The bittersweet goodbye

I can't believe I am sitting in the airport waiting to go back home. Everyone told me the 4 weeks would fly bye and they have. I was very sad to leave my class and my host family but I am also so excited to get back home to my friends and family. The end of this trip is so bittersweet for me. I know that I will never have another experience like this again. I have gained a wonderful second family in Spain as well as some new teacher friends at St. Paul's. Barcelona will always have a special place in my heart. 

Here is a picture of Maria and I at my final dinner. Telling her goodbye this morning was very hard for me. I really look up to her because of her free spirit and wild personality. She does what makes her happy and does not care what anyone thinks of her. I strive to be like Maria in that aspect. She held me so tight when we hugged goodbye and told me that we will be friends forever. I really hope I get to see her and Lucas again some day. Maria and Lucas were not my original host family but I am so thankful that I was able to move in with them.

The trip to Spain definitely started as a cultural shock. The whole time I was there I was excited to return back to my home country where I don't feel like an outsider. Being away was wonderful but at the same time it really made me appreciate America. I have learned so much while being abroad and I do not regret one second of it. I have grown as a person as well as a teacher. I can not begin to describe how thankful I am for this opportunity. Thinking back on this experience it still seems unreal. I just lived in Barcelona for a month. I think it will take a while for this to sink in but for now I will just worry about graduation in just a few short days! 

My final weekend

My last weekend in Barcelona was well spent. It was packed full and I got to go around and see some things before my return home. 

On Friday night Erin and I went out with some of the teachers from St. Paul's. We had so much fun! Here is my mentor teacher, Catherine! We went up to a 360 bar and got the perfect view of town. 

On Saturday I went with Brianna and her host family for more sight seeing. It was a very nice day. Her family wound up paying for a nice lunch by the beach. Here is a picture I took while exploring. There was a wedding going on in the church. Very beautiful! 

On Sunday, Brianna and I rode the train out to Sitges beach. We spent the day lounging in the sun. Doesn't get much better than that! The beach was beautiful and the weather was perfect. 

My last weekend was the perfect balance between exploring and relaxing. It was nice to stay in Barcelona instead of traveling. When I got home Sunday I started packing up my things. So hard to believe it's that time!!

Around Barcelona

During the weeks I have been exploring Barcelona. I often go straight from school with my friends- we've got that metro down now!! Here are some pictures of what I have been doing!

I was able to go to the Barcelona futbol game last week! It was so much fun!! I had a great time cheering on the team with Maria and Lucas. 

Oh did I mention that I was FOUR rows from the field?? It was the experience of a lifetime. Maria knows the PR man for the team and he got us these awesome tickets. Go Barça! 

After school one day I toured Casa Batlló with some of the girls. This house was designed by Goudi, the most famous architect from Barcelona. 

So unique!

Yesterday I went to Sagrada Familia with Erin. WOW! Also designed by Goudi. That man was incredible. 

Here is a picture of the sidewalk outside of St. Paul's. It's the first thing that really stood out to me when I got off the bus on my first day. I remember thinking to myself, "wow even the little details like the sidewalks are beautiful." They are so simple yet so neat. 

I'm spending my last few days here really taking in the sights around town. I will miss seeing all of this beauty every day. 

School days

I absolutely love working at St. Paul's. I think this might be what I'll miss most in Barcelona. My mentor teacher, Catherine is someone I really look up to and aspire to be like once I'm a teacher. I started teaching some lessons in Science, Math and Language last week and now this week, my final week, I am teaching all of these subjects. In Science the students have been learning about the different parts of plants and their functions. Here is a picture of greenhouses that the students made. They put seeds with a wet paper towel in the clear pouch and put it in the window for sunlight. The seeds have started sprouting some and the students are so excited. Such an awesome activity!

Here are some students in the Reading/Writing class. They have read a story about dogs and learned the 5 freedoms of animals in shelters. There is a woman who rescues dogs coming in on Thursday to talk to the class which should be very fun. These boys below are designing posters about the freedoms of animals. 

Miss Lola with her poster. 

In math the students have been learning about measurement and have also been learning their multiplication facts. On Friday I am teaching a lesson on capacity  which should be interesting considering they use different units of measurement. When I mentioned using cups as a unit Catherine looked at me like I had 5 heads and reminded me that they use liters. Haha!

My last week, just like the whole trip, is going by very fast. I have been doing some exploring around Barcelona after school and making the most of my time here. Post and pictures to come!

Another weekend adventure

This weekend I went to England with Brianna, Emily and Jordan. Emily has a friend, Polly, who lives about an hour outside of London so she let us come stay at her house. It was so nice to be with her family and out in a beautiful area.

Here is a picture of their home. 

The first night we went to visit Stratford upon Avon. I loved it here. So pretty and so full of history. 

Above is a statue of William Shakespeare and below is the home where he grew up. 

We ate at one of the oldest pubs in England and the meal was delicious. The food was a lot more similar to American food than it is in Spain. It was also nice to be in a country where everyone speaks English. 

We went to bed early to catch a train in the morning for London. 

Our first stop was Buckingham palace. 

What are the chances that Kate would go into labor the day we were visiting London?!? Here is the easel outside of the palace that announced there was a new princess. Living history! 

Who doesn't love free souvenirs? 

Here's Big Ben! 

And the London Eye! (Brianna and I were going to take a ride but the line was way too long.) 

There were so many people performing on the streets. How cute is this little old man? 

We got to see some traditional English dancing because it was the weekend of May Day which is May 1st. 

We visited the store Harrod's which was like it's own little city in itself. This is one of the most famous stores in Europe. 

We were all very worn out on our train ride home. It was a long but exciting day of exploring.

Today Polly's family made us a wonderful Sunday lunch. The flags are on the table to celebrate the new royal baby! 

Leaving England was hard because we had such a nice homey atmosphere all weekend. Polly's mother cried when she told us goodbye which broke my heart because it reminded me so much of my own mom, the lady who cries about everything. It's a bit hard flying back to Spain and not flying back home. There is only about one week left here so I need to make the most of it even though I'm ready for America. I also need to make the most of the time I have left with my host family because I already know telling them goodbye will be very hard. Here's to my last week abroad!

When in Rome

I took a weekend trip to Rome with my friends Brianna, Emily, Jordan and Erin. We had a blast! Due to a late flight Friday and an early flight today we really only had Saturday to explore. This gives me the perfect excuse to come back so I can see more! I absolutely love Rome. It's still not real to me that I was able to see all the things I saw. My grandma has always wanted to go to Rome so I thought about her every second of this trip. I wish I could bring her back with me but I'll just have to show her all my pictures. I'm really missing her today but I look forward to seeing her at my graduation. 

My friends and I rented a bus trip to take us around the city. It was nice because we could get on and off the bus as often as we wanted. This is how our long, crazy, adventure filled Saturday went down. 

Our hotel was close to the Vatican and this was also a bus stop so we decided to go there first. Here we are waiting in a 2 hour line! It seems like a long time to wait but time flies when you are about to enter such a wonderful place. 

There are extremely tall walls surrounding Vatican City. Brianna is super pumped!!

Once we entered the Vatican museum we all got kind of quiet. We were all in awe and shock that we were really doing this. The museum takes you on a path through many beautiful rooms with the Sistine Chapel at the end of the tour. WOW! My pictures do not do this place justice. Everyone must come and see this for themselves. 

Every room was more beautiful than the last. Once we entered the Sistine Chapel we were to be silent and no photos were allowed. I loved these rules. Everyone was able to look around at all the details of the paintings and enjoy them. No one was trying to take as many pictures as possible to post on Facebook. No one was talking to their friends and interrupting others trying to really take in the scene. Absolutely breathtaking and peaceful. 

Once we left the Vatican museum we walked to St. Peter's square. MY FAVORITE PART OF THE TRIP. The line for St. Peter's Basilica was outrageously long so we did not go in but I'll save that for my next visit. Here I am with my WKU red towel. Go tops! 

We got on the bus from here. A double decker bus! Sitting at the top was a perfect view of this amazing city. Here are some pictures I snapped from the bus. 

Next stop: Colosseum! At this point we were still all saying, "are we really doing this right now!?" First we went to the Forum which was an old Roman city. I really wish I had my history nerd brother with me for this part. He would have been able to explain everything and he would have loved seeing all of it. 

I had way too much fun with the selfie stick my host brother let me borrow. 

Buying a dual ticket for the Forum let us skip the line for the Colosseum. I highly recommend doing this is for your visit! 

 

Inside the Colosseum.

After this we got back on the bus to go to the Trevi fountain. This was disappointing because it was under construction. Still pretty neat to see and once again, a great excuse to come back to Rome. 

We went back to the hotel and found a local, authentic Italian restaurant for dinner. Yum! 

I am sad to be in the airport right now leaving Rome. I am also kind of sad that I am not returning home when I fly out. We have 15 more days abroad which means we are halfway through. I am ready for my return to America but I also keep reminding myself to enjoy the days ahead because the time has been flying by. Time to get ready for week 3! I am teaching this whole week so wish me luck! 

Sant Jordi's Day

It was very neat to be in Barcelona on Sant Jordi's day and to be able to experience the traditions. Sant Jordi (Saint George) slayed a dragon in order to save a princess. Now this day is marked as a day of love very similar to our Valentine's Day. The men give the women roses and the women give the men books. There were stands selling books and roses all over town. 

I started St. Jordi's day off right! Lucas' dad dropped us off at school and bought this rose for me. So sweet! 

The school had an assembly in the morning where the older students put on a play about the story of St. Jordi. Here is Sant Jordi slaying the dragon! 

Here are some of my cute 2nd graders after the play was over. Alejandra, Andrea, Toria and Sophia are BFFs. 

After school, my friend Emily came home with me so we could go to the city centre and see the celebrations. Maria went with us and rode the metro for the first time in 5 years. Haha! She is a little too good for the metro. This is not a very good picture but it gives an idea of the crowds and all the booths selling books. 

Here's Emily and I enjoying our first ever Sant Jordi's day. 

We ate at a wonderful crepe restaurant. I will definitely be going back.

Maria, myself and Emily at a store that had these cool books as decoration. 

I can't believe another week has gone by! Off to Rome tomorrow with 4 other girls. SOOO EXCITEDDD!!