I have realized that I am a terrible blogger. I have 1,000 thoughts bouncing around my mind all of the time, but I am terrible about writing them out. Guess that goes hand in hand with my preference to talk about things :)
But here I am, 8 days away from leaving this side of the world and flying back to where I call home. A wonderful country full of great food, traditions, oh and something I miss dearly...one-stop shopping! I am on this intense roller coaster ride right now. Here I am, studying for my finals at a University that was built in the 1600s! Studying abroad has been a dream of mine since freshman year of high school (scary to think that was 6 years ago...) and now, it's almost over!
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been doing a lot of thinking about this whole adventure. It has been nothing short of exactly what I said...an adventure. All by myself, I packed up and moved across the world to a country where they do not speak the language I have spoken my entire life. I adapted to an entirely new culture and lived with a family that knows no English and has only heard about the US through the news. I stood in castles in the exact spot where kings and queens spent their afternoons more than 700 years ago, I rode a gondola in Venice, I awed at the Eiffel Tower, I looked Mona Lisa in the eye, I rode a red double-decker bus in London, I stared out at the Atlantic Ocean from the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, I sipped on a Guinness while listening to "Galway Girl" in an Irish Pub, I witnessed the standing of a 2,000 yr old aqueduct built without mortar, I...could go on for too long. I will never forget any of these moments.
Not everything went smooth sailing; as a group we had to deal with lot of social situations and individually there were several almost scary situations that occurred in Alcala and in other places in Europe. Something I knew and know now even better is that when you have difficult situations to deal with, you learn more than you ever would if everything came easily for you.
But the good outweighs it all. I made some amazing friends, became friends with some locals, improved my Spanish drastically, lived with the most amazing host family you could ask for, and navigated my way around several countries in Europe :) Not something you get to do everyday! I thank the Lord everyday for how much he has blessed me!
The other extreme of the roller coaster is the ache I have to be back where I belong. I cannot wait to be with my incredible family and friends. I have the most amazing support system in Nebraska and Arizona and I have missed them dearly. This has been the longest time period without seeing anyone in my family, but thank goodness for Skype! I'm going to give my puppy Cooper the biggest hug in the world when I get home! (Mom&Dad--don't forget to bring him to the airport with you :)
I have been given a few lemons, made a few mistakes.. but I have come to realize that so many things in life are blessings in disguise. I have learned and grown more than I could have imagined in the past few years, and I know that I have a lifetime of learning and growing ahead of me. I have a small head full of big dreams...I am simply working toward being the best version of me that I can possibly be.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays <3
Love and Godspeed,
Lindsey
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
London
First of all, I hope ya'll had an AMAZING thanksgiving! My friend Lisa once told me about her "Fs to live by" and I love them. I am thankful for these things the most: Faith, Family, Friends and Football! I am blessed with such an amazing life and I am so thankful for everything. Funny how they don't celebrate thanksgiving over here? haha, just kidding.
Jess and I went to London this past weekend. It was really cold all weekend and it rained on Saturday night, but we were fortunate enough to have some sunshine during the days. Thursday night for "thanksgiving" we had a great italian dinner, it wasn't turkey and potatos, but it was good! That night we had an extreme problem with a man occur at the hostel, not something I want to or am going to write about, but it caused us to lose all of our time on Friday. Everything turned out well though, we got a hotel for Friday night and then Jess' best friend's boyfriend (cousin's, friend's mom twice removed..) has friends in London that he got ahold of to see if we could stay with them Saturday night. In order to make sure it was an okay situation, we met up with the three guys Friday night. Basically, we were two LUCKY girls! There were two brothers and one roommate/friend and they were some of the nicest guys I've ever met. They took us to a lounge right on the river and in front of the Tower Bridge friday night and we got to know them really well. All day Saturday they checked in on us to make sure we weren't lost and offered to meet us if we weren't sure where we were. After seeing more of the downtown district, Westminister, BEAUTIFUL Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, the outside of the Globe Theatre and the "times square" of London-Picadilly/Oxford Circus, we headed back to the boys' place because one of them had cooked us dinner!! Soo cute!! They had a beautiful flat that was a block away from the river/tower bridge, it was amazing. I absolutely love London. The combination of the well-mannered people I have met, the parks in the city, the exceptionally good looking men and the similarity to the US I think is what makes me like it so much!
That was my final excursion here in Europe. Over the next 17 days I will be studying until I cannot study anymore, packing and then heading back to my beloved USA :) Cannot wait!
Jess and I went to London this past weekend. It was really cold all weekend and it rained on Saturday night, but we were fortunate enough to have some sunshine during the days. Thursday night for "thanksgiving" we had a great italian dinner, it wasn't turkey and potatos, but it was good! That night we had an extreme problem with a man occur at the hostel, not something I want to or am going to write about, but it caused us to lose all of our time on Friday. Everything turned out well though, we got a hotel for Friday night and then Jess' best friend's boyfriend (cousin's, friend's mom twice removed..) has friends in London that he got ahold of to see if we could stay with them Saturday night. In order to make sure it was an okay situation, we met up with the three guys Friday night. Basically, we were two LUCKY girls! There were two brothers and one roommate/friend and they were some of the nicest guys I've ever met. They took us to a lounge right on the river and in front of the Tower Bridge friday night and we got to know them really well. All day Saturday they checked in on us to make sure we weren't lost and offered to meet us if we weren't sure where we were. After seeing more of the downtown district, Westminister, BEAUTIFUL Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, the outside of the Globe Theatre and the "times square" of London-Picadilly/Oxford Circus, we headed back to the boys' place because one of them had cooked us dinner!! Soo cute!! They had a beautiful flat that was a block away from the river/tower bridge, it was amazing. I absolutely love London. The combination of the well-mannered people I have met, the parks in the city, the exceptionally good looking men and the similarity to the US I think is what makes me like it so much!
That was my final excursion here in Europe. Over the next 17 days I will be studying until I cannot study anymore, packing and then heading back to my beloved USA :) Cannot wait!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Ireland
Robert Pattinson (very long story-shortened)
-Spent the night on a sidewalk in Madrid with hundreds of other people (nighttime hitting temperatures below freezing) and didn't shower for two days while waiting to get VIP passes to meet him. The event had no marketing team to organize it, so they started the event two and a half hours late and decided last minute that they were going to cancel the autograph session. The actual event started 3 hours late, after I had to leave to go catch my plane to Ireland. Culture factor...something like that would NEVER be allowed in the United States.
-Had an amazing experience except for the ending. Met so many awesome people and had a ton of practice with my spanish. I had so many people compliment my spanish speaking skills and I played translator for everyone (who at the time thought they were going to get to talk to the actors) and tell them how to say things to them in English. If I hadn't had my flight, we at least would have been right up at the stage when the actors came out, bummer!
Ireland:
They have an attitude about life--you only live once. I loved every minute of it. People were so jolly and welcoming! The pubs were packed with people watching the soccer game, drinking Guinness and listening to live music. I was with an amazing group of girls and we had a blast! We decided to take a one-day paddywagon across Ireland to soak up some of the beauty of Ireland. It is exactly like you see in the movies, little stone hedges and beautiful green rolling hills. The cliffs of Moher were breathtaking and I could live on the coastline there and be an incredibly happy person, it is so beautiful! Dublin was a ton of fun, but the best part of Ireland is the nature and countryside. The Ireland trip helped cure my disappointment with not seeing the gorgeous Robert Pattinson. Enjoy the pictures!!!
-Spent the night on a sidewalk in Madrid with hundreds of other people (nighttime hitting temperatures below freezing) and didn't shower for two days while waiting to get VIP passes to meet him. The event had no marketing team to organize it, so they started the event two and a half hours late and decided last minute that they were going to cancel the autograph session. The actual event started 3 hours late, after I had to leave to go catch my plane to Ireland. Culture factor...something like that would NEVER be allowed in the United States.
-Had an amazing experience except for the ending. Met so many awesome people and had a ton of practice with my spanish. I had so many people compliment my spanish speaking skills and I played translator for everyone (who at the time thought they were going to get to talk to the actors) and tell them how to say things to them in English. If I hadn't had my flight, we at least would have been right up at the stage when the actors came out, bummer!
Ireland:
They have an attitude about life--you only live once. I loved every minute of it. People were so jolly and welcoming! The pubs were packed with people watching the soccer game, drinking Guinness and listening to live music. I was with an amazing group of girls and we had a blast! We decided to take a one-day paddywagon across Ireland to soak up some of the beauty of Ireland. It is exactly like you see in the movies, little stone hedges and beautiful green rolling hills. The cliffs of Moher were breathtaking and I could live on the coastline there and be an incredibly happy person, it is so beautiful! Dublin was a ton of fun, but the best part of Ireland is the nature and countryside. The Ireland trip helped cure my disappointment with not seeing the gorgeous Robert Pattinson. Enjoy the pictures!!!
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