2/28/10

The last day of February. This semester is flying by!!

I was very productive today. I read 3 very long articles for my Contemporary Economic History paper. I was very proud of myself and relieved that I got it done. Now I know for sure what I am writing about and all I have to do is write it... It took me a few hours to read the articles. I started right after I ate breakfast. Then I went for a run. It was gorgeous outside. The temperature was very mild and the sun was shining! I went for a longer run than I planned just because I wanted to stay out in the beautiful weather longer. I always feel guilty staying inside when the weather is perfect!! I hope the weather stays like this from now on although I am pretty sure the majority of this coming week there is a chance of rain.

When I got back from my run I told Angela that we had to take a walk to Casco Viejo and grab a snack or drink at an outside cafe. We walked to Plaza de Castillo and sat outside of a bar. I just had a coffee because I knew if I started eating pintxos I would just want more to fill me up. I was going to have a big dinner which I did. The plaza was filled with families and all kinds of people. Also on the way there we stopped and sat at la ciudadela and watched a pickup game of soccer/futbol. Today was probably the most lively Sunday in Pamplona since I have been here. Everyone was definitely enjoying the turn in weather!

I am planning on going to a local bar to watch the USA vs Canada hockey game tonight. I have missed all the coverage since our tv doesn't work. So I am really excited to watch the gold medal game.

Vamos USA!

2/27/10

This weekend it is just Angela and I in the apartment. It is nice, quiet and relaxing. I got some work done but I still want to get a lot more accomplished tomorrow or else it will all creep up on me in April. That would be terrible!

Later in the afternoon, Angela and I took a walk around Casco Viejo. We walked down Carlos III which is basically the shopping street. I was good and didn't buy anything!! It was a good time though. We were there as the sun was setting so we had a nice view. It was a really nice night too. The temperature was really mild today the only thing was we are having a lot of strong winds. It is basically a storm. We went to a cafe when we were done walking around and had a snack. It may or may not have been chocolate con churros. Then we stopped at the supermarket on the way back. We both just wanted a few things but it took forever. The wind kept causing power outages at the store and then it would take awhile for the cash registers to start working again. Finally we paid and walked back but our bags were almost blowing out of our hands from the wind. It is ridiculous. I heard one of my friends is stuck in Bilbao because the buses aren't running. So we are having a relaxing night inside away from the wind! Even though we can hear it. I had a light dinner and now I am going to watch a movie. I am preparing for a productive day tomorrow!

Besos

2/25/10-2/26/10

Yesterday I had sociology. I feel like I fit in there. I get a lot of "Holas" when I go to class. It is nice. We looked at maps and atlases some more. It is starting to get a little old but I think that topic is finally done.

The weather was weird yesterday. It would rain and then be sunny for an hour. There were multiple times when I thought it was going to turn into a super nice day. I was able to get out for a nice run when it was sunny for literally an hour. It was such a weird say weather wise. It was so warm when I was running. The best kind of weather!

I went to a guitar show at 7 with my friend Shannon. I was wishing that it was going to be flamenco but it was traditional pieces. It was still good but I love flamenco. I think there are flamenco guitar performances in March. It is all free at the university so I might make it a point to go! After the show I came back and had some dinner. I just had a relaxing night.

(Friday)
Today I did a lot of nothing. It was a beautiful day though. It looks like our temperatures are going to be pretty mild from now on. I hope I didn't jinx it. I went for a run on the path that my friend showed me. It is my favorite. There are great views of the mountains and it is just quiet back there.

We are heading out to a pot luck at our friends' apartment. We made hummus again. But it was a hit last time. I am planning on being much more productive tomorrow. That is all.

Saludos

2/24/10

I woke up this morning had breakfast and did some work. My second global communication paper is due on Friday so I was trying to finish it. I am almost done. About a page to go! I had class at 1 but for only 45 minutes. That lecture always feels like it flies by. When I look back at the clock I can't believe it is time to leave already.

I met my friend Shannon after class. We planned our trip to Barcelona the first weekend in March. We booked a hostel and are still deciding between the train and bus as means of transportation. I think the bus is going to win just because it is cheaper. I am so excited to go. We booked a nice hostel that is right in the center of town and it is cheap! I am doing a lot of traveling in March, mostly in Spain, but I am excited. I just need to budget it all wisely. We had gone to the train station to ask about student discounts and after we grabbed a snack in a cafe in Casco Viejo (old town). We stayed there for almost 2 hours I believe. It was nice especially since it was rainy and gross outside. Pamplona definitely has the same rainy weather as Pittsburgh.

I made some dinner when I got back home. I did a little more work and was looking up information for a hostel in Granada which is my second trip in March. Then my roommates and I went to our friends', Rosie and Tash's, apartment. They were having a wine and cheese party. We played a few card games. We came back early though because my roommates all have a test tomorrow.

Un saludo

2/23/10

This morning I woke up, had breakfast and studied a little before my first class. I went to sociology. We were learning how to use an atlas. I am pretty sure I learned this in grade school but I guess I could use a refresher. There were only a few atlases for the class so I had to share with 3 other students. This class was probably the best yet because I was really able to interact with a lot of Spanish students. We were looking at a bunch of countries. When we were looking at a map of the US, the other girl in my group was asking for suggestions of where she should travel. Who knew maps could spark such interesting conversation.

After class, I came back and studied some more of course. Finally at 4 I went to take my quiz. It turned out to be pretty simple or at least I hope that is the result. I guess I will find out soon enough. When I got back I went for a run. It was so warm out. This week it is supposed to be in the 50s!! I love that weather! Sadly though halfway through my run it started to rain a little. It was a pretty nice day until then. I got back showered and made some pasta for dinner. I watched a movie to relax a little after the studying and long weekend. I need to do some more work before the end of the week though!

Buenas noches

2/18/10-2/22/10

This past weekend I was in Madrid so that explains the lack of blog posts. I know that it has been a long wait so I will try and make this post exciting and worth the wait!!

2/18/10
Thursday I had sociology class. It went pretty quick. I keep meeting international students in that class on bridge year. I didn't realize there were so many. I just assumed they were all Spanish. After that I went on a long run with my friend Isa. She showed me this route that basically goes to the suburbs of Pamplona. It was a nice change of pace because it was definitely more rural and quiet without all the city noise. Then I did some work since I wouldn't be able to do it this weekend. I have a busy week this week. A quiz tomorrow and a paper due on Friday. Now that I say that it doesn't seem as busy as I would be at WJ. Gotta love being abroad. I went to bed early because we had a 6am bus ride.

2/19/10
Getting up before 5 was a little difficult but we made it. We had to start walking around 5:15. I slept most of the ride which was good to rest up for all the walking. When we got there we had to wait to check in to the hostel so we went to lunch. We sat around for as long as we could in the cafe and then went to a plaza that was right next to the hostel It was really spacious and open. There were a lot of people hanging out too. Once we put our stuff in the hostel and checked in we went for a walk around the city. We had a coffee and walked to towards el Banco de Espana which was huge and an amazing building. We went into the museum at the National Library but it was a let down. We really wanted to go inside the actual library but I think it is only accessible to researchers. We found el Retiro which is this giant park. We walked probably only a small portion of it but it felt like forever. We found some statues and one base seemed to be missing a statue so we preceded to climb up and pose as one. It just didn't seem right to have a line of statues and one missing. Then we sat by the lake in the park and watched all the people in row boats. The sun was starting to set and we were on a mission for chocolate y churros. It was getting late so I left to meet my friend Amy from high school at the airport. We met and came back to the hostel to drop her stuff off then we ( Angela my roommate, Alex her friend, Amy and I) all went to a late Spanish dinner. We went to a restaurant close by for paella and sangria. They made the paella just for us which is when it is best. It was better than the portion I had in Valencia. After it was time for bed!!

2/20/10
We stared our day off with drum roll please...chocolate y churros of course!! The perfect start to the morning. Then we walked to Plaza Mayor which is the main plaza in Madrid. I really liked the plaza. It was filled with people and entertainment. It was surrounded by restaurants and shops. You could sit at a table in the Plaza and have a coffee. That sounds like the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon to me! I had written down a famous bakery as a site to see from a travel book and we all wanted to find it and buy a pastry. After asking quite a few people where it was, we found ourselves at the tourist information center in Plaza Mayor. The woman told me that I was in el Real casa de la panaderia (the bakery). I was confused as I did not see any bread making in sight. See said that it used to be el Real casa and outside was where they made the meat. Next time I will look more into the sites I right down. Alex had info on another famous and old bakery which proved much easier to find. We bought some Spanish treats and walked to Palacio Real which is the palace. It was absolutely beautiful!! Each room was decorated in a different style or by culture. Sadly, you couldn't take pictures inside. After the palacio we walked to Templo Deblo I think it is called. They are these ruins that the Spanish helped excavate so as a token of appreciation, Egypt moved some to Spain. It was in a nice little park. Then we all walk to buy food to make dinner and for breakfast. Amy and I stopped to get a snack and sit for awhile before we made it to the market. When we got back to the hostel we made some dinner and sat around and digested. Amy and I just had a relaxing night in. We talked for awhile and went to bed.

2/21/10
In the morning we had breakfast and finally checked out around 10. We had wanted to get an early start because we were going to a famous market called el Rastro but the hostel only opened the reception at 10. Definitely not the best place I have stayed in. El Rastro was a group of street vendors that come out every Sunday and like I said it is world famous. I have to say though el Mercado Central in Costa Rica trumps el Rastro. Amy and I headed to the museum Reina Sofia pretty soon after we checked out el Rastro because we weren't in shopping moods. Reina Sofia is free on Sunday!! I really like it. They have an extensive collection of Dali and Picasso paintings. La Guernica is there which is one of Picasso's most famous pieces if not the most. I stood looking at it for awhile. It is amazing to see paintings like that in person after you have learned about them in class. It is almost a surreal experience. This was by far the best part of my weekend!! After Reina Sofia, Amy and I had lunch and chocolate y churros!! I am basically addicted. Then we made our way to el Prado which is another big museum in Madrid. The works in Prado were more realism while Reina Sofia was cubism, modernism and surrealism. So they were for very different tastes. Again I got to see paintings that I learned about in class like Las meninas by Velazquez, actually a lot of his work was there and some by Francisco de Goya. I will say for sure though that Reina Sofia housed my taste in art. After our tour of the museums our weekend was coming to an end. Angela and I had dinner since our bus left later than Amy and Alex's flights. We got back at 2:30 in the morning. It wasn't as bad as I thought since I slept a decent amount.

2/22/10
I woke up this morning with ease surprisingly. I went to class at noon which got out early. When I got back I did some much needed grocery shopping. I am all stocked up!! I have been studying on and off for most of the day for my quiz in Business theory tomorrow. I wanted to take a siesta but I made it through the day surprisingly well. I made it out for a run too this evening with my friend Tash. We ran around la ciudadela. I haven't run in the evening here yet but it is really pretty! My roommate Peri made dinner for us all, curry. It was delicious!! Now I think I may head to bed soon. The weekend is catching up to me!

2/17/10

I slept in this morning because I didn't have class until 1. So when I got up I made some breakfast and then just hung out until I had to go to the university.

I only had 45 minutes of lecture today but it was cut even shorter because at least the first 15 minutes were spent debating the date of the midterm. I just sat around until they figured it out. I was getting a headache from all the Spanish at one time. There were quite a few opinions to say the least on the date of the test. Students should not be given the privilege of picking the date of a test, it wastes so much time. We barely got into any material but oh well.

After class I eventually made it out for a run even though it has rained constantly all day today. I won't complain though because it was a nice run. I found a nice park by la Plaza de toros (bull ring). I really like running up there. It might be because I really want to run with the bulls but that will have to be next time I am in Pamplona.

At 5 a group of us went for chocolate y churros. Yes twice in one week. Today was better than Monday though. The chocolate was thicker and the churros weren't cooked as much as last time. It was delicious and the 2€ price tag only makes it sweeter. I also talked to my friend Shannon, the point of meeting for churros, about going to Portugal in March. It doesn't look like we are going to be able to go because we would have to come back Monday and neither of us can miss classes on Monday. So we are thinking of going to Barcelona instead. I am dying to go to Barcelona. I desperately want to see Gaudi's architecture!! I am not permitting myself to leave Spain without visiting Barcelona. So I am really pulling for it that weekend. Other than that I have done some work tonight so I won't have to worry about anything when I go to Madrid this weekend. I am really excited for the Madrid trip too! Traveling is just awesome overall.

Hasta luego!

2/16/10

I woke up this morning and had a quick breakfast so I could get to school early and use the computers. Our internet stopped working last night for some reason. So I went about a half hour early checked my email and such then went to class.

In Geografia cultural, we had a practica (discussion) about rural countries. The professor had 4 pictures of rural places and we all took down some notes first. Then he went back over them. It was good for me to listen to the students talk for once because there accents vary a lot and they speak a little faster. It is a challenge having to listen to multiple people talk back to back but I like it. It really helps my Spanish. After that, we had a quick lecture.

When I got back, Angela and I went on a hunt for internet. We ended up at our friends'/neighbors' apartment (after a few other stops). I stayed long enough to check my email, find and save some resources, and save the text for my business theory class. I came back and got ready for my night class which is the business theory one. It went by pretty quick. We have a partial exam next class. I think it will go well.

After class, Helen and I set out to fix the internet. I decided to try calling the company myself and see if I could understand them and articulate the problem. AND I FIXED IT!!! I was very proud to say the least that we didn't have to ask the landlord or a friend to call for us. This is a big milestone for me...I feel like a dork saying it but it's true!

Helen, one of my British roommates, had planned a pancake day which is a holiday for Fat Tuesday in England. They basically just make crepes for dinner. It was delicious though. I had 2 with fruit and jam. I tried one with ham and cheese and to my surprise it was just as good as the sweet ones. She promised me she would make me a savory one tomorrow since she ran out of the batter tonight. There were a ton of people here for pancakes. Which Angela said we shouldn't call them pancakes because that is an insult to the American pancake. But it was nice that everyone got together. I was hoping to get some work done but I only have 45 minutes of class tomorrow which leaves me plenty of time to be productive. Now I will sleep though.

Feliz dia de panqueques!/Feliz martes gordo! (2 very rough translations!!)

2/15/10

I was able to wake up at a decent time this morning to eat breakfast and get to the university so I had some time to research before my class. I found some articles that I saved and now have to go back and actually read. I feel like I am a freshman all over again here considering the little amount of work that I actually do. Then I went to class. We got out of the lecture about 20 minutes early which was nice. We were learning about the economies of Belgium and France which aren't the most interesting or to me they aren't. I came back to my apartment and just relaxed for a little. We were anxious because someone had to be in the apartment around 3:30 for a long awaited visit from the plumber. I was relieved of my waiting duty around 3 when I went for a run. I finished at the grocery store. I know I said I was trying not to go but I was seriously in need of some sustenance. So I bought a few snacks and things and went back. Thankfully the plumber had arrived and was in the process of installing a new shower head. I can't tell you how happy we are to not be wasting so much water!!

Angela, Tash and I went to get churros y chocolate special down the road. It was delicious!! I think we are going to go to that restaurant more because it is a cheap place for good food! Also, I can't believe I went 21 years without tasting chocolate y churros. I am definitely starting a restaurant in the US that specializes in chocolate y churros. I will make a fortune and then start a franchise. If anyone wants in, let me know. We just got back and Angela is making dumplings for Chinese New Year. I can't wait to try some. I am going to make a real dinner since I finally found alfredo sauce in the store!! I definitely was missing it. I can't wait to have copious amounts of pasta in Italy too. I could easily become a pastatarian if I wanted but I am going to stick to a more well-rounded diet. (or try to at least)

Feliz dia!

2/14/10

This morning I got out of bed at the crack of dawn, 11 am. (this is early for the Spanish lifestyle or at least my Spanish lifestyle) I really hope my sleeping habits do not return with me to America. Anyway I went for a run in the bitter cold yet again. That will really wake you up in the morning. After I came home and had a light breakfast. I was planning on meeting a friend to have chocolate y churros around 3 but we got our wires crossed. We are trying to figure out a trip to Portugal the first weekend in March. I really hope we can go there or somewhere that weekend because I already feel like I am running out of time to travel. But this coming weekend I am going to Madrid with a bunch of people! I have heard that it is a really fun city. It better be since I have to go back for my half marathon in April.

I was kind of bummed that I didn't get my chocolate y churros today but my flatmate gave me some Valentine's candy!! She left it outside of our doors. It was a nice surprise!! I ate it all already though. This is why I don't buy myself candy unless it's Luflee. Also this place we were going to go to has a special every evening for either chocolate caliente (hot chocolate) or coffee with churros for only 2€. Basically if I could I would be there every night.

Later I skyped with my parents and then I had a Valentine's Day movie date. Then I made some dinner. Hopefully I won't need to go to the store before Madrid this weekend. I think I am going to turn in early tonight because I am going to get up actually early tomorrow (9am) to do some research for a paper.

Feliz dia de San Valentin!!

2/13/10

This morning I went for a run with 2 friends. It was bitter cold out though! And of course the snow on the walks still has not been cleared so our run was a cautious one. It was good to get out though and run with people and start my day on the earlier side for once. I was happy when it was over though because it was just so cold! Pamplona weather is all over the place. Then I picked up my first piece of mail at the post office!! I love getting mail.

I made some breakfast and relaxed most of the day. I watched 500 Days of Summer (Valentine's gift) and it was really good! I really wanted to watch the Olympics but our the outlet near our tv doesn't work. I guess I have to move it. That is going to be saved for another day though. Not much else to report for the day. I think that I am going to go to a pasta dinner at a friend's house tonight. I am really excited for pasta!!

Hasta luego!

2/12/10

I went on a day trip today with Angela to Bilbao. Bilbao is the largest city in the Basque region. It has a Casco Viejo like Pamplona and there is also a Guggenheim Museum. We left Pamplona on the 7 am bus. We both passed out once we started moving. We arrived in Bilbao at 9:30. It was drizzling a little but to our surprise there was no snow unlike Pamplona (and Pennsylvania). We made it to Casco Viejo and started looking around for somewhere to eat breakfast. We found the Bar Cafe Bilbao. I had cafe con leche and tortilla (which is a typical breakfast made out of egg, potato and sometimes vegetables, cheese or ham). It was really good and we really like the place. The staff was really friendly there too.

When we walked out of the cafe into the plaza we encountered a celebration for Carneval. There where dozens of school aged kids in this little plaza. They were all wearing costumes and there was loud music playing. It looked like they had set up activities and snack tables too. It was so cute. We walked more and found carnival grounds. We went into a cafeteria that faced it and had chocolate con churros. As we were eating more kids dressed as ladybugs filed into the carnival grounds. We would see random children in costumes throughout the day after the Carneval celebration had ended. We picked a good day to go because there was a lot of Carneval stuff all over the city. I haven't seen anything like this around Pamplona so it was lucky we went to Bilbao today.

We got directions to the Guggenheim Museum at the cafeteria and walked up Gran Via, which is the main street in Bilbao. There was a lot of stores along it. It took us maybe 20 minutes and then we finally saw it. The Museum sits along the river where there is also a river walk and more displays. We spent about 2 hours in the museum. The top floor was closed which was disheartening because it was the private collection of Guggenheim. We basically just saw the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit which was really interesting and the things he designed are incredible! They had a bunch of 3D models which were my favorite because a few of them were lit up as if they were the real thing. It was a nice museum but after awhile you wonder how much architecture can you endure in one day. So once we had seen everything we walked out to the river walk. I really liked the walk. You got a great view of the city and it looks like a great place to run. We walked all the way back down to Casco Viejo and started looking for a place to have pintxos. After we had walked into countless bars we found one with good looking pintxos and actual space to move. It was also the winner because we got a free sample of shrimp when we walked in! Got to love free samples!

After a little pick me up snack we walked around a little bit more. Found more Carneval paraphernalia. We saw cookies decorated like Venetian masks. I will post the picture. Then we started walking on Gran Via again. Around 4 we decided to get a little more to eat since we only had the little pintxos for lunch. We ate at Corte Ingles which is basically just a mall. I just had a panini and fries even though the panini was more like cheesy bread but it held me over so...

Then finally we walked to the bus station. Our bus ride back was quicker. I think we made one less stop. We both fell asleep though. It was a tiring day. We did so much walking!! We got back to Pamplona around 8. After this I think I am going to bed!!!

Que te gusten las fotos!

2/11/10

It snowed here today! I think anyone from Pennsylvania was supposed to experience some sort of snow even if he or she was outside of the country. It was coming down pretty hard at times, nothing compared to 20+ inches but for Pamplona it was crazy. What stinks here is they don't really shovel or put down salt for the roads and sidewalks are super slick! I decided not to go for a run because it would have been pointless first of all because all paths are snow covered and second I would have had to go slow so I wouldn't fall. Hopefully the roads will be better this weekend.

I went to sociology class. It was pretty boring especially considering the topic was agricultural countries. We did see a lot of nice pictures though. After class, my friend who I was supposed to run with came over and that is when we decided to postpone it until Saturday so we could actually get some benefit from the run. She stayed for awhile and we were hanging out and talking to my roommates. Angela and I then went to the bus station to buy tickets for a day trip tomorrow to Bilbao which is about 2 hours away. There is a museum there and I have heard it is just nice to walk around there. We just want to get out and do something different. It should be a nice change of pace. I just hope the weather is nice! I have been looking up things to see and do in Madrid, which is next weekend, and Italy, in March. I am getting excited!! I also think I am going to do a bike trip with my friend Tash for 4 days of break. We can stay for 6€ a night in places called refugios. That should definitely be an awesome experience! We are either going to Leon or part of Camino de Santiago which I talked about yesterday.

Tonight is burger night!! I am so excited!! We are going back to the place we went for the Super Bowl. I am hungry and am counting down the minutes until we go! It is going to be an early night for me though because our bus to Bilbao leaves at 7 in the morning tomorrow.

Saludos!

2/10/10

I got to catch up on some sleep today which was awesome! I was awakened by a package delivery though. Since I couldn't get back to sleep, I decided to go to the grocery store since I was in desparate need of a restock of food! No worries now, I have plenty!! I got a pastry at La Taberna, my favorite bakery, for brunch. It was good and I had some fresh strawberries which were amazing!

Once I had eaten, I decided it was time to be productive. I did some research and wrote my abstract for my Global Communications paper. I am going to write on visual culture. I just came across it while looking up other ideas and it looked interesting. I just hope I can write 2500 words on it. At least I have 2 weeks to do this paper instead of 1. When that was done, Angela, my friend Tash and I tried to figure out a trip to Sevilla during our break but it doesn't look like it is going to work out. I kind of just want to go to Barcelona and Madrid for the last few days of my break. I am going to see what other people are doing though. Tash and I are going to walk part of the Camino de Santiago during the beginning of break which is a path that leads to a religious site. It goes right through Pamplona and I believe it ends at a cathedral but I am not certain. I know it takes a month to walk it. We will just be doing a day walk though. I have seen a lot of people walking the Camino. It is fairly well marked throughout the part in Pamplona and actually goes through la Universidad de Navarra. It should be an interesting experience. After all this planning, I went for a run. It was actually pretty cold out for a change. I was not expected it. I know it doesn't compare to the 20+ inches on the ground right now at home but the cold is not for me.

I came home, showered, skyped and ate. I have just been relaxing and enjoying my day of no classes. Off to class tomorrow though, at least Thursdays are my Fridays!! I have an awesome Spanish life!!

Un abrazo

2/9/10

Today I had sociology. Our teacher is out on maternity so we are basically getting a cycle of professors. We had a new one today. He was good but I was so tired it was hard to concentrate. It looked like he was going to teach for a straight 2 hours as well since he went right through our break but thankfully we got out a half hour early. I went home and took a little cat nap.

Angela and I went to the bus station a little later to buy bus tickets for Madrid for next weekend. I am excited to go. But I really want to get to Barcelona more!! I can't wait to see all of Gaudi's architecture! After that I went for a run with 2 friends. It was nice to have some company. We ran for about a half hour. I would have liked to go longer but I had class at 4 and I needed to shower. So I ran home and got ready for class. I had Theory of the Organization. It was pretty good but long. I was eager to get home and have some dinner and relax. Which is exactly what I did after class.

We had some friends over at night because no one has class tomorrow since a few facultades are closed. It was fun to have everyone over and not have to go anywhere. A bunch of people went to a club around 1:30 but Helen and I stayed home. We were both pretty exhausted. I really wanted to get some sleep because I need to do some work tomorrow!

Stay warm in the snow everyone!

2/8/10

I had Contemporary Economic History this afternoon. It was my only class seeing as Global Communication already met for the month of February. Although I do need to hand in an abstract for my second Global Communication paper. I need to think of a topic and hopefully that will be done tomorrow. Anyway class went quickly, just a lecture as usual. I walked home in the rain. I like to ignore the fact that it is raining sometimes so I don't bring an umbrella. I think ignoring it is my way of wishing for better weather. I did this a lot in Costa Rica.

Later in the day, a bunch of us went to a little cafe called el Obrador. They have all kinds of hot drinks, snacks, bread and gelato. We were there for awhile. We were all trying to coordinate trips and it looks like more people may be joining me for the half marathon. A group of us are supposed to go running at 2:30 tomorrow. Hopefully that is not all talk. Oh and I was productive today since I read my text for econ!! I seriously haven't done this little work since freshman year. But I am not complaining. It could get annoying when the tests roll around though since they will be weighted heavily and there will be a lot of material being tested but I can handle it. Or at least I have to. I think I don't have my econ class on Wednesday because the economics faculty has a day off. Their holiday system here is quite strange. I don't know why they think coordination is not efficient or why one Saint is good for one faculty and not the other?? Such strange peculiarities in Spain.

Angela made everyone dinner tonight. It was basically a stir fry of pasta, chicken and veggies with soy sauce. It was really good and I didn't have to do anything. The best kind of meal!

I was looking into going to Sevilla for the second part of Spring break. I want to go their around Easter because Sevilla is famous for it's Easter processions and celebrations. But I am not sure if it will be cheap or practical seeing as the last day of break is the half marathon and that is in Madrid. I might just go to Madrid for a few days instead. We will see how that pans out. So as you see lots of traveling plans in motion and hopefully some will actually be accomplished!

Feliz dia!

2/6/10-2/7/10

So Friday night I either got food poisoning or a 24 hour stomach bug. So Saturday I slept all day and did comfort things like watch tv on my computer and talked to my mom. So much for any kind of plans for being productive!!

Today I attempted to go for a run but my stomach still wasn't settled so I cut it short. I am feeling a lot better though. I have pretty much been hanging around all day. It was my turn to clean the apartment which I did. It is spick and span as of now! Hopefully it stays that way for awhile. Our apartment can get pretty messy quite quickly! It is possible that we made need a more frequent cleaning schedule but either no one wants to make the schedule or actually clean that much. Oh well! I have done some work for classes today. I am starting to get more work but still not as much as I would get at home. I should start researching a topic for my Contemporary Economic History project. But other than that a pretty quick weekend. I am going to go out and watch the super bowl for a little...definitely not all of it. If I am lucky, I will be able to stay awake for the first half.

Enjoy the super bowl everyone!!

2/5/10

I am not sure if I have said this but three day weekends all semester are amazing! I got up this morning made some breakfast and just relaxed for a little. I went out for a run this afternoon. It was gorgeous out! T-shirt and shorts weather! It was about 55 degrees. Definitely the opposite of about a foot of snow at home. I will pick this 55 degrees over a snow storm any day. Although for one nice day we get at least two rainy days here. Everyone keeps saying it is going to get nicer, I hope they are right!

After my run, I went to talk to our landlord. I gave him my roommates rent money and talked to him and his wife for a little. They are very nice and very patient with our Spanish. I told them I was going to run the half marathon and my landlord Fernando sees me running sometimes so he flat out asked me if I was actually good. I laughed and told him that I was on the team at my home university. They are really sweet. Then I had some lunch and took a siesta!

Now I am making garlic bread for the potluck tonight. It should be fun. I think about 20 people are going. I can't wait to try everyone's dish! I hope to make it an early night tonight because I want to get some work done tomorrow. So I need to go finish my dish and then eat!!

Buen provecho!

2/4/10

Today I only had my sociology class. It was ok. We finished up our group work and started another lecture. Class went pretty quick and then my weekend started at 1 in the afternoon!! I came home after class and relaxed for a little and then went out for a run. I have to start training for the half! I found someone who wants to do long runs together on Thursdays so it will be nice to run with someone. I have talked to a lot of people who claim they love to run but no one ever follows through on actually running together. Oh college students! Anyway after my run, I of course took a siesta. It was awesome.

Tonight some people are had a pot luck at their apartment. Angela and I decided to make hummus. It was a pretty big hit. There was probably about 15 people there so it was really fun. We talked and ate for a few hours. It was a fun night. I am pretty tired now though. I have a feeling another siesta will be needed tomorrow as well. And there is another pot luck tomorrow at another person's apartment. Hopefully we think of something else good to eat that is as big of a hit at the hummus.

Buenas noches

2/3/10

I tried to wake up semi-early today to get my day going. I was only semi-successful. I did walk to the post office to mail some stuff before class at 1. This is the class that I finally figured out why no one was ever there at the scheduled time. They keep playing jokes on the Americans.

It was Economic History. And it seemed like the prof did a speed lecture for 45 minutes. It wasn't that he was talking fast, it was as if he just didn't breathe. I don't know how to explain it but when he was done he just took a deep breathe and said ok done for today. I was basically in the zone I guess. Then I was off to the final day of Global Communication class for the month of February.

It was a long lecture. It was nice to get a break in that class. I also got to meet some new people in that class today so I guess it wasn't the worst. It is nice though only having a class 3 weeks of the whole semester. Outside work though makes up for it.

After class I went for a long run because it was beautiful out!! I basically wore shorts and a t-shirt. Much better than a Pittsburgh February. After my run, I went to the grocery store with Helen. I wanted to get stuff to make hummus and a few other things. Our hummus turned out pretty good. Now I am hoping to find some motivation to take notes on my econ textbook but that might be saved for the weekend. I mean I do have off on Friday! Oh and I am going to do the half-marathon in Madrid April 11th!! I am going to sign up hopefully tonight or tomorrow but I am excited!

Que descansen bien!!

2/2/10

I had quite a busy day today. My classes commenced at 11 this morning with Geografia Cultural. We did some group work on articles that we read over the weekend. I wish with a group of girls who were also on exchange but they were all fairly good at Spanish so that was good. So yeah that is pretty much all we did in that class.

Then I had about an hour break that I spent writing some postcards and checked my email on campus. At 2 I had Global Communication. It was the continuation of the Italian lecturer. He proposed his own model of communication which was very interesting. During the 15 minute break we had I also finally saw Maite! She studied at WJ this past fall. I can't believe it has taken this long to finally run into each other seeing as Pamplona is pretty small for a city. We talked briefly and decided we would meet for lunch next week when I have more time in my schedule.

Finally at 4, I had my last class of the day which is Teoria de la organizacion. This class I am pretty sure was made for me. It is in Spanish, combines economics, business theory and probability; basically everything I want to do in life. Also the professor is French and speaks Spanish and English fluently. He teaches this class in English as well so every once in awhile he will accidentally throw an English word while he is lecturing in Spanish. The beauty of being multilingual!! I was able to leave campus at 6:30!! You know it has been a long day of learning when you leave campus walking home in the dark but definitely worth it!

When I got home it was time for me to make dinner for my flatmates. I decided to make barbecue chicken sandwiches accompanied by pineapple slices and a side of vegetable fried rice. Basically my flatmate Helen just said I was on the level of Bobby Flay. Literally she said that, I am not being sarcastic. I did have to teach her who Bobby Flay was though...And she bought me my favorite Milka Luflee!! It was a good night. I think I am going to relax now. It was nice being busy today seeing as my weekend was jam packed full of nothing.

Feliz dia de Groundhog!! (haha)

2/1/10

I pulled myself out of bed this morning and had a nice breakfast consisting of eggs and toast. Then I got ready for class and headed down to the university. I had Economic History first. I finally figured out that he changed the time of class on Wednesday and that is why no one was there when I showed up. Mystery solved!! Class was good. It won't be bad that I missed those few classes because most of the material is from the book and he just clarifies and elaborates a little. We were dismissed early from class and I had an awkward period between classes. That class was supposed to go until 1:45 but we were let out a half hour early. So I just went to the communications building for my next class. Luckily I brought a book (Freakonomics) and I read for a little. Then I saw some friends from the exchange and they invited me to join them for a coffee before class. So we went and had a quick snack before class and chatted. Then we went to Global Communications. This class is interesting because the professor doesn't actually teach us. He finds and invites guest lecturers to come and speak for our classes. Our speaker was pretty good today. He was Italian. I think that he would have been really funny and witty if he had been able to speak in his native language. It seemed he didn't have the vocabulary in English to articulate his jokes and comments. But you could tell he was a quick witted guy and he had some interesting theories. That class ended around 4.

We came back to the apartment and grabbed a snack. Then Angela and I headed to Casco Viejo on a mission to buy postcards. We had been searching for the street that housed the souvenir shops and finally stumbled upon it. I got a booklet of about 10 postcards I think. That should be good for awhile. Then we just headed back home for dinner. We had a burger night which was awesome! We made french fries to accompany the burgers too. It definitely hit the spot. I also said I would cook dinner tomorrow for everyone. We are trying to take turns making group dinners so we all get a break from cooking and get to eat something new. Helen (one of my British roommates) made dinner last week (lasagna). Not as good as my mom's though considering she bought the noodles but that is a lot to live up to especially on a student budget. Now I need to get to work. I have some reading that I need to do for my sociology class tomorrow.

Buenas noches!