maria thinks he bothers us but he is just too cute to bother anyone.

Sunday: Sunday was just a normal day here in Alcala. The only thing really worth talking about was the fact that our after program travel group "The Fellowship" booked our Paris hotel! We now have everything planned and booked till we get to London.

Monday: Today was suppose to be a very chill day and turned out to be very full. Chels and I were planning on going to a market after class...this market is pretty much the equivalent of D.I. She ended up going by herself. I helped Hilary go to Madrid and visit the doctor. Let me explain. Hilary hasn't been feeling very well and we've already had a couple girls who have been sick enough to visit the doctor so our directors had her make an appointment. I originally wasn't suppose to go with her but the Jenna Miller (her roomie) fainted right before they were suppose to leave. That's when Hil asked me to come...like I mentioned earlier I've become known as the navigator. After that I came home and headed to our Religion class. Chels and I then went to Carrefour and got ourselves stalked up on food for this week. (it's not all junk don't worry).

We are leaving tomorrow morning at 8 am to go to Andalucia, which is the southern region of Spain. We won't be getting back till Saturday evening. It's going to be a long trip and honestly packing for it has been a bit annoying but it is going to be very exciting and hopefully warmer than this past weekend.

I know that I am forgetting things BUT that's all I have for now.

till next time

~Chloe

Marathon Post

Woah it's been awhile since I last wrote...I've got a lot to say so prepare yourself for what I like to call a marathon post.

So we started classes on Monday. It's been great not having school but i'll be honest it's been nice to have a set schedule now. It's only been three days but I already feel like i've learned so much. My Spanish classes have been frustrating at time, I won't lie. But that's the beauty of living in Spain...I don't just go to class and then never speak Spanish again.

Our religion class started on Monday night as well. The class is about the History of the Church in Spain. Yeah I know, it's wonderful. Brother Lopez spent the first class talking about writing in journals, writing your own history because you are important. And can I just say, I think that this is going to be the best religion class I have ever taken. I felt the Spirit so strongly in that hour and i'm so grateful that he spoke in english because I wouldn't have gotten nearly as much out of it.

Tuesdays we just have our Spanish classes so we get done by noon and a couple of girls (Chelsey, Lindsay, Jenna S, Jenna M, Hilary) decided to go into Madrid. We have a Madrid Walks class where we were given 6 different walks in Madrid that we have to complete before the semester ends..with no write ups..just do it. Probably the hardest class I have ever taken. I mean gosh get credit for sightseeing in Madrid? It's absolutely horrifying! We decided to choose the walk that included going pass the Prado and the Parque del Retiro...so pretty much the same thing Chelsey and I did last Saturday. But that was totally fine because we love that park!! We were soo excited to show it to the girls and it was a very fun day. I have become known amongst us as the human GPS ha I just remember where I've been and can navigate a map...guess having a dad who has been scoutmaster/young mens/camping/hunting my whole life has paid off. Everyone is good at something right? I'm good at navigating.

Wednesday was very chill. Chelsey wasn't feeling very well so after school we just headed back home and hung out. Chels napped and I did homework. It was nice, I mean at that point I had only been here a little over a week, it's not like we have to be doing something all day everyday.

Thursday is another one of our short days. So again Chelsey, Lindsay Jenna S and I went back into Madrid. This time to the Puerta de Sol (the same place we went our very first time into Madrid). We wandered around, got some gelato (not as good as in Italy, but still wonderful) and planned things we want to do before this trip is over...and some afterwards ha. Honestly it was a great day. The weather has been awesome pretty much the whole time we've been here! Except for a couple rainy cold days it's been nothing but sunny, and Thursday was no different. It was fun being in a beautiful city with the friends I have made so far on this program. It was a great reminder of a pro of coming. Not that I've been regretting coming at all, mostly just being frustrated with Spanish has gotten me down..oh and the fact that I'm getting larger. But I can't let those things distract from the fact that I'm in Spain!! I mean i'm never going to have this opportunity again and most people will NEVER get this opportunity...so suck it up Chloe.

Anyways, off my soap box. Friday was our first "trip" while here. We went to Toledo!! It is probably the most beautiful place I have ever been in my entire life. Not exaggerating. This city is so full of history, beauty, life, everything! We saw a house there worth 10 million American dollars. When I'm rich one day (yes I said when) I will be living there....okay maybe not that house, but I'm going to have some sort of house/apartment there. Sadly we only got to spend one day there so we headed back Friday afternoon, but I'm pretty sure Ana Maria told us today she is going to take us back since we didn't see some the important things there (unless I misunderstood, which is honestly about 98% possible) I would love to go back, it's seriously a breathtaking city.

Yesterday was also an amazing day! Chels and I got to sleep in, which was nice. When we were eating breakfast Ana Maria asked what we were doing today and we told her we didn't really have any plans, just that we wanted to run, you know, get some exercise. Well she then proceeded to tell us about the Parque Europa. She told us there was a zipline there and all sorts of things. I took it as oh you should go to this place sometime. When we said that sounded like fun and that we would like to go she said get dressed and we will go right now. Right now?! yep right now. So we got ready and headed out. I cannot tell you how excited I was, not necessarily to be going to this specific park (even though it sounded awesome) but more about the fact that Ana Maria invited us someplace with her and Oscar! She doesn't hate us!!! I was so so so excited! So we get to this park and it's just adorable! It has all the "touristy famous" places in Europe miniaturized and packed into one park for you to visit. It was so fun! We got to ride trains and cars with Oscar and Chels and I went on the zipline. Don't judge, it was very fun! Then we went and got some kebabs. I don't even know how to describe what these are...some sort of sandwich, taco, burrito thing. all mashed into one. It was yummy. Ana Maria then took us to yet another park! I don't know exactly if I'm saying this right but it was the Parque de la Nacionales....or something of that sort. We ate our food and then we rented bikes from the park in Madrid and went on an hour long bike ride around this park...and didn't even hit it all. (P.S. the renting of the bikes...FREE! yeah I know, I love Spain) It was all Ana Maria's idea and she kept saying something about how riding the bike was exercise...I guess she wanted us to feel good about hanging with them rather than running...trust me Ana Maria, I would rather go to a park with you and Oscar than go running any day. This park was so beautiful. Chelsey and I didn't know what to do with ourselves. Ana Maria was on a mission while we were riding bikes so we didn't really get to stop and look around much. We have decided that we will be going back. It was such an amazing day!

Today we had church again. I still can't understand, though I think i'm getting a little bit better? It's just hard for me now cause they talk so dang fast. If everyone would just slow down to Chloe's level everything would be perfect. Chels and I have spent the rest of the day completing homework and catching up with people via skype. I even got to see my most favorite person in the universe! If you don't know who this is then shame on you....

Soren was just as happy and smiley as ever.

I can't believe that I have only been here two weeks. It feels like I have been here forever! Not that this is a bad thing, but it's crazy to think about how much I have done and I still have ten more weeks left in my program...I worry sometimes that I will run out of things to do...but then again, I'm not in Provo anymore.

I'm sorry but I'm not going to add any pictures to this post...It's already way long and like i've said before it's way to much of a hassle for me at this moment...Lo siento everybody.

till next time

~Chloe

Ridin' Solo

So todays ends my first weekend in Alcala. and let me just say that I feel like I have been here for weeks. no joke. Every single day just seems to go on and on. Which is good, don't get me wrong, but at the same time it's overwhelming to remember just how much more I have to do.

As I mentioned before, for our Spanish Art class we were given an assignment to go to the Prado and find these ten specific pieces of art. Well Monday thru Saturday the museum is open from 6-8pm for free! it's very nice. So after facebooking girls in the group, Chelsey and I just decided to go to Madrid on our own and just make a day out of is. Ana Maria told us that while we were by the Prado that we HAD to go to the Parque del Retiro. We slept in a bit, had lunch in Alcala, played with Oscar, then went on our way to Madrid just to two of us...it was actually really nice not having a huge group going together.

Anyways, we found the park and walked around for 3 hours. It's basically the equivalent of Central Park in NYC....in other words it's WONDERFUL! We absolutely loved it! The weather was perfect and we just wandered around the park basking in the glory that is Madrid. There is a mini lake/pond thingy in the center of the park where you can row around in the water. We didn't do that this time but we are definitely getting a couple more girls and doing it before we leave.

Things to remember from our first park trip

-there were freaking cats everywhere! I kid you not it was ridiculous.

-I'm starting to not be worried about Chels and I getting snuck up on. We are both very aware of what is going on around us and react to pretty much anything suspicious. A couple times while on the way to/at the park, one or both of us would notice some creepy person and get somewhere "safer" quickly.

-we are tired of our picture poses. I expect that we will come up with new inventive ones just to change things up a bit.

We then found a couple girls from our program in the line to get into the Prado. Once we were in we split up, so that we wouldn't be in a huge group, and went on a hunt to find the pieces. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. It's amazing to see pieces of art that I have heard about or studied in real life! like that painting is right there in front of you. You can just reach out and touch it...but we don't of course cause that could be bad. It's only open for free for two hours and we used an hour and a half finding and analyzing our paintings...2 hours is just not enough time to spend there! We will for sure be going back.

Today we had Church. Like most everything else, it is on the other side of the city. Also like everything else, it's in Spanish. Luckily, Lindsay sat next to me in Relief Society and explained what we were talking about. Once I figured that out it was easier for me to try and follow along. They do Relief Society first here, then Sunday School and then Sacrament. It was freezing today! And to top it off the heater broke in the church building. They cancelled the talks in Sacrament so that everyone could go home early and "not get sick".

Tonight we are having a group party thing at the Larson's place. It will be nice to just chill with the girls in a closed environment with nothing else to distract us. We just had dinner and it was a feast! Ana Maria had her friends Mercedes and Freddy over with their son Alex. They are so funny and we were laughing the entire time. And the best thing, I could figure out what they were saying! I'm learning so much! :)

Tomorrow we start our other classes! So excited and ready for my Spanish class to start. Let's get this language thing going already! This next week we have our first Temple trip and a day trip to Toledo. Should be exciting!

Other things to note:

-my friend Clark works in the MTC and asked me (through FB) if I had a little brother in the MTC...no I don't...CAUSE IT'S SPENCER!!!! I cannot even begin to describe my joy when he told me he was going to be sitting in class. Spencer is on a freaking mission!! Hooray! I'm way sad that I didn't get to see him before he left, but I will write him and I'll see him when he gets home so it's all good.

-I love Flan. That's all.

-Chelsey and I are getting along perfectly! It's a marvelous match.

till next time

~Chloe