El Comienzo

SO I am very far behind with updating my blog and recording everything that has happened thus far in Spain. I will try to be better and keep a good record here of things that I have done in Spain.

On the way to Spain, our plane was delayed because of the freak storms in Dallas so we landed in some tiny town called Abilene, TX where we waited for an hour. They were so small they almost didn't have stairs high enough to reach the plane. I watched the time tick away as I wondered if I would catch my next flight out of Dallas.
We landed, I called to see how delayed my next flight would be, it was supposed to take off in 5 minutes...I COULD SEE THE PLANE as we taxied to the terminal. I was sure I would watch it fly off without me from the plane I was landing in. Luckily it waited long enough for me to run and catch it...but not long enough for my luggage to make it.

I got to Spain later than I expected and I was sure the shuttle to Alcala de Henares (where I would be staying) had already left...which it hadn't I later found out. I went to see if my luggage made it..nope. I went to call the school to see what I should do. After a series of events which included me spending 30 euros (more than 35 dollars) on a calling card, a 50 dollar taxi ride, and a whole lot of confusion, I made it to the Plaza where we were supposed to meet up. No one was there! I called the school again, which was close by, and someone came and took me to my house. I met up with my family, happy to be "home."


Quick review of activities from the first few days:
Through one girls attempt to practice Spanish with an attractive Spaniard, a small group of girls in our group were invited to watch from the balconies as bands of minstrels came by to serenade them from below. It is a annual festival in Alcala where bands from the Universities will come and play classic Spanish music to girls on balconies to woo them. ALL the other girls on balconies (maybe 4 balconies more) were part of the show, our girls were the only ones who were not haha.

These traveling groups come from mostly Spain, one came from Peru, and they travel all over playing this music while simultaneously studying. REALLY cool to be able to watch from the alleyway below while eating tapas. The men are also incredibly forward and will whistle to the girls and compliment them in more ways than you'd think possible. I think the girls from our group were just eating it up


The picture at the top: One of the many palaces in Madrid, one of the first places we traveled to as a group. We then went to El Prado, the famous museum that has work from Velazquez, Goya, el Greco, and more. It is incredible to me how talented they all were. It was also crazy how dark Goya got (for an ex: Google the painting Saturn by Goya). It's been a fun start to this trip!

colorcolor&colors

de regreso

ohhmaaagoodness it's been a long time since I wrote a blog.

BYU has kept me incredibly busy yet has somehow been so much fun. I think the more you go to class and the more you study and work, the more you accomplish, and at the end of the class you feel like you've done something- and that makes it all worth it. I still have yet to experience the moment where you can sigh and say, "All done!" but I'm enjoying the semester and exploring my career options. (photography, genetics, Spanish, microbiology, Neuroscience, working for National Geographic, and learning how to cook...some how.)

One of my classes is a prep course for the Spain study abroad. It gets me SO pumped to go, I'm really excited to be able to leave the country and see Spain and get to just speak Spanish. It's shocking how much I miss speaking in Spanish. I try to at any opportunity and sometimes I even still pray in Spanish. But having my gmail and computer in Spanish can only do so much. The only downside of the study abroad is leaving home AGAIN. I would love to just have some time in Arizona (for more than 4 days), but I know the chance of studying abroad only peaks its head up at a very precise time in my life and this is it. So I'm getting ready and getting excited.

I think this blog will replace my journal while I am gone so it will have some of my adventuras en España by the end of next month.

In other news: I cannot explain how much I love music haha, being home from the mission is great because of the variety of music. I know it sounds so insignificant but holy SMOKES it's nice. It makes me miss the days of being in a band, I think that would be such a fun life.


Going home for the weekend was great, it's good to know none of us have grown up regardless of how long we've been separated.







-MC

FINALS and FUN

So, in preparation for finals, two of my friends, Logan and Eric, and I went snowboarding to celebrate the new snow. We went to Brighton because it was 15 dollars for an all day lift ticket if you brought a beanie in to donate it to poor children or abused women or someone being oppressed....I don't really know. BUT just to be extra nice we each brought two beanies, just to go the extra mile for the poor women and abused children.

ANYWAYS, it was possibly one of the greatest day's of snowboarding. It was about 40 degrees out (which sounds cold, but when you are moving around so much it can get very hot). I didn't need to wear have of the layers I had brought. I even came back a little sunburned. And then I studied of course.

Logan

I'm still working on bringing the "photo" into Photograph (photo=light for all you slow ones.)



When we got back from snowboarding we had heard there was going to be a big storm this weekend and since it was my last weekend to snowboard for two years...we decided to celebrate. Logan and I drove to Park City early Saturday morning and enjoyed the incredible amounts of snow dumping down on the mountian. We met our friends Brett and Jake (Arizona friends) up there and they had their friend lauren with them. SO after snowboarding a full day, we decide to head home to get time in to study.

Before I continue, I want to mention Mom had told me 3 times to NOT GET HURT. And I was very careful on the mountain and kept myself from harm. I texted mom and let her know I was safe. And she was very happy. I considered making a joke about the dangers of driving home...


So we are driving home listening to music, totally tired from the busy day. We are on the highway inside a canyon going about 40 or 50 (a little slower than the speed limit) and on a slight bend we start to skid. We slowly slide to the left into the opposite lane towards the concrete wall, then we slowly slide back to the other side to the OTHER concrete wall. Not a single word was said, no one screamed, it was completely silent as we slipped from one side of the road to the other. To avoid hitting this other concrete wall, we slip back to the left but begin to spin...


Just a bit of information, Logan Bird is from Columbus, Ohio where it rarely snows, and when it does, it can easily melt and become ice. His senior year he was driving home (safely) in his jeep, and he spun on ice and rolled his car. He is a very good driver and VERY cautious on ice...and very skilled.


SO, we are spinning in the middle of a highway with two semi trucks coming up behind us. We stopped spinning facing the wrong way, looking straight at these oncoming trucks, the car still silent. and Logan pulls into a safe spot on the side of the road until the road clears up and we merge back after being honked at by passing cars, I have no idea why they were so mad we survived.


SO MOM, I'm totally safe, unhurt and the car does not have a single scratch on it. Logan saved all of our lives. When we got home, I stepped out of the car directly on ice and did some funky split as I hit the ground. Since Saturday I plan to wear the Ice Traction Grip Spike things Rob and Kimmie got me for my birthday.


Just took my chemistry Final, now I have 3 more and I'm done with school for two years. Very excited yet very sad to leave all my friends up here and down in Arizona.

(this was where Eric stopped to pee on the way home, I was standing up to my waist in snow with wet shoes to take this picture.)

My spit is infected

Turns out the only test I have passed in the past week is testing positive for Mono. I went to the doctor today for the 4th time after the 4 different anitbiotics didn't work. or dayquil, or advil extra strength, or sudafed, or multivitamins, two nose sprays, or oreos i've been taking for the past 5 weeks.
After a very fun blood test, I found out I have mono, which explains the extreme fatigue and swollen throat. It gets to be so swollen I can't talk without gagging. It was hard to sleep because snoring with a swollen throat feels like breathing through your mouth when its dry and stuffed with gauze.

One more week then I'll be at the beach. Hopefully my throat will chill out and I can enjoy a break from school. In the mean time I've got a 9 page chem test, Book of mormon test, Bio test and Analysis paper.

Can't wait til thanksgiving break!!

British Columbia- "Splendour without diminishment"

So I got my call to Vancouver, Canada- Spanish speaking. A little freaky. I checked out the place, the Olympics will be there in February and March of 2010, so I'll definitely be there! Brett Steele said his family goes near there all the time and it's absolutely beautiful. Also, Stake President Tilleman has a cabin up in the northern part of my mission and he said we need to keep him informed of where I am so he can possibly see me on the mission. The entire place looks incredible.
there is a sport there called Ice Sailing....self explanitory?
who knows. As for challenges, Canada is peaceful, so they welcome everything. After doing research, I found a great deal of Gay-Pride support in Canada. With the rising tension in America, as well as the Church's stance on Gays, this could get interesting. Also:
apparently is grown a lot in Canada. BC Bud it's called. Catchy right? But it's all the same stuff. Anyways, Brett told me Vancouver Island (where the capital, Victoria, is-pictured at the top) is themed like a Swiss City and is said to be incredible.

I slept through Chemistry this morning to get sleep so I could stay awake in Biology and Humanities. (Don't worry I've compensated one hour of Chem lecture with 2 or 3 hours of T.A. tutored help). My goal was to wake up at 9:30 and go to bio at 10. 9:45 rolled around and there was a knock at my door. I answered it in my underwear since its the dorms...who cares? It was the fedex guy...and my stomach dropped. Who knows what slurred words I said to the shocked guy, but I signed the computer thing and got my package...opened it...stared at the envelop...then high tailed it off to Bio after putting some clothes on. The entire day I couldn't stop thinking about where I would go. It killed me to wait.

I found out soon after I opened it, my friend from summer, Michael Hoopes, is going on the EXACT same mission as me. leaving the SAME day, speaking the SAME language with the SAME president. he's from mesa! And I love the kid.


All in all I'm super excited for this change in life. (PS. we filmed me opening it, so once it's uploaded I'll find a way to show you all). Thanks to everyone who was on the phone listening and for all the support. I love you guys.

10 weeks and counting...

Tough Time

So, to sum up my last few weeks I'll say College is tough. I can't say I didn't expect it but I guess I just couldn't comprehend it. I took a Chemistry test (my class of about 300 students, 5 days a week at 8 am) that lasted two hours and gave my a 78%. I took a Humanities test that lasted 12 minutes and gave my a 67%. Honestly, my classes slapped me into shape. Slowly, but surely, my test scores are getting higher and higher and my eyes are getting more and more bloodshot.

Having an 8 o'clock class and being semi-narcoleptic (or just a really good sleeper) can make your mornings an interesting event. I walk to class with tired, bloodshot eyes with my brain completely turned off. Now if someone talks to me they will get some crumpled response that makes absolutely no sense. Constantly, other kids can stay awake because they are laughing at me doze off and bounce my head back and forth. REGARDLESS of what time I go to bed. I
promise.

ANYWAYS, today I fell asleep at breakfast while a friend was explaining to me how DNA can replicate itself. My head actually hit the table. Needless to say, I woke up.
Last week was a tough week, Mom and Dad, I promise I'm not slacking off.


So it being conference weekend and all, my friend, Logan, has a cabin about two hours away from campus, so we got a big group and all went up there to stay the night and watch conference the next morning. And we actually went to Priesthood at the stake center up in Ogden. We wore what would could bring. I wore brown corduroys and white shoes haha. My friend chase wore flip flops, and taylor wore bright blue sperrys. We got some looks from members who showed up in overalls. That's when you know you out of line.

Anyways, this is a view from the back porch from logan's. It had rained the whole drive and now there is snow on the mountains.


tried to eat these:
then we got ready for bed...
taylor was touching his toes I think.
So then we made breakfast and Ingrid and her friends came over. Then we watched Conference and went for a drive. I was loving it...obviously.
and we found snow!
Anyways, it was a nice weekend to just get away and let loose and have fun. I was caught up on work and tests and so I could finally relax a little and enjoy the nice weather and colors.