SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello readers!

I am so sorry I have been so terrible about updating my blog. After I got into the swing of things - I figured that my blog would be pretty boring and redundant, so I've been saving up some good things to tell you all for this special blog! The past couple of weeks have been busy - midterms, papers, a little traveling, etc. But the best part is that John came to visit! SO FUN! But it went by way too fast. He got here on Thursday, February 25th (a while ago, I know). We met up at Plaza Catalunya and walked around, went to the Born Ribera where my favorite church is (Santa Maria del Mar) and then went and got some tapas and a restaurant around there! The next day we took a bus to Andorra from the airport. It was a long bus ride, but pretty cheap and it was good to see the country side! I am going to leave out the part about our bus driver stalling out four times. The system of the bus was pretty ideal, it drops you off and picks you up at the place where you're staying, however it just wasn't that efficient considering we had to stop and change buses at the bus station in Andorra and drop other people off,etc. But anyways, we got to Andorra and went down to the small town of Canillo where we walked around, found a place to rent ski equipment and ate dinner. That night I ate Rabbit - it was pretty good, it really did taste like chicken. I ate the legs. I think John ordered duck. The next day we went down to Canillo at 9 in the morning so we could prepare because we didn't know how long it would take but it ended up being pretty easy. I didn't have any ski pants, so the place where we rented our ski's and poles let me borrow some ski bibs - i was so lucky! The resort where we ski'd was perfect - so pretty and snowy! The weather could've been a little bit better, there was more rain than snow towards the end of the day but we stuck it out! We started out on the bunny slopes which were pretty easy for me and then decided to head for the green/intermediate slopes. John and I waited at the top, contemplating which angle to start off at when all the sudden a little girl comes zooming past me. I see her flying down, so I think "Okay if this little girl can do this then I can" and I took off. Not knowing I needed to zig zag down the mountain in order to go slowly, I went straight down and pizza'd the entire way....I don't think I've ever done something so fast in my life and the funny thing is that I didn't even fall until the end. About 5 minutes later, John comes down to find me just sitting on the ground - ski's and poles nowhere in sight - and told me that he stopped ever few feet looking for me burried in the snow somewhere. It was so fun! However, it took a little while for me to build my confidence back up and I think that John learned the true meaning of patience that day.
We got back from Andorra late on Sunday and I showed John around the city a little bit - we went to Sagrada Familia and just walked around. The next two days went by so fast! It was full of showing John around and he actually got to go with my architecture class on a field trip to Casa Mila so that was fun! On tuesday night we went to the BEST RESTAURANT EVER called Cal Pep. It is a really popular tapas bar in the Born Ribera area of Barcelona next to Santa Maria del Mar. It really was some of the best food I have ever had. We had fried calamari, clams, tuna tartar, pan con tomate, sea bass and some wine. It was so good - definitely recommend it! I told everyone about it.

Today, March 14th, Molly and I returned to our humble abode from London. It was so fun! We left on thursday night and got to our hostal around 130, 2 in the morning. Our hostal was good, but kind of sketchy. But the room where we slept was actually decet and the people in there were really nice. They were from Finland. On Friday afternoon we ate lunch at this London chain called Pret a Manger - they have some of the best sandwiches ever. We went to Harrods and just awe'd over everything in there. We then made our way to Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, and then to Fortnum and Mason's - one of my favorite stores in London and I know many people who would agree with me! Molly got a pair of Fortnum and Mason's authentic Hunter boots - rainboots - they are so pretty, the perfect blue color with stripes on the inside. I got some honey for my dad, but they threw it away at security in the airport. Not very smart thinking on my part :( We then made our way to Liberty's, the oldest shopping mall in London, and spent an hour in there just looking around.
Friday night, we met up with my mom's friend Andreas, who is a fabulous piano player, and his girlfriend Jessica. They were SO nice and Molly and I were so lucky to have some locals showing us around. We went out for drinks and then went to a restaurant called Sofra's which had a tapas mix of different foods and it was so good. My favorite was the lamb. We then walked around Covent Garden and Soho where we passed the theater for one of my favorite Broadway/Westend plays - Jersey Boys. I took a picture and tagged Katie in it.
On Saturday, Molly and I went to Portabello Markets and as cool as it was - it was so crowded that it was extremely overwhelming. We decided to take the tube over to the London Bridge and the London Towers where we walked around but the tickts to tour were 18 pounds, so we passed it up and I hadalready sen it once before. Then we went down to Oxford Circus and passed St. Paul's Cathedral on our way which is a very beautiful church. We shopped around Oxford and Regent Street and tried to buy some Westend tickets but every thing was sold out. We kind of wished that we saw a day show, but oh well - you live, you learn! We went out to eat at this great Italian restaurant and I got pizza and Molly got a Ceasar salad. We went to bed pretty early because we had a 5 AM wake up call because of our 730 AM flight. But it was good because we got back to Barcelona around 1230.

Well this weekend I am off to Valencia with some friends for Las Fallas - a fire festival! It's with a travel agency called Stoke Travel who caters to students. It should be a lot of fun, we are staying in tents! However, I have to get through TWO midterms this week. AHHHHHHHH HELP ME! No more tests. I am so ready to see my FAMILY! 11 DAYS AND COUNTING! Can't wait. Well I really do apologize for the delay on my blog, but I promise I will be more frequent. Talk to you all soon, Hasta luego!

Love,
Mimi

Madrid!

Hola todas personas!

It is Monday and I just got back from class, Mondays are so long. But, I had a great weekend! Molly, Sarah and I flew to Madrid to see Leah and Patterson and it was SOO fun. I absolutely LOVE Madird - it is so pretty and lively! We got there on Friday and went and put our stuff in our hostel, which was so cute. It wasn't super nice, but it reminded me of a homestay and the people who owned it were so nice. Sarah, Molly and I had our own room with a bathroom and everything so it really felt like a hotel. After we put our stuff down (it was already dark out so no sight-seeing) we went to a restaurant called "La Tosta" that had the BEST sangria! So we got some Sangria and some dinner - I had a bocadillo with scrambled eggs and salmon that was really good! Patty got the same thing. Then we went to a bar that was serving Euro beers so we stayed there for a while and watched the olympics. While we were there I heard one of the waiters say "y'all" so naturally I stopped him and asked him where he was from and everything. He wasn't very nice - he was from Texas and I think people like us are the reason why he moved to Barcelona. He wasn't having it. So after we watched the Olympics we went to a place called O'Connels where we actually got carded! I was so surprised, but not really. The bar tender thought we were under 18. It was kind of embarassing but funny at the same time. After we met up with Grace Perry and Paul we went to a bar called Bourbon Cafe, which was quite the experience. We didn't have anything to drink because it was really expensive, however we did watch a drag show! We were all dancing and noticed the boys dancing with each other but didn't realize until the next day that we were at a GAY BAR! But - it was really fun! I'll post some pics of the drags - they were great!

The next day we got up and going around 11 and met up with Patterson and Leah. We went to the Royal Palace and on the way we got stuck in the Chinese New Year Parade! Who knew there were SO MANY Chinese people in Madrid! It was so funny! After we went to the Royal Palace we went to Plaza Mayor and ate lunch outside but it was so cold! I had a bocadillo con torilla y pimiento and a cafe con leche. After lunch we took the metro to Park Retiro, which was SO pretty! We wondered around there for an hour or two then GP, Paul and I went to the del Prado Museum where I saw many paintings from the Renaissance, Baroque, Neo Classical and Romantic periods - including "Las Meninas" by Velazquez, which was really neat! The museum is supposed to take days to get through but I managed it in under 2 hours. Then we went to dinner where Molly and Patterson met up with their friend who is from/lives in Madrid that they studied with 5 years ago! Her name is Elena and it was SO CUTE to see all of them reuinted! We went and ate at this place called VIPS that Elena took us to which was actually really American, haha.

On Sunday, we had to be out of the hostal at 11 so when we got up, Molly went to go meet her other friends that live in Madrid and Sarah and I went to the Reina Sofia musuem, which has a huge Picasso, Miro and Dali collection. We saw Picasso's "Guernica" which was absolutely massive and really, really cool. We spent about 2 hours in there, then went to lunch. (I am not going to say where). Then, we met up with Molly and Patterson and said our farewells and went to the airpot to find that our flight was 2 hours delayed :(. So0o, we hung out in the airport for a little while and got back to our homestay around 945. Elena had soup and chicken waiting for us which was really yummy! This morning Molly and I got up and went to a spin class at the gym - fun!

Well I am starving and I think our dinner is almost ready. I am going to Carnival tomorrow, which should be really fun - also a late night! Adios amigos - i will blog again soon!

Love,
Mimi

Birthday Weekend!

Hello Everyone!

It feels so great to be 21, finally! And, I couldn't think of a better way to spend it than being in Barcelona with so many friends! Thanks so much to all who came - even though you would've come to Barca anyways, it was so great that you came on my birthday weekend! I had a BLAST! However, my birthday didn't start out so great - On friday morning, Molly and I got in trouble with our host mom because we eat too much fruit - she was monitoring the number of fruit we ate each day, it was really strange. Then, we went on a two hour search for my passport that fell out of my carry-on bag when our maid came and we eventually found it under a huge, immobile dresser, which could only accessed from behind and was pushed up against the wall. It was scary to say the least, but things could only go up from that point. After we class, Molly, Sarah, Grace Perry and I met up with Patterson, Amy and Leah and all went out to eat at this FABULOUS mexican restaurant. I got a quesadilla and a mojito - i'm definitely taking visitors there! We stayed at the bar for a little bit and I insisted that the bartender look at my ID, since thats what they do in the states. He didn't really understand, but it was fun. Then we went to the Arc de Triumph and to Park de la ciutadella - currently one of my favorite places in Barcelona. That took up pretty much the whole afternoon and so Molly and I came back to our homestay, took small naps, showered and went to go meet up with our friends at their hostel. For dinner we all split up because there was 18 of us...! But I ended up getting some bread and manchego cheese which is soo good. I learned about it the other day in my foods class so when I saw it, I knew I had to try it. Then we all met back up with our friends and went to a bar called Ryans, which was SO FUN! The Australian bartender was so nice and made sure we had a lot of fun! Then we went to a bar called Chupitos (chupito is the spanish word for "shot") where they have over 300 shots but we weren't there for very long. Then we headed to a club called Shoko's, which was really fun - but unfortunately two of my friends were pick-pocketed :(. However, we made it back to our house safely around 4:30. On Saturday, we took our friends to the beach and to Park Guell - because you have to see that when you come to Barcelona -- and just walked around the city. For dinner, Molly, Amy, Patterson, Leah and I went to this small Spanish restaurant where we got pizza's which were really good, but they kind of reminded me of lunchables. Then we headed to meet some friends at Dow Jones, a bar that has a stock market atmosphere and every time the "stock market" crashes the drinks go half price! It's a really fun atmosphere - but i was so tired from the night before. We had some trouble getting Amy to the airport, but it eventually worked out and we got home around 3:30, we were soo tired! Today we went to lunch with Patterson and Leah before we saw them off to the airport - however, we will see them this weekend when we go to Madrid! I am sooo excited!! It'll be fun to do something different, even though I love Barcelona!
We have classes tomorrow and I'm not going to lie, Mondays are super long! I start class at 12:25 and don't get out of class until 7:00. But tomorrow I have a field trip for my 5:00 class so it should go by pretty fast! My classes are going well, we haven't really had any grades yet so I don't know how strict my teachers are going to be with the grading scale. My favorite class is definitely the Picasso;Miro;Dali class - the teacher is really entertaining and I really like the subject. I like my architecture class too because we take a lot of field trips, but I can't decide if the class is going to be easy or hard. We have our first midterm the day that John leaves Barcelona - haven't quite figured out how I'm going to tackle that one but I'm sure it will all work out. I LOVE my EU teacher. His name is Sinan and he's from Turkey. He has an extremely heavy accent so it's kind of hard to understand him but he also has a huge vocabulary, which I find pretty cool considering his first language is Turkish? Then Spanish and then English. Wow! My Spanish class is the same - really like the teacher, Raul. He's really cool. My foods class is actually the hardest. I love to eat food and try to cook, however reading about it hasn't been all that interesting so I'm hoping it will pick up.
Well I have a lot of homework and reading to do - food paper due on tuesday! (Only class that has been giving me assignments.) I will update before I go to Madrid - PROMISE! Oh yeah - and I promise I'm not just going to bars - it was just a big weekend for that sort of thing because it was my 21st, haha. Thanks for reading everyone!!

Love,
Mimi

Taragonna

Hello everyone!!

Molly and I just got back from a small town about 2 hours away from Barcelona called Tarragona with all of the other IES students. I am trying to upload pictures on facebook as you read (or I type) but facebook is being annoying. Anyways, we arrived early on thursday morning and toured the Roman ruins that were there - Agustus Caesar lived there for a couple of years. They were really neat, but honestly - it got a little old. But it was good to soak up some ancient history! We then all split up for lunch and the group I was with ended up going to this great place where you could get a 3 course meal and a ton of wine for only 12.50 euros. Needless to say, we were a little out of it for the rest of the tour - but I think everyone else was too! Then we got to the hotel, took naps and ate dinner. For dinner we had these veal tortillas and catfish, which was pretty good, but the catfish was super salty! We then went to a bar called Highlands after. The bartenders were SO overwhelmed - there were so many IES students and of course people were being so obnoxious. But I think it was the biggest crowd that bar has ever seen - they were opening up boxes of new glasses!

On Friday, we got a wake up call at 8 AM, semi-painful, and started off the day seeing more Roman ruins. We actually just went to a quarry which was in the middle of nowhere and it was literally a big piece of stone. I understand the importance of it, but it was a little pointless. Then we visted a place called El Medol where we hung out on the beach for a while then went to go see an ancient Roman villa that was really cool but people were getting restless because it was lunchtime! So for lunch, we ate some seafood paella. Paella is a mixture of rice with vegetables and some type of meat. THEY EAT SO MUCH SEAFOOD HERE! Honestly, I haven't found a Catalan dish that I am obsessed with, but I'm sure the day will come. They served the paella with a huge shrimp on top with the head still on and the poor shrimp's eyes were staring at me when they put the plate in front of me. I let some guy eat the shrimp. After lunch, I actually laid on the beach for a while and took a 20 minute nap, haha it was very peaceful. But then we went to the Bodega, to the Torres vineyard where we took a tour of the vineyard and then finished up with a wine tasting! I bought a bottle of wine called Vina Esmeralda and a Catalan cookbook for my mom! We then went back to the hotel and I took another nap before dinner. For dinner, we ate beef with mushrooms and some potatoes au gratin which were SO GOOD! I loved them! Molly and I, along with some other girls, decided to stay in last night since our wake up call this morning was at 7 AM! So, we got up at 7 this morning and went to a tiny town outside of Tarragona called Montblanc. It was really quaint, but very pretty. We visited some medieval churches and had a really funny tour guide. He reminded me exactly of Angel Batista from the show Dexter. Then for lunch, we had seafood paella, again. But for the 2nd course we had some roasted chicken with these really mushy french fries. They were okay. But the ice cream for desert was yummy! We then headed out to the town Poblet where we visted a Cistercian monastery founded by Saint Benedictine. I actually really liked visiting the monastery since i just learned about them in my medieval art class. And it was neat to see a couple of monks - but apparently they don't want to see us because they want "nothing to do with the outside world." Makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong. Well, Elena just got home and is about to serve dinner (hopefully it won't be pasta - I am carb'ed out!) But I will blog in a couple of days! Adios everyone, thanks for reading!

Moo

Mondays...

Hello everyone!

Well I just finished up a 2 page paper about my eating habits for my Food and Cultures class. I found it a little difficult to write 2 pages on the subject, so I may have cut it a little short. My eating habits are pretty normal, now that I think about it - however, I still haven't found a restaurant where I can order a poached egg. I'm sure the day will come though. Today i had class from12:30 to 7:00...LONG DAY! Although my classes are based on really interesting subjects, it is really hard to sit through three 1 1/2 hour classes. I am learning that I do not have a very long attention span.

I bet some of you will find it amusing that I am listening to "Good Day" by Nappy Roots right now, it always puts me in a good mood. "We gonna have a good day, and all my homies gonna ride today..." My friends and I made good use of the weekend. On Friday after class, we hiked up to Park Guell, the famous Gaudi Park. I highly recommend it to anyone traveling to Barcelona! However, I'm sure the tour books will inform you on that one too. I can't wait to go there with my family! I know you will love it! You too, John! When we got back from Park Guell, Molly and I took small naps, ate dinner (No puedo recordar lo que comí) My itunes just switched to Taylor Swift - quite a transformation. Anyways, after dinner Molly and I went and met some of our friends at the Black Sheep where they sell liter beers for 2.50 Euros and 2 liter Sangria for 8.50 Euros (Don't worry, Mumsey -- I didn't drink 2 whole liters of Sangria!) After that, went walked to a really fun bar called Kennedy's where they had a live band who played music like Johnny Cash and other varieties. I was up dancing at the band, when suddenly I turned around and realized I was the only one and that I was NOT at Wofford! Molly and I shared a cab with a couple of our friends and got in around 4 -- pretty early for Barca! On Saturday, Molly and I just wondered around the city and got a little lost -- didn't see anything historical or art historical, but we just like to roam around, get lost, and find our way back from time to time. On Saturday night, we went to Sarah J's house - which is WAY BIGGER than my homestay! I was jealous to say the least, but Mols and I got pretty lucky with our two Senora's! We went to a bar called George Payne but literally stayed for 45 minutes, 2 beers worth and hit a wall. We came back early and slept in on Sunday. Sunday -- we went to the Sagrada Familia - SO COOL but SO much construction going on! I guess thats what happened when the famous architect Gaudi passes away when creating a masterpeice.

Well, I still have some European Union homework to do and I am going to try and keep up with Molly and go work out with her in the AM! Sarah wants me to go out - decisions, decisions! I'll blog tomorrow, thanks for reading!!

Sorry so Late!

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

I am sorry I started this blog 2 1/2 weeks late -- (especially Tess!) I didn't realize how much I would want to go back and read this someday until this morning when I was reading Amy's. So far, Barcelona has been great, minus my anxiety attack. Molly and I live with two Senora's - Elena and Cecilia. They are mother and daughter. Elena is the mother who only speaks Spanish and Cecilia is the daughter who speaks Spanish, but also English, Catalan, and is currently taking French lessons. Elena is a nurse and Cecilia is some type of political consultant - I never fully grasped the details of her job. I will find the right time to take a picture with them soon and post them! So far, Molly and I have really just been trying to find our way around the city. Our school is about a 20 minute commute from our homestay. We usually take the bus in the morning and the metro on the way back. Our school is in a great location! It is in the Plaza Catalunya right off Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is a strip that runs through part of Barcelona, which always has street entertainment going on such as mimes and vendors.
My classes are great so far! My teachers are all from different countries. My European Union teacher is Turkish, my Architecture and Food teachers are both American, my Picasso;Miro;Dali teacher is British and my Spanish teacher is in fact, Spanish. In my free time so far, I have been shopping, to Park Guell (the famous Gaudi park) and to the beach. This weekend we are going to Taragonna with the IES group, which will help us to meet more people! Barcelona is so big and there are so many places to go out at night and it's a little hard to meet up with people -- not to mention the regular time to come home at night is 6 in the AM!
Well I don't want to stay on my computer all day -- so Molly and I are going to go find something to eat and explore a little more. Blog tomorrow!

Love,
Mimi