The Real World: Spain

Two days ago I started my "job". I call it a "job" because-well, it is hard to explain so let me just tell you what happened.

Joan started working at this company that for now, I'll call AirStream. AirStream hires flight attendants for this airline company etc. He started Monday and I went in on Tuesday. The hours are 9:30-7:00. We did get 2 hours for lunch, which is a bit to long if you ask me. Anyway, the first day went well. I wore the appropriate attire for a working woman and I did what they asked.

First, I had to choose where to send the flight attendants that passed the course. Here is how it works, they have three options of where they want to live. For example, one woman chose Girona, Valencia and Dublin. It was my job to see what places were taking new candidates and place them there. Unfortunately for her, none of her preferences were available so I had to send her to Stockholm Sweden. When I actually thought about what I was doing, It was almost funny because I was deciding their life for the next 6 months to a year. You see, the airline they work for comes back to the same base everynight, wherever they are placed. So, if their base is Stockholm, that is where they start their shift and where they will be dropped off at the end of the day. So, I did that as well as paperwork.

Yesterday was more intense, I organized all the files of the past training courses, this means I had to look at everyones file and this included their resumes. Almost all of these people spoke more than two languages. For this job they need to have Intermediate to Professional English but most of them spoke fluent Spanish or French. One girl in particular who really made me sick, spoke German Spanish English French Portuguese Basic Catalan and Basic Italian, fluently. She is 24. Now, I realize that people brought up in Europe are prone to knowing more languages...but come on! Another girl that works in the office is Romanian and also speaks French Spanish Portuguese English and learned Catalan in 8 months. I am struggling with Catalan. It takes practice and I don't practice as much as I should I suppose.

Anyway, so yesterday went well for me, I worked on IDs and we had to call people in Sweden, Portugal and many other places around the world, using Skype. It is amazing talking to someone across the world. We sent faxes, typed documents sent e-mails to candidates to tell them all the documents they needed to work in their base and I looked at over 300 resumes for this airline. We had an hour break so Joan and I left at 6. Everything was great and our boss is very nice but we're having some issues. She wants to hire me but me being International, she needs to talk with her lawyers and see if we can get my work visa soon. Right now I can't legally be in the office so today I had to stay home. She is expecting an inspection to make sure the company is real. Since AirStream is only a year old and I am their first American/International employee, an inspector is coming to make sure it is a real company and if I am there without my work visa, she could get into a lot of trouble. So, I have to wait here at home until he comes.

The boss told Joan yesterday that she really likes me and think I would be great asset to the company. She is thinking about me for training and recruiting. Recruiting is something Joan and I both would love to do but we're not sure that she will place us in the same place. Recruiting requires traveling to Germany, France, Poland, Portugal, Madrid, Valencia etc and doing interviews. I would love to do that more than anything else, it is up to her to decide.

Joan and I will be on a 2 month "interview" so to speak. For 2 months we will work in all the areas and whatever we like best and they feel we are best at, they will put us there. Right now, Joan is great at IDs and I am doing well in the paperwork aspect. Neither area is what we want but there is an unbelievable amount of work to be done. This airline wants AirStream to hire 7,000 people by this year and there are only 7 people at AirStream now.

Enough about that job. I am home and am so bored. We have a t.v. but not digital so no English channels. We haven't brought the dvd player yet so I have to download movies. The flat is great but makes noises and last night was our first night here so I am still adjusting to the place and the place is adjusting to me. We bought paint so Joan said that was my job today.

He left me such a nice note before he left this morning, one line that I liked particularly was this;

"I love you so much and I hope you'll work on the flat today.....and in the blink of an eye I'll be home to give you besos."

It is already 9:45 and the only thing I have done is watch 3 episodes of Scrubs that Joan already had downloaded. I could stay all day on the couch looking out at the city and the sea.

Heather, in response to your blog, I don't want you to kill yourself over saving money to get here. I will keep checking flights and if you could come for Spring Break, that would be amazing. I will do what I can while you do what you can. I'll work on the guest room today and get it in the shape it needs to be.

All for now, I may write more often now that I have more free time.

Current sounds: Seagulls outside and the clank clank clanking of the heater.

All my Love,
C.M.

What store sells virtues? I need to pick up some patience

Joan went to work today in Girona and I slept in until 12:00 so I have no idea if he has even tried to call to tell me...something. I am not good at waiting for things. Someone told me once, I think it was Oprah, that waiting is like a mini-vacation from your day. I think she is wrong. Waiting in lines at the grocery store I can sometimes handle. Waiting in line for concert tickets-ok. Waiting to move into our flat...not going so well. Waiting for Joan to call-about impossible.

His phone is off and I have no way of reaching him. His parents are at work, his brother is at school, the maid is here but she doesn't speak english and it's to early for me to call anyone in the states. That's another thing I hate waiting for-calling the states. Midnight here is usually a good time for me to pick up the phone and call but last night I was awake until 3 a.m. talking to everyone, which I don't mind really but that can't keep happening.

I should be packing but I know myself and I know that I won't do it until the last minute because I know I work best under pressure.

When I talked to my family last night, everyone asked me if I was coming back. I want to because I miss everyone so much. I miss Tink, who I'd much rather tell my stories in person than through this blog, I miss Heather Rose and our Star-books trips, I miss Velder and her crazy stories of her crazy nights, Nikki for being a great roommate, The 4 pack across the hall who know how to cheer me up and have a great laugh. I miss my Florida friends, Heather who shares my love of traveling and who I wish could travel here to see me and Jessica who is busy working and dancing in New York City and who about brings me to tears when I talk to her on the phone because I miss her so much. I guess time will tell. I can only hope to get all my sorority sisters here to visit me, at least once.

(Come on girls, it's not that expensive...all you need money for is your plane ticket and I'll take care of the rest!)

On that note, I better pack or do something productive.

Love Love Love

C.M.

Three Colors In 24 Hours

Yesterday morning I decided to dye my hair. My blonde was growing out and I felt I needed a change. The other day I bought some RED hairdye and decided to go back to the color which always got a compliment or two. Besides, Joan likes red hair. So while Joan was at work I dyed.
Usually, I never look at my hair until it's dry and ready to go but it was an astonishing blood red color when it was wet...what would it look like dry?

"Joan!" "Come here!" I screamed from inside the bathroom. I had the door locked so he couldn´t rush into see, I had to prep him. "It's bad honey." "I look like Mary Jane from Spiderman."

I heard laughter and then "no no honey just let me see it" I opened the door and being the excellent boyfriend that he is, just said, "It's not bad babe."

"It is. It's horrible" I said. It was, some parts were darker and others were a lighter shade of red where the dye hadn't taken because of the blonde color. To make matters worse, I had a hair appointment with Judith in half an hour.

I pulled it up into a bun, hiding the shades of red, and we went out to Blanes.
Joan talked to Judith and told her what happened, she said she could fix it, not a problem. I got hair treatments and a new brown color. It is extremely better than before, and a shade like nothing I have ever had.

After that traumatic experience, we went home, had lunch and went to the town Mataró with Joan's mom. First, we went to MataróPark, a mall much like the ones in the states. Joan got some new pants and shoes for work, Joan's mom got me two pairs of slacks for work as well from the store Mango.

We decided to go to the town center called Las Ramblas and try to find Joan's mom some new boots. The city center was very cool, the shops are all on the street but the pathways are like marble slabs laid out in front of you. One store I liked in particular was this shoe store, but above it there were flats. The store had the boots and shoes behind glass and further back in the store was where you checked-out and tried on your shoes. In the foyer of the shop there was a door where people could go up to their home and next to it, a garage where people that lived there parked their cars. So really, they had to drive through the store to get out into the street. It was the coolest thing I've seen here yet.

There is a great Chocolate shop in the center and they are famous for their chocolate and churros. We each got a cup of melted chocolate and a plate of churros. It was delicious. Joan's mom is hilarious and she spoke a lot of English that day.

After dinner, we went to the bar SODA, where we usually go to have a drink with friends. This time, it was just us and was kind of nice that way. Albert was going to meet us, but was having dinner with old friends which turned into drinks with old friends as well.

Today, I´m supposed to go to the club Up and Down to meet Greg and talk about my job as a party promoter. I´m not sure that I want to go, because I hate to turn down that job, it is what I wanted to do but If I have to work nights on the weekends, I know I will want to quit eventually.
Joan has to go to work with his father now for an hour or so, I guess I really should get this room clean. I want to move into the flat, hopefully we will tomorrow, so maybe I'll just re-pack everything.

Wishing you all a very good day
Keep in touch

C.M.

The one where everyone has a good day

When I woke up this morning, I was reluctant to leave the house because we had a busy day and it was 7 a.m. We met first with the lawyers in Girona. €100 and a half hour later we had a plan. The lawyer said there was about 15 different ways to get a work visa, the only impossible thing was bringing a dead person back to life. He guaranteed it would work out. First thing, was to get the contract with a job. So far the only job I had been offered was the Party Promoting job and I knew nothing about that. We left feeling hopeful but with less money.

At 11 Joan had a job interview with a company that recruits flight attendants and pilots for airlines. I sat in the waiting room giving Joan interview tips and bragging about my 100% success rate with job interviews. We were interrupted by this sharply dressed,thirty-something woman with blond hair and a thick Spanish accent. She whisked Joan away and not a minute later was calling for me...... She came out to the waiting area and asked me to come back to the interview room with Joan. I was caught off guard and quickly gathered my things and followed behind her. I didn´t realize that while I was waiting for Joan, he had been telling her about how his english had become so good because of his studies in Dublin and his "xicota americana" and how I helped him learn to speak proper English. Turns out this company needs people with fluent English skills so she asked if I could be brought back to be interviewed as well. First they explained the company and how a particular airline needed them to hire 7,000 people to work for them for this year. So they need our help to recruit and train these people. This includes recruiting, training and making IDs for the new airline workers that we hire. Basically it boiled down to Joan opening markets and me keeping them open. We´re not exactly sure of everything we have to do, but it solves the problem of my work visa, transportation (because we can ride there together and have the same schedule) and most importantly-money. I couldn´t believe that happened, could I get any luckier? Yes, I could.

After the interview I decided I needed to call my other potential employer about this party promoting job. He told me to meet him at Up and Down ( the club I went to for New Years) and meet the group and get started. I´m not sure if I will take this job, I want to see everything it entails and when I'll be working. I would love to be a part of it but if I have to work every Friday and Saturday night, I´m not sure that I will be able to. I will just be honest and see what happens. We went to lunch shortly after, an "American" restaurant which employed the dumbest waitress I have ever witnessed. This post would be entirely to long if I told you all the nonsensical things she did. Anyway, we shopped around and got some new clothes for our new jobs (yes!) and then found a great café for coffee to talk about the events and everything we have to do.

Our friend David called tonight and Joan told him about this party promoting job of mine, he said if I wanted to work at Up and Down he knows the owner, if I really wanted to do it. So there´s that. Then, Sara, the Spanish girl from Dublin, wrote Joan and told him she spoke with the boss of Catalonia Today a Spanish newspaper written in English, and if I wanted to go for an interview I would be welcomed. I woke up this morning with no jobs and will be going to bed with the prospect of four. This usually happens to me, it's a good thing to have options. Tomorrow I have my hair appointment with Judith and then at 4 we are going to Barcelona with Joan's mom for her doctors appointment and then maybe a trip to Zara for more work clothes. I hope to move into the flat Saturday morning, I would really LOVE it if we could. Joan goes to work Monday for this company, just for training. He would be going to Portugal for interviews had they found him two days prior, it was just to short of notice to get another ticket. So if not by this weekend, maybe by Monday night.

Note to Miss Heather in Florida: Funny you should mention the Fiber cookies or whatnot because Joan's mom brought some home today and I just had one! They are delicious!

P.S. to everyone's comments about my last post: Marriage for a work visa was just a joke, something funny to lighten the mood etc. That is for the future and will happen when the time is right. Thank you all however for your support and concern.

Miss you all
Leave comments
Keep living life

C.M.

The Good and The Bad

The Pros and Cons of Life in Dublin. Joan and I do miss Ireland, but how much?

The Pros:
1. Butler's Chocolate Café and the free piece of chocolate you get with your coffee
2. Clery's Department Store
3. Debenham's Chocolate Bar on the top floor overlooking Henry St.
4. Eason's Book Store
5. Marks and Spencer
6. The Spire
7. The Views from the River Liffey
8. Guinness. Guinness. Guinness.
9. The Irish Accents
10. The green countryside
11. Café en Siene
12. Bewley's Café
13. O'Connell Street
14. The funny taxi drivers
15. The endless choices of pubs and clubs


The Cons:
1. The price of everything, it is so expensive there!
2. The bus
3. Walking a mile to the bus station from Joan's flat to the bus
4. When your 7 day bus pass card beeps EVERY time you put it in the machine
5. Waiting for the bus
6. The rain
7. The cold
8. The wind
9. The gypsies and bums asking for money
10. The annoying taxi drivers
11. Joan's very small bed
12. His annoying flat mate
13. Being 30 minutes away from the city center
14. Not being in Spain
15. Walking down cobblestone roads in heels

I could make a pro and con list about Spain....but I don't think I have been here long enough. The weather here is wonderful though, a bit cold at night but nothing like Maryville or Dublin. I had my first Catalan class today. The teacher doesn't speak English, just Spanish and everyone in the class knows Spanish because they are from Argentina or Columbia. Joan stayed with me and I would have been lost without him. The lessons were good, I did well on the exercises and even spoke in front of the class. The next class is on Monday and Joan will keep going with me until we start working/if we find another teacher that speaks English.

Tomorrow is Joan's two job interviews and I need to call Greg for my interview. We also meet with the immigration lawyers to see what we can do about my work visa. If I marry him I can work here...he told me that. Interesting huh?

All for now...more updates later.

C.M.

The Last Day In Dublin.....

Monday was our last day and we wanted it to be one of our best days in the city. Joan had an exam in the morning so I stayed home, cleaned the flat and packed the rest of our belongings. We went into the city and went to the Guinness Storehouse, it was a good time and Joan got a certificate for preparing the perfect pint. Lastly, we went up to the Gravity Bar and we could see 360 degree views of the whole city. It was amazing.

We ended up meeting some friends at this bar that´s called, The Church. Reasonably so, because it is an old church. It is quite large, with a long bar down the middle. We met with Sara and Cristina (the girls from Girona) Timi from Hungary and some German girls. It was a bit tense at first because (as Joan told me later) he had talked about me, those girls heard him on the phone with me etc so they were waiting to see the girlfriend. After a bit, the air seemed less tense and we mostly talked with Sara and Cristina. I found this great place for dinner, Cactus Jack´s. It´s no La Bonita but it was good (and overpriced). I had found all these great places to go and we really only had one night to see them in. We decided to go to Cafe en Siene. Words cannot begin to describe the way this place looks, but I´ll give it a try.

Walking in you immediately notice the multi-colored mosaic tile floors and the long bar that seems to go on forever. The bar has vaulted ceiling and lush plant life everywhere you look. Each room is a bit different, with brick walls, marble tables, artwork and Greek statues holding lights that cast the warm glow around you. The dining area has large iron chandeliers with crimson light shades. There are three floors of this amazing, chic place and the decor´isn't even the best part. Café en Seine can cater to up to 1,500 guests at one time so it would be the place for an amazing party. Every Friday and Saturday night they have live DJs and during the weekdays you´re very likely to hear jazz music. The prices are reasonable and they know how to make a Mai-Tai. Check out www.capitalbars.com and check it out for yourself. ( I should get free drinks for that awesome recommendation)

We ended the night at Starbucks with a Caramel Hot Chocolate and a Espresso Dopio. We caught the bus back and relaxed and unfortunately had to pack.

The trip to the airport was quick and we were able to check in without a wait. We had our last Butler´s Chocolate Coffee and pastries and we went through security quickly and turns out this huge plane only had maybe thirty people in it so we got on fast off fast and didn't have to sit by anyone else. I even ordered my drink and snack in Catalan! Small feat but I was proud of myself. I start my Catalan classes tomorrow. They are every Monday and Wednesday from 3-5 p.m. I should learn soon, at least I hope. So having four hours of class a week isn't so bad.

We met up with Shabir tonight and had tapas and a coke with him. He's going to Paris Fashion Week with his girlfriend, I'm sure it will be amazing. Hopefully soon, once Joan and I start making some money we can take a trip to Italy or maybe Paris. Our two year anniversary and Valentine´s Day are within days of each other so who knows.

Tomorrow will be so busy, we have so many things to do. The rest of the week will be like that as well, we have to meet with immigration lawyers, go to job interviews, go get furniture and decorations for the flat, etc.

I will update with more news (hopefully very soon) when I know something.

Take care
love always

C.M.

Dr.Pepper & The Bus!

Yesterday my day started with McDonalds and ended there as well. I have never really been a fan of the greasy fast food chain but when I didn´t want pasta and salad for the third night in a row, I opted for some american flavor instead.

Yesterday morning Joan´s parents were flying in from Las Vegas. They had a long layover in Dublin so the plan was for us to meet them downtown about 9 a.m. We got up around 7 and were out the door in an hour. We made it to the city center by 9:30 and had yet to get a call from them so as usual, Joan was hungry so I had my first McDonald´s breakfast since the night Joan came to visit and Rhi made us stay up until the place opened for breakfast. It was as delicious as I remember it being. Around 9:45 we get a call from his mom who said they couldn´t find a place to keep their luggage, they´re tired and just want to stay at the airport. We were so looking forward to taking his family to Temple Bar and lunch at The Porterhouse.

I decided that since we were here, we needed to go to Eason´s, my favorite bookstore. I love browsing the aisles and choosing books to read. In Spain, it won´t be possible to do that-until I learn Spanish of course. After, we went across Grafton St. and bought six delicious donuts to take to his parents at the airport.

We ended up having lunch there as well, and they told us about their 9 days in Vegas. They saw three shows and were in the second row for two of them. Unbelievable.

I was extremely tired by this point and actually falling asleep in the bus. When we got off, we had at least a mile to walk to his flat so we went into this small grocery store to get a drink and there I found the most wonderful thing-Dr.Pepper. I love Dr.Pepper, it is my favorite and I haven´t had one in over a month. I´ve been ok but have quickly grown tired of Sprite and water. Adam, Joan´s flatmate told me he saw them there but we had been before and never spotted them.
I bought five. It is a little thing that helps to not miss American food and beverage quite so much. With my new purchase in tow, we began our mile walk to Hazelwood. Joan happened to turn around and there he saw, the number 17 bus approaching. We literally ran (me in heeled boots) to the bus stop and just made it in time. It dropped us exactly in front of his flat, what luck!

My day had gotten immensely better by that point so after my nap I decided we should see Sweeney Todd-The Demon Barber of FleetStreet. Yes, it was great. I like musicals, even this one as dark as it was. Joan fell asleep and I let him while I gazed upon the perfect specimen that is Johnny Depp. I was sad to see it end but we had to meet Sara and Kristina at their flat. Sara & Kristina are from Girona and are Erasmus students like Joan. However, they have a great flat located in the middle of the Temple Bar area. We went up to their flat. They are very nice girls who work at the Guinness Store House (they scored us two tickets for today) and are staying in Ireland until June. We had a great time and are meeting up with them and a few other Erasmus students tomorrow for a final party and farewell.

It was 9:45 when we left and I was starving once again. McDonalds it was. We are trying to save our money because we will need it once in Spain again and I am for sure running out. After dinner we collapsed into bed at home, watched three episodes of Scrubs Joan had downloaded and slept until noon today. I suppose I best get in the shower and get ready to go to the Guinness Storehouse.

At some point I will have to tell you about our adventure to Clontarf Rd. in Dublin and our time at the Bram Stoker Dracula Experience. It was quite a fright.

Miss you all.

C.M.

A new change, a new day

I feel as if I have seen everything there is to see here in Dublin. We´ve gone to the touristic places, I´ve been in every shopping center there is and had coffee and hot cocoa in almost every cafe´. We´re thinking about going out of the city and seeing the Irish countryside; maybe the Wicklow Mountains. The days are flying by, we leave for Spain Tuesday afternoon. His parents are flying in on Saturday, we will go to lunch and then they will catch their flight back to Barcelona. They will be flying in from Las Vegas, I´m sure they had a great time, I can´t wait to see the pictures! Joan and I are thinking for my 21st we should go to Vegas. I know anything will be better than my last birthday.

Joan had his exam today so I wandered around Debenhams Department Store. It is enough to keep a girl occupied for an hour and a half which is exactly how long it took Joan to finish his exam. It was raining (as usual) when we wanted to actually go do something fun, so we ended up taking the bus back home. It wouldn´t be so bad to stay in the flat except the Internet isn´t working and it makes downloading movies impossible. We did go to the cinema to see Charlie Wilson´s War and I do recommend it. Also, No Country for Old Men. There´s a spanish actor, Javier Bardem, who is absolutely brilliant.

As I was saying, we´ve been in the flat all day and for some reason I´m not bored out of my mind. I´m reading a lot and I finally got Joan to begin reading ´The Five People You Meet in Heaven´ by Mitch Albom, it is thought-provoking and powerful yet it´s comforting and well thought-out. A must read.

Some exciting news was brought to my attention today, Joan has class with a girl from France. She works for this corporation...I´m really not sure but they throw this extravagant party that is promoted by a club in Paris and they invite people in the fashion industry, models agents and designers. This party will be in Barcelona in a couple months at this club called The Cat Walk. This girl told Joan if he knew of any beautiful girls he could invite and she would add them as his guests...well I told him he better just be bringing me haha but I told him how much I would love love love to bring my Sigma Kappa girls! Can any of you make it to Barcelona in March? Go to www.sohappyinparis.com and then get back to me! I have a lot to do before then......with models around, Good Lord!

Miss you all so much!

C.M.

One Check Off the Life List

Joan had an exam yesterday so I was left to explore and be one with Dublin. It is a completely different feeling walking by yourself in a foreign country. I was never scared but just being on my own put me out of my element. I went from Grafton Street to O Connell and tried to stay away from the gypsies as best I could. I met Joan at the spire or "the erection at the intersection" as the locals call it, and we headed to find some place to eat. On the way, we saw a woman trying to get money from the ATM. A gypsy man kept putting newspaper in front of her hands so she couldn´t dial her pin and then a gypsy woman came and did the same. Joan stopped to help but another man quickly stepped in. The woman pushed the gypsy and was yelling at her. I suppose if that ever happened to me, I would have to be just as tough.

After we went to Arnott´s and had a light lunch and met Joan´s flatmate Adam in town. He leaves today so it was his choice to whatever we did. It was only 5:00 so we walked all over the city, going into shops and just killing time until we met up with friends later. We found some great shops that we never would have found just by following the main shopping streets.

At 7 we met Joan and Adam´s other flatmate from Hungary, Bence and their friend Timea. Adam wanted to go to The Brazen Head. It´s Ireland´s oldest pub and was established in 1198. They play traditional Irish music with a live band seven nights a week. It´s a very cool place, with the walls decorated floor to ceiling with money from around the world. Old photos of the Dublin from yesteryear. It was a twenty-minute walk to get there so when we arrived there were hardly any tourists, just Seamus O´Leary and his friends havin a pint. Soon, Joan´s friend Brenden arrived. He is in his thirties and one of the nicest and funniest guys. He is a true Irishman. We went only planning to stay for an hour and ended up leaving around 10:30.

Now, not many people know this about me but I have a list of everything I want to accomplish in this life. It is very long and some things are silly and some things are serious such as getting married and owning my own company. However, last night I crossed off a very silly dream of mine and was glad to do it because I thought it would be awhile until I was able to.

23. Have an Irish pint in an Irish pub listening to Irish music with an authentic Irish guy.

As silly as it may sound, I did it and it was awesome. We all had a great time, I soaked every ounce of it in. Even if I go back to The Brazen Head it will be hard to top last night.
(The picture is above)

We made our way home and Joan made me dinner and I had the best night´s sleep I´ve had in two weeks.

Now, Joan is at his exam and I decided (stupidly) to stay here. I didn´t want to be up at 7 a.m. He won´t be back until the afternoon and will have to study for his next exam, so I should get out of the flat at some point today even if it is walking to the grocery store or something.

Miss you all
Write me when you can

Love Love Love

C.M.

Lesson 1

Yesterday it rained harder than ever here in Dublin, and I must not be all that Irish because I never have any luck when it comes to the weather here. As soon as we left, it was like God himself pulled a thick black blanket over the sky and then let it rain non-stop. While standing at a crowded bus stop with strangers, people tend to be quiet. I did a lot of thinking during the 14 minute wait and the 20 minute bus ride into town. I actually wrote this entire post yesterday on the 4A Bus. Sadly, my brilliance has escaped me and I will try to hold on to whatever I can remember.

This post is yet another one of those "life is a rollercoaster" writings or whatever cliche´ you want to use here.

As I sat on the bus and looked out into the city at the things and people I never would have seen if it wasn´t for the man sitting beside me. I thought about senior year of highschool-freshman year of college, first semester, and the one relationship I was in. I´ll call him "C". He was older than I was, a typical bad boy, tattoos, fast car but came from a good family and had his own business. We had a lot of fun together but in the end I was still this shy catholic girl that never wanted to do anything wrong and it was one of those bad timing situations. He taught me a lot about how to take risks and not be afraid to live and let go. I don´t remember leaving on good terms, but I wish he could see the risk-taking woman I have become.

I remember freshman year, second semester and the first real boyfriend I ever had. He was a great guy and we met in the lobby of our dorm playing catch phrase. Our relationship moved quickly and next thing I knew I was flying to Indiana to meet his family. Even today I think about the fun we had and I know I broke his heart. He was my first boyfriend and being so young I wanted to meet more people and experience life. It ended up being ok because he moved back to Indiana after that. I still would talk to him on occasion but phone numbers change and he never checks facebook anymore so it is hard to keep in touch. He taught me to be spontaneous and not be afraid to let someone care about you.

There was Patrick, I met him after who was one of my best guy friends. We had "something going on" as my friends put it. He was also older and we have different views on life. He was very mellow, did the bare-minimum to get by and none of my friends really cared for him. He threw great parties and he taught me how to hold my liquor. One night he asked me to be his girlfriend and I turned him down simply because I knew it wouldn´t work. We were very different and in the long run I knew there would be problems. It didn´t help that I hated this university and was planning on leaving soon. That night after we talked, there was this party by the lake and that is where I met Joan. That was Feb. 2006.

I am with him now and he has shown me (at least part of) the world. I do not regret the choices I have made but If I could go back and do things differently a part of me would. I have done so much growing in the relationship area that It is hard for me to recognize who I was in past relationships. However, you can´t say If I knew then what I know now....because that wouldn´t be life and I wouldn´t have all this experience.

The problem I had in my past is that I wanted to be every guys perfect girlfriend. I wanted to show them fun and excitement, passion and love. I stuck around long enough for them to see all the good and left them with a memory of me as I wanted them to remember me.

I have met other friends along the way, during my time at Northwest there are two great guys that I remember. I only still talk with one of them now, and I hope that doesn´t change. I have made mistakes even the girl that has grown so much since high-school has made mistakes once again. I don´t regret anything because if above all else it put me where I´m at today. Those two men were great to me and I don´t deserve it. Whoever they find to spend the rest of their lives with, she better be good to them. They deserve it.

I made my choice and I am happy with it. I know this choice is one I won´t be looking back on. Everyday I learn something about myself and the way I´m living my life. Everyday something new happens and my plans change. I can´t say I´m not coming back to Northwest for school but I can´t 100% say I am. I guess I won´t know anything about that for awhile.

Joan reads my posts immediately after I write them and in hopes he isn´t upset with my talk of past relationships I will leave him with this:

My relationship now is still growing and we are learning so much about each other every minute of the day. Thursday will mark a month we have been together consecutively. Never in our (almost) 2 years together have we ever been with each other that long. There have been arguments and tears but also long talks and laughter. I cannot yet say what he has taught me, because the lesson isn´t over; but I can say that what I´ve learned from him so far.
Never be afraid to do anything and everything you want to do even it means leaving your old life behind. I´ve also learned that once given the chance, another person can love you unconditionally, without question. I have finally stuck around and he is seeing my flaws in all their glory and still waking up with me each day and loving me all the same.

I´m not sure how to end this so I will just say give some advice from a student at love herself:

Give everyone that chance to know you if you think they´re worth it, and even if you think right now they´re not, people can surprise you. Follow your instincts, 99% of the time you´re right.

C.M.

Dublin From A Tourist´s Point Of View

From the day I arrived in Dublin I´ve been doin it how the locals do it. Going to hole in the wall pubs, shopping in European stores, not seeing the monuments and touristic parts of the city-until yesterday. Joan and I actually woke up before eleven for a change and decided to take the city tour. These city tours are pretty brilliant because they drop you off at a location and another bus comes every 10 minutes so you can stay as long as you want and be sure to have another bus coming to get you whenever you want. The tour ends at 5 but your ticket is good for 24 hours.

We skipped a few stops (there are 23 total) because we had passed a couple of those places before or just weren´t interested. The first place we stopped was Christ Church Cathedral, it is a gorgeous church, breath taking really, but Joan and I refused to pay €8 a person so we peeked in and it was very beautiful on the inside as well. We skipped the bus and walked over to St.Patrick´s Cathedral. This was even more beautiful but it was undergoing renovations. We didn´t pay here either and saw as much as we could before the ticket line started. Next was the Guinness Store House. This was huge and a beer lovers dream. The tour wasn´t to long and at the end you get a free pint of Guinness Beer. Not my favorite so Joan drank 2.

The next place was the Kilmainham Gaol Prison in Dublin.
"This is one of the largest unoccupied gaols in Europe. It covered some of the most heroic and tragic events in Ireland´s emergence as a modern nation from the 1780s to the 1920s."
(OPW Dublin)

This Gaol housed some famous characters in history such as Joseph Plunkett and his wife Grace Gifford, Robert Emmett and Charles Stewart Parnell. It was so interesting to see the jail cells and the history that these people left for us to witness. Some films were shot at this prison such as the original Italian Job and Boondock Saints.

There were more places to see but we hadn´t eaten all day and the tour was almost over and we just wanted dinner so we went to an American favorite, T.G.I. Fridays. It was ridiculously expensive here but worth it to listen to American music and enjoy some of my favorite foods once again. We walked around town and being as it was Sunday, most of everything was closing down. We walked around the River Liffey and and decided to take the Liffey Cruise very soon.

We wanted to get up early again today but this small bed is taking its toll on our backs. We´re sleeping but not that well, so around 8 a.m. Joan moved to the floor and I enjoyed the space and made an executive decision for us to stay in and get rest instead of going to town early.

It is now 2 p.m. and I am still in bed, Joan is studying and has been for awhile so soon we will go into the city center, go to the cinema, shop around, go to the National Library and finally find out if I´m related in the infamous Molly Malone of Dublin.

Enjoy the states
I´ll be sending a package there soon......
Miss you all!

C.M.

Another Day Another Euro

Last night Joan set the alarm to go off at 8:00 a.m. on the dot.
I woke up, after hearing the alarm, as did Joan. "Que hora es?" I asked him, knowing well it was past 8.
"It´s 11:50" he said closing his eyes and sighing.
"Ok, so much for getting up early huh? It´s ok, we can just go to your exam....."
"Oh man I forgot about that! Yeah, we have 20 minutes to get ready." He looks over at me, "Is that ok?"
"Sure. I´ll just call in my hair and make-up artist and be ready in 15."

We walked to the bus just in time for it to pick us up. Joan bought these 7 day student travel cards that we can use unlimited times during 7 days. We put it in this machine, it checks it and gives it back to us. I didn´t know that if the machine beeped more than once you have to show the driver your card, well my card beeped and I just took it and kept going.
" éllo?" "éllo?" I had no idea the driver was talking to me, Joan stepped in and handed him my card, the driver got mad thinking it was Joans "No it´s hers" he said and Joan showed him his card that was in his wallet. "Go on." said the driver.
What an arse.

We went to the top of the bus and got a prime seat right in front so we could see everything. The day was cold but sunny which was a great change the rainy days we´ve been having. My eyes squinted in the sun and I hate that my Armani sunglasses broke the other day. What a rip.

Joan had his exam but first I had to feed him. He stopped at Burger King and had lunch. A gypsy with a baby came by and asked for change, this isn´t a rare occurence and Joan shooed her away. I thought this was rather cruel but he told me about gypsies and how they stole money from and his friends when he was a child. "It´s all a trick, yeah it´s sad they have to do that and their children will grow up to do the same. It´s like a cult, it´s their lifestyle" I saw many gypsy women that day.

He went to his exam so I pampered myself at the salon and got my eyebrows waxed. I got in right away and a charming young Irish girl waxed them for me. It was a very posh place and it only cost €8.

I wandered around Clery´s Department Store, (equivalent of our Macy´s) and tried on designer dresses that I may not ever own, but damn did they look good on me. Joan arrived from his exam and we went to Trinity College and the campus is even more beautiful during a sunny day. We saw The Book Of Kells, it´s interesting. A book that people from all over the world come to see. "The Book of Kells is a manuscript that has survived the test of time, it has been described as the zenith of Western calligraphy and illumination. It contains the four gospels of the Bible in Latin along with prefatory and explanatory matter decorated with numerous colourful illustrations and illuminations." (thank you Wikipedia for that succinct definition)

We walked around the streets deciding what to do when I smelled something absolutely heavenly. Homemade doughnuts, 60 cents a piece, covered in sugar and damn delicious. I hope to get a few more while I´m here. I wish I could send them to everyone, it´s a piece of heaven in a bag.

Afterwards, we walked to Grafton St. which is by far my favorite street in Dublin. We went up to Starbucks which is upstairs of this designer shop. We got a seat right by the window and people watched. I had the greatest hot chocolate I´ve ever had at a Starbucks, it had swirls of Caramel and whip cream..mmmm...it hit the spot.

Joan wanted to go to St.Stephens Green, it is this beautiful park right off Grafton Street. It was very cold and I wanted to go but it was so peaceful and we ended up staying and walking around for a bit. We decided to take refuge inside the St.Stephens Green Mall and I bought a very warm down coat in this dark teal color from United Colors of Benetton. It is a very popular brand here, I ended up buying a few more things from there as well. My style is changing, I´m wearing more daring things here, in America it is all tee shirts and jeans and what´s fun in that?

After we thought about seeing a film, Charlie Wilsons War finally came out here, but we just weren´t in the mood so we left The Savoy theatre and came back to his flat.

It´s like the United Nations in his flat. You have David from France, Adam and Bence from Hungary, Joan from Spain and me from America here in a flat in Dublin. It can be quite comical at times. Adam is actually sleeping in the living room because he didn´t pay this months rent so technically he is our "guest" if anyone asks. It makes the flat seem more alive because usually everyone is always locked away in their rooms.

Tonight will be relaxing for us, tomorrow night we will go out. Adam invited us to go out and as much I would love to, we should be spending less money and it is ridiculously expensive here. Joan needs to study anyway and I bought three books today because I read so fast I´m done with one in a day. We downloaded I am legend last night, pretty good film, typical "American saving the world film" as the Europeans call it, I agree.

I will upload some pictures now if I can, the Internet is being incredibly slow tonight.

Oh and another great artist I found is Juanes, he has a great song called "Me enamora" from his 2007 album; La vida es un ratiko. Download it. (especially you Tink)

I´ll post more soon.

Many Besos

C.M.

A Not So Rainy Day in Dublin

Joan is studying, so scholarly that man is, so I´ve decided to ramble on and maybe write a few thoughts down.

Today was uneventful, a trip to the supermarket and a furniture store close by is about all I did today. It was fun browsing the aisle´s and choosing decorations and comparing my tastes with Joan´s. We bought home decor magazines and I even found out Joan knows a lot about building things like the bar he wants to make for our home and the coffee table and the stereo system he wants to install throughout the whole flat. I had no idea I was going to be living with Bob Villa. Well, the foreign handsome version of him I guess.

Tomorrow we´re going to a party with his flatmate and his Hungarian friends. I´ve never met anyone from there except for Adam and this afternoon I met his friend Timi. She seems pretty nice and I´m hoping we hit it off because Timi and her roomate want to share the expense of renting a car with Joan and I and drive to Cork next Monday. It is three to four hour drive so it should be an adventure.

I´ve also been doing a lot of facebook stalking. I have to keep tabs on all you guys while I´m here. I am sure there is much gossip to be had but more importantly I miss the trivial things like running across the hall to Jessica and Ashley´s room only to find them plus twelve others who had the same idea as me. I miss walking through our suite and hanging out in Rhi and Eryn´s room watching scary movies and I miss laying in bed at night talking to Nikki while she climbs her way up to her bed and we wish each other a goodnight and fall into a much needed slumber.
I miss many many more things about life at Northwest and I could go on for hours but everyone that knows me well enough knows I miss absolutely every tedious detail about my old life.

It is almost midnight here and I have to realize that if I decided for this trip of mine to be just a vacation I would be landing in Kansas City tonight. As much as I love the idea of seeing everyone again I am so excited about this "new" life. I am anxious to hear about the new sigma kappa news and how the new girls are doing. I hope all of you let me know everything and anything that is going on!

Since being here I´ve been listening to a lot of Spanish music and if you get a chance you must download Paulina Rubio´s song "Ni una sola palabra" It played in the up and down club on new years and It´s been in my head ever since. I´m trying to learn the words now, but it has such a great beat and I know I dance every time I hear it.

Since I´m recommending music, I read another good book recently called "Not without my sister" It has three authors, Kristina Jones, Celeste Jones & Julianna Buhring. It is a chilling tale of three sisters brought up in the Children of God cult, now known as The Family International. These girls escaped The Family and told their story. Check it out, I read it in two days I just couldn´t put it down.

Live Life
Make memories
Take pictures

C.M.

A Letter to Debbi from Cyndi

Dear Debbi,

Thank you so very much for your kind words of inspiration. I know you´re right, you tend to be most of the time! ;) You always know what to say to keep my thoughts on the right path.

I cannot wait until the day I am picking you up from the Barcelona Airport! With you, it will never be " Just shopping in Barcelona" thank you for being the great friend that you are.

My Irish eyes are smiling,

C.M.

Life in Dublin Is Always an Adventure

.......It´s raining Guinness in Ireland. The drunks love it. Seriously though, to much rain. Today we left the flat and took the bus to the city center to go see what we could find to do. We went to Trinity College and even at night it is breathtaking. To actually attend school at such a historic place, would be incredible. I plan to go back soon and if we can get our hands on a working camera, will take photos as well. In the last post, I mentioned the movie P.S. I love you, well we saw the film yesterday. The book was so much better! Always is, shouldn´t have been surprised. Anyway in the book they mention Bewley´s Cafe and sitting at a table on the second floor watching people shop on Grafton Street, well I can now say I have done the same thing. It was really amazing, we went there and from the street we saw a couple getting their coats at a table by the window we literally ran through the doors and up the steps. We met the hostess and she asked, "Is this table by the window alright?" Couldn´t have been more perfect. We watched everyone with their umbrellas walking about, shopping and talking. I ordered the most perfect Hot Chocolate and a decadent slice of warm apple pie. Joan had a Caramel Macchiato and a Chocolate Croissant. We even hit upon a few serious topics...if you catch my drift.

After that we went shopping on Grafton St. in search of a coat for myself. No luck once again. I really have this vision of a caramel colored leather coat in my mind and nothing else is acceptable. I must find that coat! Maybe tomorrow.

We ended up going to this old whiskey distillery turned pub. It was amazing. Three stories, mosaics on the wall and a copper spiral staircase to the top. Dark Mahogany furniture was the decor with booths and unique art. Dublin was dying down early because of the rain that continuously fell from the sky.

We decided dinner at home was a bore so we tried Eddie Rockets, the European equivalent to Johnny Rockets, where I had worked in high school. The decor was the same, the music, the uniforms but unfortunately not the food. The only glorious thing about my dinner was the Kit Kat Sundae at the end. We took the bus back home and while it dropped us close to his flat we still walked ten minutes to his complex. Imagine this.

Joan, with his rain coat and black umbrella (very tiny) in front and me, with my new leather boots I bought in Spain, brown tights, very form fitting maroon sweater dress and my white coat with my (very tiny) black umbrella behind. We jump over puddles, dodge speeding cars and their splashes of dirty rain water and cling to side walls to get out of the rain. I am so close to his home when a taxi speeds past us and splashes me. Luckily, wasn´t that bad but my poor white coat should be dry cleaned soon.

It hits me now that if I weren´t staying, I´d be leaving tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. It is a very weird feeling that I´ll be missing my flight and staying in Europe. I know now that it is the right choice, someone very wise told me that nothing worth doing is ever easy. She couldn´t be more right.

In the meantime, I must go help Joan study. Right now he is on his bed, singing along to the U2 music playing and deciding what to eat next. I love him so much.

I´ll update again soon! Hopefully with pictures.

Enjoy the states for me

C.M.

Being Europen Is Like Having The Fast-Pass at Disney World

I say this because the Q for Non-EU arrivals was entirely to long and EU arrivals barely had to show their passport at all. I doubt if the security man even looked to see if it was a male or female breezing by his kiosk. I of course was asked a plethora of questions including "why I was here" "how long I planned on staying" and "what my blood type is" Maybe the last one wasn´t true but it may have well been.

The Q for the taxi´s was even longer and Joan and I played, ´guess their accent´ it was a good a laugh until I started mimicking every dialect that floated through my ears and I think I was starting to get a bit loud. The man behind me was probably very confused as I was British, Spanish,Irish, Hungarian and American, all in a matter of ten minutes.

Being in Dublin is so great. I love Spain and all it has offered me but I told Joan that in Dublin I felt like I belonged where as in Spain I always feel like a tourist. No one stares at me here, I understand what (almost) everyone is saying, I look like every other Irish girl here ( except well, I´m stunning, right?) ha. Anyway, I really will miss Dublin once Joan finishes his exams.

Yesterday we walked to the mall and the supermarket. I picked up the book, "P.S. I love you" and it really is brilliant. I finished it in less than 24 hours and I believe I cried at least four times. We´re going to the cinema to see it tomorrow. The best part is that it takes place here in Ireland so it´s very surreal to read about the places in the book like Grafton Street and such and have actually been there. I think we might hit up one of the cafe´s they mention so much in the book and try to sit at the window and people watch as the main character loved to do. I must be a nerd but I love things like that.

Joan is stressed for his exams, he has one tomorrow and another in 8 days. He has 4 in all. I told him to enjoy the worries of exams because very soon we will be dealing with the worries of reality. I thought it would be easy to get a work visa. I don´t think it will be terribly difficult but it´s been more of a challenge than we originally thought. We went to the Consulate last week and it was closed. We called and they told us to call Madrid. We called Madrid and they told us to call Washington. We have finally decided to get an immigration lawyer to walk us through the process instead.

I did have an interview a couple days ago. The local television reporter, Anna gave me an interview and asked my skills. I am not a broadcasting major so nothing in her field was a skill of mine. I could write though. However, all the writing is down in Catalan and unless Lloret´s viewers want to hear a few select phrases than I cannot write for the news yet. What I can do is run the camera. I can film the news. They need a camera...woman I guess, and offered me the job. She has to run it by her boss and see if that would work, if once I learn Catalan I could start writing for show, interviewing etc. It´s a lot of pressure and I´m not sure I want it. Another job I´m hoping to get is with this magazine in Barcelona. I really really want it. Well, what I really want is to continue this vacation and not work at all but Joan´s funds and my funds are running low. Granted, I haven´t spent much while being here and if I hadn´t had so many bills to pay off I would have $2,000 to use but since I only came here with $1000.....and I have to send a $200 check to Northwest by the end of this month and God only knows how I will manage that.

Joan and I move into our flat when I get back to Spain as well. It´s more than I thought we would ever find. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, tile floors, a balcony and windows from wall to wall in the living room that overlook the Mediterranean Sea and the city of Lloret. The flat comes with some extra furniture that is so hideous, we may hide it in a bedroom or try and throw it out if we are allowed. IKEA will be our shop of choice very soon.

I am very curious about this new life of mine. So often at night while I´m lying awake and Joan is sleeping beside me, I wonder about all the "what ifs" in life. What if I hadn´t met Joan that night by the lake? What if I dumped him ages ago? What if he dumped me? What if I stayed in Europe? So many questions to consider. The most important one being, What will make me happy? What do I believe will bring happiness to my life?

I stumble with these questions and even more with the answers.
In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare writes;

Thy letters have transported me beyond
This ignorant present, and I feel now
The future is instant.

I believe that is how I must think in order to survive this huge lifestyle change. We would all like a road map to the future, wouldn´t it make life easier? We try to find a loophole to life everyday. We read horoscopes, we listen to weather forecasters, fortune tellers etc. People don´t want to know for the pure joy of knowing, just so that they can do something about it. If it is forecasted to rain this afternoon, we want an umbrella,knowledge is power.

I know I am rambling and I could continue for pages and pages and still not be sure of what will make me happy or if I can control my future or knowing that whatever small choice I make could change the outcome of my life entirely.

I just want someone to tell me that I made the right choice by moving my life overseas. I know in my heart that this was the right choice for me, I just want the American Consulate to agree and give me a damn work visa.

This post has turned into a rather depressing look on a really not so completely depressing situation. I can´t say I´m unhappy because any tedious thing can become exciting when you´re in another country. For example, "I am going grocery shopping in Boringsville, USA" OR
"I am going grocery shopping in Dublin, Ireland or Barcelona, Spain!" I know it´s stupid but sooner or later the novelty of living here will wear off and I WILL just be grocery shopping in Barcelona,Spain. However unbelieveable that sounds to me now, it will be my life in the next few months, working and studying like everyone else.

I hope the next post won´t be so dramatically written about my worries and hopes for the future, I hope the next post will bring some good news about something.

For now, I have two weeks in Dublin to think about all my options, enjoy the sights, enjoy the boyfriend and write to you all.

Many blessings and best wishes all around

C.M.

This post could have so many different titles

Such as¨"Gelat and Shopping, what more could I ask for?"
" I´m pretty sure I´m now a part of the Spanish Mafia"
" Vacation´s over, time to move into the real world"
Pretty much any title would work. I haven´t written in awhile so I have a lot of ground to cover. Joan usually helps me remember everything, but he´s not feeling well today so he´s already in bed. I´ll go back to as far as I can remember.....Sunday before new years I guess will work.

Joan and I drove to Barcelona to meet his friend Xevi. Xevi´s father is still out of town so we stayed in his flat again last weekend. It´s so nice to be right in the city. Sunday night Joan and I went to the Hard Rock Cafe. Everyone gets onto me about this but after so much Spanish cuisine it´s nice to have something different. We get there, an hour and a half wait. I try and get Joan to slip the host some €uros but he insists he would be something like Chandler on Friends and just make an ass of himself so we wait. Three Mai-Tai´s later we get our seat and I have the most amazing dinner. It´s nice to have American food now and then, I took it for granted for sure. After that we got a couple drinks and relaxed around the city. Xevi was out seeing American Gangster with some friends and since Joan and I had already seen it, we had to wait around for him to get back to his flat (we forgot to get keys from him). Around midnight we are bored, didnt want any food, didnt want any drinks, shops were closed, no clubs we felt like going too-so we made our way back to Xevi´s neighborhood. We sat and waited for at least 40 minutes until Xevi got back and immediatly passed out. It was a good night. Needless to say, my week go immensely better.

Monday we went shopping at El Corte Ingles a gigantic department store to get some last minute items for New Years. I had to get black tights and a red thong. It is good luck to wear red on new years and since my dress was a metallic silver-black combo that was my only option. To make things even better, we went for some Gelat at this great ice cream place. I had something called a "Sweet Gofre". It is a small belgian waffle, but a bit sweeter, with chocolate and carmel syrup and chocolate ice cream on top with sweet whipped cream and thinly sliced almonds. It was without a doubt the best dessert I´ve had in a long time.

Later that afternoon, Joan and Xevi figured it would be a wise choice to take a siesta before the nights festivities. I didn´t know we would be out until 7:30 the next morning.....

We left Xevi´s around 8:45 p.m. It was me, Joan, Xevi and German. The most hilarious guys I have ever met. We had to take the metro because finding a cab is impossible on New Years. My feet are already hurting. Granted, I was wearing the highest heeled shoes ever but they were so gorgeous and they matched my dress perfectly. Anyway, we took the metro across town to the Barcelona Casino. It isn´t much fun standing in a crowded metro dressed up with a bunch of other people dressed up ready to go out as well. It is even less fun with creepy guys staring at you. We left the metro and there was a guy there, maybe 19 or younger even watching everyone....I had a bad vibe from him immediatly. Not more that 2 minutes later as we were crossing the street do we hear a loud scream and there is that same creepy boy running from four Italian girls. He stole one´s purse. The poor thing was crying hysterically. The girls gloves were in her purse and fell out as the bastard took off and so German went and got them from another man who picked them up. Can you imagine? What a horrible way to start the new year. I´m so glad I didn´t take a purse. Joan was the perfect gentleman and said, "I´m sorry you had to see that honey" while German said, "Don´t worry babe, you got three body guards here"

We arrived at the casino and met with David and Allison and his family. David is Joan´s other friend that I met in Florida. David´s girlfriend Allison, is from Philly but studied in Florida and met David. It was so nice to see her again, it had been two years since I had seen either of them.

We go into the casino and they ask for our passports. Joan left them home. Home in Lloret, an hour away. Shit. Luckily, we got in with a few strings pulled in our favor. We are led into the VIP section of the restaraunt, and there are only about 8 tables inside. The room is decorated with black gold and white. We take our seats and dinner begins. 10 courses and 3 bottles of Champagne and Wine later, it is 30 minutes until New Years! Allison and I have talked the entire time, we are going through a very similar situation so we got along famously. The waiters passed around gift boxes for each of us, everyone in the room got a watch. I am not one for watches really but mine was a beauty. Black crocodile band with diamonds and very funky numbers on the face, very cool. We also had gold bags under our seat filled with a party hat, confetti, noise makers, masks and streamers. Immediatly everyone started celebrating even though we had 10 minutes to go. The waiters passed around bags of 12 grapes for us to eat at midnight. These grapes had seeds so Allison and I took them out, it was a mess and the guys made fun of us but we thought for sure we could eat them faster that way. 12 seconds after midnight, I had five grapes left, Xevi had given up half way through, David couldn´t go fast enough either, Allison had most of hers still in her mouth and had spit them into her napkin and Joan was the only one who had eaten all 12. I still don´t think he chewed.

It was the best New Years I´ve had in a long while. Everyone was so happy and I seriously haven´t laughed so much at a dinner before. A band started up and we danced and talked until three or so. We went to the actual casino and watched David´s father throw down a $100 chip at random and win. I could never do that.

After we went to this club, Up and Down. It was 45 €uros a person but well worth it. I love Spanish music and danced all night. My heels were off by this time for sure. We all parted ways and it was only Xevi, Joan and I heading back to the flat. My feet were in such pain. I didn´t dare take my shoes off on the streets so I suffered through while we walked and walked and walked until we finally found a metro. We still had 10 stops or something before we reached Xevi´s flat. That is so far! I would have had to walk that entire way had we not found that metro. My feet only stopped hurting today, and it´s officially Friday. We got back at 7:30 and completely collapsed. I don´t think we woke up until 1 or so on Tuesday and all we got accomplished was a trip to Burger King and some sight seeing. It was truly a great time.

So much more has happened between then and now but that will have to wait for another post. I´ll post pictures tomorrow as well. You just have to see the heels on the shoes I wore.

Tomorrow is a busy day though, two interviews and we´re finally looking at the flat we will be living in!

I hope all of you had a splendid New Years, Happy 2008!

Best Wishes & Be Nice