BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND TWITTER BACKGROUNDS »

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

¡Estamos en ESPANA!

¡Hola!

I wish that I could've updated this before now, but the Internet is much harder to come by in Spain. But that means that you're lucky - you get to hear me talk more :D

Having never flown before, the trip overseas was all new to me. Our first flight was great - I hardly noticed we were in the air, probably because it was only two hours. We flew from Chicago to Newark, NJ, and then flew to Madrid. It was a long day of traveling, but when we got to look out the window of the plane and see the mountains surrounding the city, it was all worth it.

The first day in Madrid, we took a bus tour around the city. I would've preferred to walk around and see all of the places in person, however, Madrid is huge and it would've taken at least a week to see everything. The history of Madrid, and Spain in general, is unbelievable. You could look at the architecture for days; it is so detailed and ornate. The patterns are different depending on the time period but it somehow manages to flow perfectly together. We got to walk around the Parque Central, which is similar to NY's Central Park. There were people dancing, performing, singing, doing caricatures, etc right in the streets. The people love them all; it was so exciting to see them all dancing/singing along.

After a very long night of sleep, our next day started with a trip to Segovia. It was one of the cities that I was most looking forward to seeing while I was here. I have learned so much about Segovia in the past and to see it, up close and personal, was surreal (and still is). Segovia is most famous for their aqueduct that was built by the Romanos a couple centuries ago. It spans 15 kilometers...and I'm sure all 15 kilometers were as gorgeous as the one small section I saw. We went to the Alcazar which is a famous castle in Segovia that all the kings of Castilla y Leon occupied while they were in power. The architecture there was also spectacular - they distinguish the rooms by the ceilings, because each is so unique in their own way.

Most of the day, we were with our whole group of study abroad students. There are over 100 students from America that are studying together. It’s going to be such a great experience to study here with students from other colleges, but having a group of 100 students is not ideal for touring. So, when we got free time in Madrid, I was very excited to break off with 10 friends. We went shopping downtown for a bit and watched the performers on the streets.

Today, we got to explore the Museo del Prado, which is a famous art museum that’s in Madrid. I have also learned about many of these art pieces in Spanish and Art classes, so to have the opportunity to see the in person was so cool.

It’s almost 12:30AM here in Bilbao. The dorms are nice and surprisingly large. I didn’t think the jet lag or the time change would be that big of a difference. Boy, was I wrong. The other day I woke up at 6:45AM which means I am definitely off schedule… I haven’t seen 6:45AM in a very long time.

Miss you all.

Amor, Lana










Monday, June 22, 2009

¡Cuatro días!

I have a little over four days left in the States. It's unbelievable.

I am so ready for this journey to begin.

Thanks, everyone, for all the support.

<3 LNS

Sunday, June 14, 2009

¡Hola, este es mi primer blog!

¡Hola a todos!

My study abroad experience has almost begun and it's starting to sink in little by little. I am so thrilled to have this opportunity to experience a new country and a new culture all while learning more of a language that I love. I cannot wait to see how it all unfolds.

I will be leaving from Chicago and flying into Madrid, where we will be staying for 3 days. After touring Madrid and Segovia, we will be heading to the Universidad de Deusto. I will be spending a total of 5 weeks in Bilbao at the universidad. There are several excursions planned as well - we are looking forward to Pamplona!

I look forward to sharing this experience with all of you and I hope that you all keep in touch with me while I'm 'across the pond'


Universidad de Deusto...es muy hermosa!