The World Through My Eyes

Cool huh, I call it, "the world through my eyes", yeah I was bored on afternoon and took picture after picture of my eye...Yeah I'm a dork. Well I think it's super mega guay. I have great news.....well first off I'll go back and start with Segovia. I went there last weekend, wow, cool little city with castles and roman aquaducts!!! super mega cool. check out the pictures at photos.yahoo.com/mmjoe12

Now to the better news...my host mom hooked me up with her friend, Amada, to be conversation buddies. Amada is an artist and she has her own shop where she sells her art, and deals for other local artists. She wants to learn english due to an increase with web based business from the US. So I am very excited because now I have some one to really teach me and I can also discuss and talk about business as well.!! We are going to meet mon-fri for 1-2 hours each day! Oh yeah, she is not my age, she does have a 23 year old son though...Today was our first conversation...we conversed about the euro and EU, verb usage, the hurricans, my family and international trading. Good times. I'm going to Madrid this weekend I'll definately get a blog out soon after this weekend or I'll blog from Madrid.
With this new excitement things are looking up again and clases are becoming useful, ha. I'm getting to know the town more as a local rather than a visitor. I hope all are well and please send me a personal email if you want to catch-up. mmjoe12@yahoo.com

getting close to that wall

Hola, como estais? I'm writing this from my desk in my apartment. Yes, I now have one comfort of home...which is on demand internet, how do we live without it. Sad eh? I guess in the rest of the world people actually write letters, use the phone, and...wait for it....yes they walk to visit each other, in person! crazy eh. I'm not missing the convienences of home yet, but I am realizing that there is no way to deny my Americanization. I feel as though I blend in, I dress similar, I look like the people here but my mind and thoughts and opinions stem from another place. I guess I'm getting frustrated becuase I feel like i'm in a box at time viewing my surroundings...like I walk down the street and no one sees me. I don't know if it is becuase I don't understand or comprehend the comments and conversations of people I pass or becuase people here just don't acknowledge one another on the street.
Ahhh, learning I know I"m learning I know it will be frustrating but...the one thing that really gets me is the concept of communication in general and how much it is taken for granted. To think that there are concepts and ideas in english that I stuggle to explain doesn't necessarily motivate me when realizing I can hardly converse with a child on the street of Valladolid. I hate the fact that I want to believe I'm somewhat intelligent but can't communicate my ideas or thoughts properly. I know people don't think I'm not intelligent but that feeling is hard to overcome. When I sit and have lunch with my mom at 230 and watch the news together I try so hard to comment on the topics (if I can understand it) and show her that I'm learning but it just doesn't click. That feeling of attempted communication gone wrong is similar to the feeling of broken hearts or misunderstood emotions with some one you care about.....you know the line : "but you just don't understand" or "no no that's not what I meant"
But then again there are those moments of victory and triumph....those moments when you think you're totally confusing them and then you see that look in their eye....that crooked smile of connection....then I get that look on my face of hope....similar to ....hmmm....bowling, yes communication is like bowling. Do we ever bowl 300 when we communicate? probably not....but anyways I get that look of hope like watching the ball slide down the lane (my hands are in the air)...the ball is spinning toward the middle pin, waiting waiting then CRASH, pins fly, they fall and that last one wobbles....and leans....I start physically bending as if to help that pin fall....and it does. ViCtOrY......so that person understands me, they get what I need, we exchange product for coin, I smile and turn around......and go back to the ball return and see the pins get cleaned up and reset....10 pins staring at me again and the process of communication repeats itself....that next person I talk to is waiting for my throw down the lane. Right now, here in Spain. I'm bowling about 80. A few gutter balls a spare or two, but those 2 o 3 strikes felt so good. I have my first test tomorrow in gramatica.....its on past indefinate, indicative, and past perfect....does the fact that I really don't know what that is in english help my situation. HA, we will see

'sta lo

back from barcelona...

First off, I apologize for those of you who were anxiously checking my blog every 5 minutes for an update.....:). I forgot to bring my USB cable to Barcelona and my cell wasn´t working for half the trip. lo siento.
I´m all better as in not sick anymore which is great. The trip started with an 11 hour bus ride leaving Valladolid at 930pm and arriving to Barcelona at 830am. For those of you who have taken a bus ride will understand....on long rides you can not sleep comfortably. So we arrived tired and sore and we of course had no idea where we were...let the good times begin. Luckily, papa Joe brought his guide book and he bought a ¨walking tour¨book with the history. Although I was teased for being ¨that¨guy. If it wasn´t for me the rest of the group wouldn´t know what everything was or meant :) haha ah kids these days.

Here is a picture of our hostel and what you don´t see are the 14 other beds behind me...yeah it was like a jail cell..stinky and humid but for 20 euro a night I´ll take it. Now i´m not complaining, the fun part was meeting a variety of people from various places...like people from Israel, Holland, France, Ireland, and Japan...after getting situated we went out on the town, bought a map and started touring, and touring...and walking...and walking. Below is the Balcony in Park Guell which was designed by Gaudi...I swear everything was designed by Gaudi..I was a little Gaudied out by the end of the trip.

The city is very interesting, especially with the huge amount of culture and art all over the city...the area we were in (Las Ramblas) was very touristy, almost too touristy....everyone spoke english. Every day our basic schedule was to walk around during the day, shop in the afternoon, take a nap and then go out....it was great. Kendra and I went to a museum of the city which was fantastic...you get to take an elevator to the ¨old city¨ which is still preserved. Old city as in the original remains for Barcino, when the romans occupied the land. But I would say the Park Guell was the best place I visited.

Above is Me, Kendra, Bre, and Matt. There was another group here in barcelona but we never met up with them. Oh and just to clear things up before people start asking, kendra and I are friends and we hang out alot...fortunately she is one of the only people here who care and are somewhat intelligent.....that´s it :):) Overall, the trip was good...i´m looking forward to going back later this semester. If you want to view my photo albums.... go to http://photos.yahoo.com/mmjoe12 I have more pics from the trip.

Being back in Valladolid feels like home and I am having a blast still...i´m waiting for the moment when i´ll do anything to go home but hopefully i´ll skip that part of being abroad. I guess Kendra and Bre met some people who want help with english in exchange for spanish....so we are going to look into it. Anyways gotta cut this blog short due to time....i´ll lay down more thoughts later this week.....hope all are well....peace.

My Living Space

So this is my bedroom, yes all yellow decor...haha. I haven´t taken pictures of my mother and brothers but I will soon. below my apartment building is cafe moka. I am starting to do hw there to hopefully become a regular...we´ll see if they notice me, so far I´ve come to the conclusion that the people here are not very open or should I say ¨make the initiative¨to talk or notice someone.
I think if you click on the pictures they will expand...sorry, random thought.
The rest of the pics are the living room, den and kitchen, we spend most of our time in the kitchen. I hope to take pictures of my walk from my apratment to my school, as in take 1 picture every 15 seconds, we will see...Ï´ll have to use my yahoo photo album for that not the blog.

I leave for Barcelona soon, lata lata.

Yes, the cupboards are crooked..don´t know why they just are...but this is the place to eat some of the best spanish food around....me encanta todos las comidas

Hello all, so I didn´t have time this weekend to blog, forgive me. Friday was the start of las fiestas de la virgen de san lorenzo....pretty much 10 straight days of parties, bands, DJs, drinking in the streets, topless dancers everywhere..haha. Oh yes, the picture or me and kendra was on friday night. The local vinos are Tinto and Toro. Both are very good and anyone could buy bottles on the street for 8 euros and just walk around drinking.....good times

On Saturday we went to Salamanca which is about an hour away. The town is very old and has a working roman bridge and church which date back to the 12th century. Also Salamanca has the oldest university in Spain which was established around 1221 AD. Very cool. Coming up this week is much much homework and partying. I really haven´t been able to get over my cold due to always going out.....I should try to rest eh? Being that we have a four day weekend coming up a group of us are going to Barcelona....of course it will be good times. Spain is beginning to feel like home, but the spanish is coming slowly. I have to work 3 times as much as other due to being at a lower level. I´m coming to a point of ¿do I have fun first? or ¿Study first?....it is a hard choice









The roman bridge

The ¨new¨ church y Grahm

Sta lo

End of the first week...

Vale, so my first week of classes are over. Wow, a little in over my head, but I will be ok...I hope. But tonight we party. The school is having a party at the¨school bar¨which is located two doors down from out class room...it is actually a cafe/library, but they serve alcohol. Then it is off to the Bar of Choice by the students...La Negra Flore. The bartenders love us and tonight is 2 4 1 Calimochos (calimocho is wine and coca-cola, it is very good). Sorry, for those who have been to Vtown in the past, sotobanco?¿ or whatever it´s called is not cool anymore...Bar Su is the hot spot for all people our age. Any who, the picture is the view from my room in my apartment. Below is paseo zorilla, one of the main streets. to the left (or south) a few blocks is the plaza de toros.....the bullfighting ring. on Friday, the Day of Valladolid festival starts.....10 straight days of partying in the streets and bullfights. Throughout the whole town mini bars are being set up in the streets...I´ll take pictures...it is crazy. I´m feeling better, although I have a terrible cough. I´m stilling trying to find a good niche of friends here...as of now I spend alot of time studying by myself at my apartment or in the cafe below my building. I hope you all are well... sta LO