Viajes (Trips)

March 17th-24th I was really lucky to have participated in an 'exchange within my exchange' to Venice, Italy; an exchange trip offered by my school. I had the most incredible time living with my Italian host sister and her family that one week! Everyday the group of exchange students from my school in Spain and the Italian class would go and see a different part of Venice, typical sightseeing, and experience a little bit more of the culture. I was able to take so so so many beautiful photos of Venice and also of Verona where I went with my host sister and friends for a fun day trip. Getting to see another part of Europe was really nice! I was able to compare and contrast a little of the differences between Spain and Italy. When it was time to go back home and we were in the airport I started bawling because of the amazing week I had with all my new friends in Italy! I didn't want to leave! Fortunately, on May 5th the Italians come to stay with us in Madrid and I will get to see everyone again for the second half of our exchange.

It hadn't been much time since I had unpacked my suitcase from Italy when I had to repack again for my class trip. The two classes that make up my grade (1º bachillerato) took a five day trip to the city of Santander in northern Spain (we left April 27th). This was also such a fun experience for me. I got to see how beautiful northern Spain is and also build some new friendships with other students on the trip. We were really lucky to have had such nice weather on our trip too because the week we came home was absolutely awful, raining all the time... One of the days we went to the northern Spain beaches, another day to the mountains! Lot's of typical sight seeing and just being with our class was really great. The two classes really united and had lots of fun. I will try and post some photos on my photobucket account for everyone to check them out. My favorite part was probably when we took the gondola up the mountains. It was stunning! We all had such a great time taking photos climbing around and of course throwing some snowballs. We were all really sad when the trip was over, but since we returned to school the next day all together it wasn't so bad.

Apart from the two trips, I have been recently spending more time at the library and studding. Exams are coming up this week and it's my goal to pass the ones that are still troubling me and I really think that it's a more possible goal, especially because I'm able to do so much better in class now with the language and all.

I just wanted to post up a little THANK YOU on my blog to everyone who wished me a happy 17th birthday on April 21st! I really appreciated all the messages and everything! I had a really nice birthday. I would have normally had to go to school, but I had a field trip instead with my Latin class to see two theater productions and some old Roman ruins. It was a beautiful day out and we had a great time!

The following Saturday, I spent the weekend in Madrid and got to meet up with some of my classmates from Camden who were on the school Spain trip! It was so great seeing my friends, even though it was for only a few hours. Since I haven't seen anyone that I knew before my exchange since I got here, it was a little strange, but I am so glad that they called me and that we were able to meet up. I hope you all had a great time in Spain and I will see you all back home soon!

So today is my 50 days left point! It's a lot, but it's also very little at the same time. I'm trying to remember to just keep living my exchange in the moment and take advantage of every little opportunity until the end (and to take more photos)!

Un beso muy grande a todos!

Xoxo, Hana

February's Flying

Buenas! February's been flying by so quickly! Where has the time gone? I've been really busy and I can hardly believe that I already have my return date. We're pretty set on the date being, June 22nd right now, mark your calendars!

Whenever I talk to anyone back home they always ask me how my Spanish is doing and I'm really happy to say that It's going really well. On a daily basis I don't speak English (and haven't for months), other than when I'm in English class or helping out at the language academy. I have also been seriously neglecting my Spanish- English dictionary which feels so good to not need it. I really enjoy having normal conversations about absolutely anything without any pauses or misunderstandings. I still wouldn't call myself fluent, but I would say bilingual for sure.

With the language going so well, it certainly makes school a lot easier and entertaining because i can actually get something out of the classes. My teachers have noticed my improvements and let me tell you, they definitely don't cut me much slack anymore. Sometimes I get really frustrated with all the extra work they give me, but I just have to keep reminding myself that the teachers that are challenging me now are the ones I will be thanking in the end for pushing me to improve.

The classes at the English centre are with he little ones are going so well I can really see how their knowledge of the language had grown and how much they've improved in their exams and it makes me so happy to help and be apart of that.

I feel so completely immersed in the Spanish culture and way of life. I remember little things that I used to think were weird or didn't understand are now the little quirks that I enjoy and know I will miss. One of my favorite things about Spain is for sure the food. Sorry America, but I would pick Spanish food over American in a heartbeat. My host mother cooks really really well. I used to find it really different that everyone in the family that can comes home for the biggest meal of the day (lunch) everyday, but now I think, why wouldn't you? It's a great time for us to all share how school and work is going while eating really well. After lunch is siesta (rest period) which also is the best. Why didn't I ever take naps back home? Today I took a little longer siesta then normal of two hours, and the other day I slept through dinner I was so tired! I've really come to enjoy the way that Spaniards lay out their day. The days are longer here, but with the siesta in the late afternoon, you still sleep well.

I'm very excited to share that in one month I will be in Venice, Italy! I am really excited! I'm doing a one week exchange program with my school, where I live with an Italian host family. Then, about a month after that my Italian "sister" comes to Torrejon de Ardoz and I get to show her around! I'll be sure to blog about my experience. After that we have school vacations for Easter, and then in April my school is doing a one week trip to Santander, which is in the north of Spain! Almost my entire class is going, and they do it every year and everyone tells me that it's a lot of fun! I'm really looking forward to the trips, but I know that the time is going by really quick now without any signs of slowing down and soon enough school will be over and I will have to return to the states!

Well I hope that all is well with everyone back home. Shout out to C-HILLS boys varsity basketball: GOOD LUCK AT STATES! RECLAIM THAT TITLE! #1! I wish I could be there and I know you guys will rock it, AGAIN, love you boys! Thinking of you all from Spain...

Xoxo Hana

2010!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a nice vacation and happy holidays! I most certainly have, and this new year has started off quite well for me. Yesterday (Tuesday, January 3rd) was my first day back at school from a three week, plus one snow day, vacation which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Right before vacation started, my school had two days of "fiesta" where it wasn't obligatory to go, but if you did you could play games all day and be with your friends. My class set up some fundraising games in our class room to help us earn money for our end of the year class trip to Santander. We sold cookies and had karaoke competitions, almost all the students from the younger grades rushed into our classroom. It was jam-packed and really fun!

I started my break by going to one of my families villages a little over an hour away from Madrid. We stayed there with my host grandparents, played lots of board games, and ate lots of typical Spanish Christmas candies. On Christmas Eve I went to a beautiful old church with my host family. I really enjoyed the service, and hope that I can go again the next time we are in the village. Christmas was really different this year for me. It was a nice day and I had a great big dinner with my host family, but it didn't seem to me like anything really different from the normal vacation day. I did however watch a lot of "Little House on the Prairie" (in Spanish, of course).

The day after Christmas my host family drove me to the airport and I left on a very special trip to Zurich, Switzerland to visit some cousins of mine until the 3rd of January. I had such an amazing time! (Thank you Jill, Gilad, Gerald, and Yasmine! Miss you guys!) While there I went to the movies (in English) which I really liked and also to a museum! My cousins and I cooked, and played, hung out together, and spent lots of time in their new hot tub jacuzzi.

We also had a really great time on New Years Eve. We all went out to a delicious Chinese restaurant with some of their friends and had a full ten course meal, plus dessert and fortune cookies (in Swiss-German). After eating my cousins and I went downstairs and did some bowling. Then we went back to their house, changed into some warm comfortable clothes, and went to the center of Horgen to see the fireworks!

On the morning of the 3rd I got up nice and early and my cousins and I took the train to the airport, we say goodbyes and I returned back to Madrid. The rest of my vacation I was back at my host house in Torrejon with my family. Wednesday, January 6th was like what I think of an American Christmas. It the "Dia de los reyes" or in other words "The Kings Day". 'The kings' are just like 'Santa' they come and bring the kids presents and on the day of the 6th you wake up with presents under the Christmas tree to open. It was such a nice day for me! I got some gifts from my host family and gave them some things from Maine! Later on in the day I went to Madrid to have a sleepover with my friend, another American exchange student. We had lots of fun, and when I came back the next day I got to help my family make some American pancakes from the mix and Maine maple syrup I got them. I think they really liked it!

We were supposed to start school this Monday, but instead... MIRALE! We had a snow day! I was so happy I wouldn't stop grinning all day. The night before on my walk home with my friends from a futbol game the snow "storm" started and we had a snow ball fight. Everyone attacked me, underestimating my skills, but I got everyone back in the end. I guess they forgot that I'm from Maine, and anything dealing with snow is my expertise!

Well, now I'm back in school getting into the groove of things again. All is well here, and I hope that everyone has had a nice vacation and a happy new year.

Wishing you a year of health and happiness..

Xoxo Hana