Making the Agenda-long blog..sorry!

School started last week, so I am finally back in the swing of going to class, eating lunch, taking a 2-3 hour siesta, doing homework, eating some dinner and going to bed...a cycle that is getting very repetitive. I only have two classes on Mon/Wed and two classes on Tues/Thurs and no class on Friday, a schedule I quite enjoy. My teachers are very nice and for a couple of my classes we get to go on trips to places like Toledo and Segovia.
My host family is amazing. Last Thursday I was very sick (fever hitting 102) and my host mom did everything and more that my real mom would do if I was sick. Fortunately, due to the medical care system here, it was a free visit to the doctor and very affordable to get some medicine to get me back to normal. My host mom loves to buy me things (a new purse, a computer bag, decorations for my room, handheld fans for hot days, etc.) and is such an outgoing, kind lady. With the exception that she likes to prepare me meals that are 5x the size of my normal meals in the U.S., I could not have gotten luckier with my housing situation.
I have begun plotting my European takeover :) In 8 days, three girls, one boy and I are going to Italy! I couldn't be more excited! We are flying into Milan and then spending two days in Venice, about a half day in Milan and then flying back to Madrid. Unfortunately, the train tickets were very expensive to get to the bottom part of Italy (Rome), but seeing the city on water is more than worth it. Trip total (including flights, trains, hostels for 4 days)= $230!!
We also recently booked a four day trip to London and Paris in the beginning of October...more details once it gets closer! Our entire group (13 students-9 girls and 4 boys) is trying to plan our 4 day trip to Ireland in mid-November, along with a weekend trip to Barcelona. The only trips left to plan are Germany (Munich and Heidelberg) and possibly a trip to Vienna, Austria.

Last night I laid in bed for a long time thinking about how blessed I am, and for many reasons. I have the most amazing support system in the world (my family, friends and of course, God). I made a promise to myself a long time ago that whatever career I chose, I wanted it to be one that would be dedicated to helping other people as directly as possible every day. Speech, language and hearing sciences with help me fulfill that dream...but there's more. I am becoming more and more fluent with everyday that passes over here; being able to speak Spanish will help me help more people that can only communicate in Spanish. I have grown so much in the past few years, but I am more aware of how much more room I have to keep growing.

I promise to take more pictures soon, just working on classes right now :)

Love and Godspeed,
Lindsey