y todo lo que tú amas es lo que yo quiero.

My eyes fluttered open lazily at half past eleven this morning. Weekends are heavenly. I raised my blinds: the sun definitely wasn't feeling shy today. Best part? It was the day we would learn from our madre the generational secrets of Paella Valenciana. This sticky rice and meat dish, inundated with freshly cut green beans, artichokes and giant white lima beans, is a symbol of family nostalgia and unity in Valencia. As a Sunday custom, we joined the thousands of households in this city enjoying plates of this colorful meal. Out of all the times I've tried paella over the past four months, I haven't been able to find any that compare with the full flavor or heartiness of Marisa's.

What a perfect Sunday afternoon. Later, I met some good friends for church; the second to last service we'll have here. It's just starting to hit me that I'm going to miss almost everything about this place. In the interest of maintaining my optimism, I'll instead focus on the eleven days I have left in this beautiful, quirky city. This is a part of my life that I'll cherish for decades.

Reflections...

Spain has changed me, and hopefully for the better. Reason 1: I've never before been interested in politics or history, but lately I've been on the edge of my seat talking with my madre, my intercambio, my professors, and any Spanish shopkeeper or passerby about the controversy surrounding the government leaders in this beautiful but divided country. It's fascinating to hear firsthand experiences of totally different sides of the issues and try to make sense of it on my own. My inquisitive nature is blossoming (wish it'd shown up a bit earlier though!) and I love it.

Reason 2 for said change: I'm also becoming more assertive. Yessss! FINALLY. In Spain, the people are a zillion times less politically correct than in the US, and while at times it makes for uncomfortable lunchtime chatter, I appreciate the lack of useless formality. People say what they feel, no matter if their Aunt Lolín will vehemently oppose it or if they have to shout over the two red-faced men bickering across a plate of paella. This has done wonders for my ability to express my opinions clearly without fear of what others may think.

Reason 3: I stay up until at least 2 a.m. almost every day, and waking up before 9 or 10 is painful. I used to get tired around 10 pm and practically unconscious at 11. Problem: I just signed up for 9 am classes next semester. (Time to smack my forehead repeatedly)

Reason 4: I can now navigate safely and confidently around a totally foreign airport. My brother will appreciate this. Once, when traveling together alone for the first time, I started walking the exact opposite direction of the departure gates in a German airport and he just stared at me. Stephen, I have found my sense of direction. Well, I did get turned around today on a street that runs parallel to my house, but that's another story. Point: European airport transit frequency = better sense of where to go. Or just the ability to read signs.

Reason 5, and perhaps the most important: I'm enamored of the Spanish culture and can't handle this being my last experience in this land. I mean, I still have tons to learn and don't profess to be an expert, but what I do know is enchanting. My Spanish has improved immensely, and I've been given a slightly more clear perception of what it is I'm meant to do with my life. I guess that was more like 3 reasons in 1, but you get the idea. (Cue dramatic inspirational music) I've been transformed by the differences in culture to a more socially aware, opinionated, observant, late-sleeping and motivated person. En serio.

¡Fallas!

The second after I stepped off the plane from Italy, I noticed that Valencia had changed. In the metro on my way home, I was squeezed tightly between a pair of eager German tourists, a group of teenage girls giddy about being out of school for an entire week, and an elderly man with a disgruntled, tired look on his face. I looked down the length of the train and glimpsed the perfectly coifed shiny black hair of a Fallera, pinned in place for a day of representing the festivities while wearing an ornate and colorful dress. Fallas had begun.

As I broke ground level after surfacing from the belly of the underground, I noticed even more signals of the arrival of this sensory celebration. Children filled the streets, laughing and running with one another. For a split second, I smiled and found this absolutely adorable. The kids were just enjoying the fresh air and each other's company, right? ....No. A child, who couldn't have been more than six years old, pulled out a lime green lighter and lit something in his hand. In exactly four seconds, a ridiculously loud ''BOOM!'' erupted from the tiny paper roll he had thrown to my right.

I have to admit that I jumped a little. Okay, a lot. This must have been hilarious to them because the little devils began happily tossing more and more sound-bombs in my direction. I picked up my pace and hurried past, muttering to myself that I would never let my six-year-old play with fire.

Aside from the petardos (the loud firecrackers), there are many things I loved about Fallas week. One of my favorite parts was the sudden appearance of numerous street stands that offered fried sugary delights such as churros, buñuelos or lanzas served with steamy thick chocolate. Although I could definitely handle having those all year round, my figure would probably suffer drastically. I just had to settle with smelling their sinful scents and tasting their greasy goodness for a short time. I already miss them.

Most importantly, the sudden appearance of numerous elaborate, sometimes gigantic, papier-maché structures was impressive to witness. Here are a few examples, since my explanations would not even begin to do them justice without pictures:

Alas, the entire celebration of Fallas culminates in the Cremà, the night where all the statues erupt into flames and burn away. Most of the structures are parodies of events, people or ideas from the past year. This burning is a very symbolic exchange because it represents a cleansing in order to make room for a new, fresh year. The whole thing seems a bit sad to me with my limited foreign understanding of a festival that has integrated itself into the Valencian community for decades. It's disconcerting to see such beauty displayed for six days and then completely destroyed in a three-minute show of fireworks and flames. Here are a few pictures from this night:

You'll notice that they were taken from a distance. This is because Christy, Abby and I decided to stand at the very front of the line and subsequently found ourselves in a shower of ashes when the HUGE structure burst into flames above us. Needless to say, we high-tailed it out of there. Here are our shocked expressions:

Overall, Fallas was nothing like I'd expected. Aside from the annoying firecrackers and suffocating crowds, I enjoyed watching and taking part in this tradition. Seeing the structures burn and wither into smoke and soot, I felt strangely connected with the community. Witnessing something so spectacular and unusual undoubtedly brings people together. Old or young, three-day tourist or Valencian native, we all experienced the moving power of art and ingenuity.

I've only been back in class for a week and a half since Fallas, but this Thursday is the start of our 12 day vacation for Holy Week. I'm looking forward to spending a week with my Dad in Madrid and then jetting off to London for a few days to meet some girls from my program. Hopefully, I'll also be able to reconnect with a high school friend. With countless decisions and transitions on my mind, it'll be good to have some time to get away.

Buenas noches a todos.

Italia

These past two weeks were a speeding blur of crazy, vibrant, delicious, fiery, and tranquil.

I loved every minute.

My trip to Italy with Christy was full of gelato, beautiful buildings, sore feet, new friends, and multiple triangle-shaped pieces of cheesy heaven.

We stayed in Milan for all four nights and explored the city on our first full day:

On our second day, we caught an early morning train to say buon giorno to foggy Venice and spoke Spanish while strolling through the streets with our new Chilean friend Felipe.

Our third day was scheduled to be spent in Fair Verona, home of Shakespeare's Capulets and Montagues. We missed our early train but decided to make the most of the morning: we read leisurely and played in a park.

We had plenty of time to catch the next train to Verona. We spent the day wandering through the city admiring the style of the buildings, visiting a grand plaza with a Roman arena, walking through the Juliet House, stopping for a generous slice of pizza for lunch, and seeing Juliet's tomb.

I'm so thankful that Christy and I were safe and happy throughout our entire trip. I already miss Italy, but being back in Valencia is comforting. At least I know the language, and can (usually) find my way around the city without a completely confused look on my face. I'm going to miss this place.

Come back soon for pictures from Las Fallas, an annual week-long celebration full of firecrackers, street food, fiestas, millions of tourists, and elaborate paper-mache structures of societal parodies erupting into flames!

Ciao.

I'm alive!!

Believe it or not, this is the first free moment I've had since my last update. My brain is literally buzzing from all the running around I've done today, and these past few days have been such a whirlwind!! My feet are telling me to slow down. I feel like a walking zombie. But I'm continuing to fall in love with Spain, and I'm definitely enjoying my time here.

First off, BARCELONA! What a fascinating yet strangely impersonal place. In comparison to Valencia, it seemed much more cosmopolitan. It was absolutely full of tourists- I think I literally heard snippets of every single language imaginable. Traipsing around the city with two equally American-looking girls, I didn't feel as though we stuck out as much. We joined the sea of tourists and rode the tide to the Sagrada Familia, a modern cathedral designed by the late architect Gaudí. It had been in construction for over 100 years, and will supposedly be finished around 2025. Here are some pictures from the outside:

One of my favorite places we visited in Barcelona was the Parque Güell, also by Gaudí. I especially loved the colorful mosaics everywhere. Gaudí was inspired by images in nature, which gave his architecture an organic, earthy feel while remaining modern. He left his imprint throughout the city, and this park was able to display some of his most whimsical creations. This is a picture of me sitting on the longest park bench in the world, followed by a crowded staircase in the park and two of the crazy Gaudí houses:

Though Barcelona was exciting and new, I really prefer Valencia. I can't exactly explain why, but it just seems to have a more friendly, cozy atmosphere. I still think this past weekend was one of my favorites so far in Spain! The yummy food, good company, and off-the-wall architecture made it fun.

Since returning from Barcelona, I hit the ground sprinting. Not just running, SPRINTING. I've had lots of homework/essays/trip planning to keep me busy, and it's just now slowed down long enough for me to take a deep breath and relax. Busy doesn't even begin to cover my day today. After three long hours of class, I high-tailed it to a doctor's office. I had a problem with my ear, but now it's fixed! I'll never again take for granted the wonderful gift of hearing. Right afterward, I walked briskly back to the apartment to put down my heavy schoolbag and ran out the door again to meet Hector for a walk to the beach. Even though I arrived completely worn out, being so close to the sea was calming. We had a pretty deep conversation about the meaning of life, and I was impressed with my ability to keep up & offer some semi-intelligent thoughts in Spanish. We stopped for a cafe con leche along the shore and I taught him some highly important English words like "swingset," "zipline," and "elbow." He'll practically be a native speaker in no time! Here are some photos from the excursion: rock art, jumping on the pier, and the port at sunset.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures! I'm about to crash since I literally haven't stopped moving for days. Now I can tranquilly ponder my upcoming trip to Milan, and possibly Switzerland, with one of my best friends here. I'm relishing the privilege to say that I'm flying to Italy for the weekend. What an exciting lifestyle.

Buenas noches, amigos y familiares! (Goodnight, friends and family!)

Bliss.

Content and full of hearty homemade lentil soup, I'm gazing out my floor-to-ceiling window at the sunny street below. Just in case you've missed this little detail: I.am.in.love.with.this.place.

This morning, I woke up early to walk to the train station with two good friends to buy tickets to Barcelona for our trip next weekend. Afterward, I spent two leisurely hours alone, shopping and people-watching as the stylish Spaniards sipped from porcelain cups of cafe con leche in the early afternoon fresh air. I love the slower pace of life here. It's especially relieving after a week of midterms. Feels good to be free again.

Over lunch, my madre told me some horror stories from past hosting experiences. She talked about having two girls who were extremely rich, spoiled, and rude. They got their lawyers to threaten to sue the program based on the smell from a household insecticide spray that was "killing them slowly." Naturally, in my madre's mind, the cause of this chaos was their Jewish faith. I tried to tell her that, no, Judaism doesn't promote ridiculous temper tantrums about cockroach-killing chemicals, and that the Jewish friends I have are kind and considerate, but I'm not sure she believed me. I just hope I don't become the star of a story that makes future studiers abroad shake their heads and chuckle with astonishment into their soup bowls.

Alas, I must go, for the last few hours of sunlight are beckoning me to join them outside. Wherever you are in the world, enjoy this day. It's a good one.

Time...I want more!

For the past three weeks, I've felt like Spain has been slipping through my fingers. We've had Friday classes, which sounds bearable, but when each class is an hour and a half long--and the one that separates school from the weekend goes until 7 pm--it begins to take its toll. By the time classes are through, I don't have enough energy to do anything but rest. This weekend, however, began for me at 3:30 pm on Thursday. I had plenty of time to catch my Z's before setting out to learn from and enjoy my surroundings.

Friday morning, I joined a group of students from my program on a trip to the Fallas museum. Intricate and colorful constructions of people, animals and other social parodies were on display. These beautiful sculptures, made out of wood and papier-mache, are to be burned in the streets in March during the Fallas festival. It was fascinating to see the amount of energy that goes into making these structures when their ultimate purpose is to be destroyed.

I hopped on a train to Sagunto with seven other girls on Saturday. My madre had prepared me a mini pamphlet with information about each major site in the city. Her face completely lit up when I told her where we were going. According to her, visiting Spain without seeing the Roman ruins of Sagunto is pointless. I happen to completely agree. It may have been the beautiful sunny weather, the vast castle we explored, the friendliness of the local people, the two fuzzy cats whose ears I scratched, the ghost stories told in pitch-black dungeons, the adorable bright yellow house with the outdoor terrace, or the bond we shared over viewing all of this majesty together. That day has been my favorite so far here in Spain.

Dusty and sun-touched, all eight of us climbed into the train back to Valencia with sore muscles and laughter. We talked and gazed out the windows, dreaming of taking a long siesta back at home. The magic of the day kept me awake until I dropped (gracefully, of course) onto my bed to melt away some of the exhaustion. That night I met three friends at a cafe for some yummy dessert and encouraging conversation.

On Sunday, we had our usual feast. This week was my madre's turn to host. That meant homemade paella, the best I have ever tasted. We also had shrimp cocktail and crab salad, strawberries & whipped cream, apple tart and tea. And, of course, the cidra de manzana (apple cider), her favorite. The lunch was delicious, but the six of us ended up talking for hours. We didn't leave the table until 5:30 pm! Good company, but I was (noticing a theme here?) incredibly exhausted after that.

Quick siesta, then time to introduce Hector to the wonderful American custom of...s'mores! My apartment mate, Nina, found some makeshift s'mores ingredients. We had cinnamon/sugar cookies instead of Honey-Maid graham crackers, Milka bars instead of Hershey's, and cherry-flavored skinny marshmallows in place of Jet-Puffed. We cooked the marshmallows over the blue flame from a stovetop eye. They were definitely delicious, but not exactly the same! After this Spanish-American fusion of camping snacks, we all played Texas Hold'em and Nina & I tried to teach Hector some more English. Trying to prove that he is a true gentleman, he walked us ALL the way home with his trusty pony (bicycle) by his side. I even got to ride it for a few seconds!

That brings this weekend to a close. This week is midterm week, which is insane. I can't believe we've already covered half of our material. Spain is going by WAYY too quickly. In a way, that's a good thing, since it means I'm enjoying myself immensely. I can already tell it's going to be hard to leave this place. I'm off to go see, learn, and experience more! Chao.