Despues de llego en España, pasaba diez horas en Nueva York!
In New York I met up with the ever-wonderful Barnes! They are Josh Barnes' AMAZING parents that took me under their wing last minute! We went every where! First, I took the train from Newark Airport to Penn Station.
Now, whoever created TWO Penn Stations is SICK! I ended up getting off at NEWARK Penn Station. New York Penn Station...Newark Penn Station....THEY SOUND THE SAME! When I was at Newark P.S. I asked a guy at the help desk how I got to the Hilton Times Square (where I was supposed to meet the Barnes) and he said..."well, you need to go to New York Penn Station". A look of terror flooded my face as I asked, "wait, where am I NOW???". Pero, no te preocupes! Luckily the ticket guy forgot to take my ticket while I was on the train to I got to ride it back up to NY Penn FO FREE! YAY! Once I got there I walked the 8 blocks from 7th and 34th to 7th and 42nd street with my three carry-on bags in tow (1 duffel, a tote, and a laptop bag....guess who looked like a tourist?!?) I. WAS. AMAZED! I was one the phone with a family friend, trying to find my way, when I walked out of the train station. "OH MY GOSH. OH MY GOSH. HOLY COW!!!" was like...ALL I could get out. I started tearing up a bit. Haha, when do I not?! It was just so HUGE and AWESOME to look at! I was a small Texas fish in a HUGE New York pond! After I met up with the Barnes and Mrs. Barnes and I took a few minutes to GAWK at their view of Times Square from the 39th floor, the three of us headed out to brave the NYC streets.
We saw Times Square, Radio City Music Hall, Central Park covered in a blanket of snow, and even stopped to get a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate to warm us up! It was BEAUTIFUL! As I was leaving I kept telling the Barnes' that I was amazed that THIS wasn't my trip. That I still had a whole new trip ahead of me! Muchas Gracias, Nueva York! Lo amaba!
Entonces, salí para España!
First, on the plane, a sweet sweet man and his wife were so gracious and spoke Spanish with me! And they kept the conversation going! Like, they WANTED to talk to me. Gosh, they were so helpful and nice. He told me that there is a difference in speaking quickly and capturing the "essencia" (or "essenthia" as he pronounced it) of Spanish. Goal: habla con la essencia de Español.
Once I arrived in Madrid I spent some time waiting for our leader with some girls that were on my plane! They were so nice! My first Spanish friends! As I continued to meet people from our program, back at our hotel, it seemed like EVERYONE was from the North East. New York, Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Vermont, North Carolina, D. C., New York, New York, New York. I filled an empty seat at dinner and struck up conversation with the girl next to me....AND SHE WAS FROM TEXAS! I gave her a BIG OL' TEXAS HUG and I thought she was going to push me off of her she felt so awkward! But I DID NOT MIND! I was so glad to find someone from the south. I also met someone from Kentucky, which I'll take, (btw, shes in the Integrated program with me so we had a full conversation in Spanish walking down the streets of Madrid last night. DREAM.) and there is rumor that there is another girl from Texas. So, ya know, she can't hide forever! All in all, I love the people on my team! And as far as the people in Madrid go, ill just say that we took a tour today of the Palacio Royal and I kept looking at our tour guide thinking, "gosh, she smiles with her eyes. all the time." Goal: Habla Español, y todas lenguas, con una sonrisa en tus ojos.
Like I said, we visited the Palacio Royal today. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. Like, that is an understatement! There aren't words in English OR Spanish (atleast that I know) that describe that place. I felt honored to even see myself in the reflection of the mirrors. Jaw-dropping, bumping into people, kind of amazed. Here is a picture of me and one of my roommates, Kerry, outside of the Palacio. Unfortunately, as the girl was handing me back my camera right after this picture, I fumbled it and it dropped to the ground. Now the lens is jammed and I can't take any more pictures. So if you know anything about that sort of thing, let me know how I can fix it. I have a Nikon Cool Pix, point and shoot.
Random Tid Bits:
1. I got an adapter at La Corte Ingles today for $12!! And it works even with the voltage conversion! So ive curled my hair, charged my iPod, and spent some time on the pooter!
2. The exchange rate here is BUMMMMO. $1-1.3 euros. So for every $100 dollars you exchange, you loose $30. And that's at the banks where they don't charge you a fee to convert it! And being a broke college student that will be EVEN MORE BROKE after I leave here, $30 is NOT chump change!
3. Two new girlfriends and I were looking around for a place to eat today, and we RANDOMLY stopped at this restuarant that turned out to be a Texas Smokehouse! There were little Texas decals on the menu and they were playing Shania Twain! I had Chicken Quesadillas, a salad, and a beer (guys, i just wasn't in the mood for a soft drink and the meal came with a free drink!) for 8 euros! JACKPOT. And last night for dinner I ordered the chicken (options: chicken, fish, or duck. Don't ask for details. Just pick.) which comprised of a grilled chicken breast and sweet potato fries. So much for trying new foods! I seriously am trying! American food wont let me be!
4. I am reading in Jeremiah right now. With every chapter that I hear God rebuking Israel for their sins I remember that because of Jesus, I am not punished for my sins. That Jesus took all of that punishment with him on that cross. I am realizing the value I have in the cross. God is good. Dios es tan grande y tan bueno.
Puedo escribir mas muy pronto!
Bernie : )
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