He llegado a Dallas, Mi viaje ha terminado

"I have arrived in Dallas, my trip has finished." - So reads my title to this post. It is 8:35 am on Sunday morning Dallas time. Somehow I think by not sleeping Friday night (I got home at 4:45 am and left at 5:15 for the airport) and getting mediocre sleep on the airplanes, I am semi adjusted to the time change. No problems with the trip or airplanes yesterday! I took a small plane at 7:30 am from San Sebastian to Madrid. I arrived in Madrid around 9 and wasted time walking around, looking in shops, eating, and sitting around. While I was waiting to board AA Flight 37 to Dallas, a lady approached me. She said that the plane was overweight and they were looking for volunteers to stay behind a day. This is what they were offering: $1,000 to fly anywhere in the world anytime, 1 night in a 4 star hotel in Madrid with all meals paid for, and a guaranteed seat on tomorrow's (Sundays) flight. I immediately called home, (note it was about 5am in Dallas - Sorry Mom and Dad) because for me, staying one night in Madrid didn't sound too bad, and also $1,000 is another trip back to Spain. This is the answer I got from my Dad. "Get on the plane and come home." I got on the plane and came home. I arrived in Dallas at about 5pm Dallas time and it was good to be home. I am definitely sad to leave San Sebastian and sad to leave all the friends I made there, but ready to be back with my friends and family. We came home to a very very very happy dog, who has been waiting to see her brother for about 3 weeks now. After resting for a bit and a shower Mom, Dad, and I went to Fuji! I hadn't had sushi in a month and was craving it. It was very good. After dinner I went and said hello to a few friends and returned home around 10:30 pm. I thought to myself, 10:30 pm, if i was in San Sebastian I would be meeting my friends to go out! My Dad heard this thought because I spoke it aloud, and replied with "What's your point?" I watched some TV, got into bed, and went to sleep. It is good to sleep in my own bed. The trip was something I will never forget, and the people I met there I will cherish for my whole life. I can't wait to eventually go back to Spain and maybe to France, Italy (again), Germany, and all the other places I now have friends in Europe. I hope everyone has enjoyed reading along and liked the blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it. ¡Adios!

Una Pausa...Adios

Once again the tiring activities, school days, and being drained from the beach, along with going out at night, has somehow taken away the motivation to write the past few days. Wednesday we finally were able to go kayaking, it was a little bit overcast but afterwards it got really nice and we all went to the beach. Wednesday night was a friend's 17th birthday so we of course went out later that night for her. Thursday was a sad day because it was my last day of class. Graduation day. Goodbye to Fede, Paqui, Ester, and Naroa (my other two teachers), and to the school. After classes we all went for the last time to the one and only, Bideluze. After lunch the remainder of the day was spent on the beach. Today we didn't have classes because there were "fiestas" here in San Sebastian for the patron saint of the basque country. I know that in the news there has been information about bombings relatively close to where I am. I want to assure everyone that I am fine and am being cautious. This morning we went to a Museum which basically was outdoor sculptures. Afterwards, beach of course for the whole today. I am sad to leave San Sebastian, but ready to be home with my family and friends. I'll be back tomorrow, adios San Sebastian.

International Connections

Tuesday was yet again another relaxing day. After learning about Nazca (mysterious images in Peru) and expressing ideas using the conditional tense, we all went to the beach. This is my group: Gian Marco (Italy), Matteo (Italy), Lucia (Italy), Laura (France), Tanguy (France), Wesley (France), Steve (USA), Henri (France), and two other guys from France whom I didn't know. It looks like the Americans were outnumbered...For this reason, spanish was once again the only common language, a really great way to practice. After playing soccer on the beach, this time it was 2 Americans and 2 Italians vs. 4 French (Team USA/Italia won), we all went back home. We later went out because it was one of our friend's last night. We were in a bar and an American song came on. Naive, by The Kooks. All of a sudden the French guys start singing it, same with the Italians! They all knew the song, even though it was all in english. It was really fun and exciting to sing along with them, even though they probably had no idea what was being said. They don't really speak any english! Music - bringing people together?

¡Nuevas Personas y Jesus!

Monday, the start of a new week, and the arrival of new people. Only five people came today and it is much quieter in the school. There are not a lot of people and only 5 in my class now. I do not have Fede or Paqui anymore and I miss them. I have Ester and Noroa, both nice teachers, but I prefer Fede and Paqui. The kids in my class are all from past weeks, so I know them. Juan Marco and Matteo from Italy, Amanda from Canada, and AJ from Chicago. We will be speaking a lot more in spanish and focusing much more on conversation as opposed to grammar exercises. After class I grabbed a bocadillo at a local TAPAS BAR. Yes, Mom and Dad, I go to other places other than Bideluze. After lunch we went to the aquarium, which unfortunately wasn't that great. Afterwards though we went up a mountain to the famous Jesus statue at the top. Once again I'm not sure I can convey the beauty of the city, so here are some pictures from the day.

Domingo Relejado

Another relaxing Sunday, and on the 7th day the lord rested right? Anyway, after sleeping late and having lunch with my "mother", I decided to read some of my required summer reading. Can you believe it? I'm reading "My Stroke of Insight" by Jill Bolte Taylor. You can watch a pretty interesting video on the book here. I went out for some ice cream at the best place in San Sebastian - Heladeria Boulevard. Later I had dinner and talked with Teresa for a little while. Tomorrow I will start my last week of classes and meet the new kids that came. Anyway, not much else for today but a quick note to all readers - commenting has now been opened up to all readers. Before it was only for registered users;I was alerted that some people were not able to comment, so I have changed the settings. Hasta Mañana.

Al Guggenheim

Today we ventured to Bilbao and visited the Guggenheim Museum. Basically a requirement of my Dad's to go, but luckily we went as a group. It was definitely worth waking up at 9, walking for 30 minutes, and then taking a hour and a half bus ride to go to. There's not really much to explain about the day, but I took many pictures to explain it for me. The Guggenheim Museum is spectacular. Please check out the pictures here. I tried to take as many pictures as I could and of the best quality, but it is technically not allowed to take photos in the museum...Hope you enjoy the ones I was able to shoot!

Last Day, Pt. 2

This second week has gone by so fast it is insane. I didn't have my foreign friends but I really bonded with the kids in the E.C.I group, another group of kids from the US that were also studying at the school. A few of the girls wanted a picture with the only Texan of course. Our departing skit on Friday was a tribute to Joimo, the kid from last week. We all missed him, but not everyone at the school appreciated the skit as they didn't really know who Joimo was. After class, a few friends and I went to Bideluze once again and enjoyed another good meal. From there we went to the beach, played some volleyball, went in the water and relaxed. I came back home for a bit before having to go on a boat cruise with my group. I thought it wouldn't be that fun, but it actually turned out pretty nice. After the cruise I went out with all of my ECI friends because it was their last night. I will miss them a lot and I hope some good new kids will be arriving soon. Time really does fly.

Lo Siento - Jueves

A quick sorry to all of the people that have been reading my blog. The past few days have just flown by and I haven't had much time to write recently.

Thursday July, 23 - "Noches Alegres, Mañanas Tristes"

This is the phrase that Fede started our morning class with on Thursday. He noticed that a few of the people in the class were a little..tired. It was a little joke but nonetheless woke some of the people up I think. After Thursday's classes I came home for a little while and then went out to confirm a few things for my flight to come home next Saturday. I ended up getting lost and wandered around the town for about 2 hours. I finally found the office of Iberia airlines when they told me it was not open to the public. I was a little bit upset but even walking for two hours isn't too bad when you're in San Sebastian. I actually came across the most amazing site; a old castle that has a big beautiful courtyard that overlooks the ocean. In the end, I came home and relaxed for the night, went out with some friends for a bit, but called it

an early night.

Una Tormenta?

(Isla Santa Klara)

Wednesday was another interesting day in San Sebastian. After leaving school we were scheduled to go kayaking. It was a little overcast the whole morning, but regardless it would've been fun. We got to the beach, went out in our kayaks and we took them to an island called "Isla de Santa Klara". Just as we approached the island a man informed us that a big storm was coming, he said a tornado, and that we had to go back. We quickly paddled back and avoided the storm. We were only to be out kayaking for about 30 minutes. Afterwards, huge winds picked up and we were glad to be out of the water. We then went and had some churros and chocolate, again very good. The remainder of the afternoon was spent inside, until going out with my friends for a little jazz concert that is going on here in San Sebastian.

Monday/Tuesday

Monday and Tuesday can be combined into one post because of the lack of activity that occurred on these two days. That isn't to say I didn't enjoy the relaxation, just that I didn't do much. Monday a new group of kids came (don't really like them). We had class and I continue to learn and understand more everyday. Afterwards we went on a sightseeing tour around San Sebastian. This didn't exactly appeal to me, so I slept on the bus. It was still very nice to be outside and relaxing. I came home, relaxed, and went to sleep. Tuesday was free and after class I took a different group of friends to Bideluze (see earlier post). They enjoyed it very much, and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time. After lunch we went to the beach for a bit and then I came back home and chilled for a while. I went out to dinner tonight with my friends at an Italian restaurant called "La Mama Via". A very good Italian place that really reminded me of Italy! I even had some "vino rosso de la casa!" (shout out to Aunt Alison, Aunt Felicia, and Shelbs) Although it did not compare to Italy, it was very good. I returned back home and am now resting and will go to bed soon. Tomorrow I believe we will be kayaking as it got rained out before. Hasta manana...

Adios Isa!

("Mi Hermana" Isabel y Yo)

Sunday is supposed to be a quiet day and a day to relax. This is exactly what my Sunday was. I woke up around 1pm, typical for me back home. (Despite how much my Dad hates that!) I then had lunch with my family, and said goodbye to Isabel, my "sister" here in Spain. She's 13 and her father lives in the US. She's going to visit him and his side of the family for about 2 weeks. Watch out St. Augustine and Knoxville! Afterwards I really just laid around, fell asleep again, and then went out to walk on the beach around 6. I came back, had dinner, and then went out again to walk and get some ice cream. I returned home around 11, and relaxed and went to sleep. Kind of a boring, but very relaxing Sunday. Something I really needed after a great, but long, week.

Considering how short this post is, I figured I'd respond to some of the comments I received on my last post.

To Phil - Spanish life is really great, the people are really nice and willing to help you with anything you need. My family is great and I don't think they have ever said "No" to anything I have asked. It's a very welcoming society in that you can walk into a bar and strike up a conversation with a complete stranger. In other countries, Americans can sometimes be sneered at or hated, but that is not the way it is in Spain. Anyone would love to talk to you and help you find somewhere to eat or anything else you might want to know.

To Cam and Other Friends - I really appreciate the attention that you pay to the blog. (especially you Cam!) It's great to know that people are reading and following along with my trip! I wish that y'all could all be here as well, but I'll be with you guys soon enough.

To Mom, Dad, and Aunt Felicia - I miss you guys more than anything! Mi familia! I thought I would give a shout out to my friends considering you should know that I miss you guys! I hope all is well in Dallas, New York, Florida, or wherever you may be.

New kids come tomorrow, and a new school week starts.

Sabado - Vamos a Getaria y Zarautz

After a relatively late night Friday, it was nice to be able to sleep until about 9:30 on Saturday morning. I got ready, had some breakfast and then took about a 20 minute walk to meet my group at a bus station. We took the bus to Getaria, a small costal town about an hour away. We spent about an hour there and then we walked the costal path to Zarautz. Known for it's beach, we spent the rest of the day swimming and laying out on the beach. Not too much to say as basically I slept on the beach most of the day. Once we returned, I came home, had some dinner, and went out on the town with my friends. A lot of them left yesterday, as I mentioned earlier, but there are a lot more that I have from another group, and more will be coming tomorrow as well. I am not homesick by any means, but I do wish that some of the people back home could be here with me an experience all that I am. Cam (who has been one of the most avid readers of my blog), Ske, Goose, B, Aroda, Joey D, the Dawg...I wish that all of you guys could be here with me and I hope you're having fun wherever you are. Being away from home really makes you realize what's important to you and what you miss the most. Y yo echo de menos mi chica mas de los otros.

Kayak...Wait, Salsa!

The week ended with a skit by each of the spanish classes. Our was a re-enactment of Romeo and Juliet. I just happen to think ours was the best and received the most applause. We had plans to go kayaking after that but it was raining. It continued to rain most of the day and instead we took a dance class. We learned salsa and meringue and a few others. We did very steps and I guess I did the "hip thrusts/hip circles" the best because the 50 year old male dance instructor had me do it as an example...Anyway after this great display of dancing by all, we went and had churros and chocolate at a local bar. For those of you who don't know, this chocolate is like hot chocolate but thicker. You dip the churros in the chocolate and it is absolutely amazing. It was most of my friends last day, so it was sad to see them go. We went out and had a good last night. ¡Echo de menos a Luigi, Joimo, Marco, Alex, Courtney, y Juan!

Bideluze

(Bideluze)

As per the request from my father, I will speak about my spanish classes today. I arrived at school around 9:25 and entered my first class with Fede. Remember Fede? If not, refer to a few posts below. Anyway, each day we go over something different. Tuesday it was Preterito v. Imperfecto, Wednesday it was el Futuro, and today was el Condicional. I have learned all of these in school but somehow being in the country and the way that they teach these topics, it is much easier for me to understand and really grasp the uses. For example, I have been able to use the perfect tenses in daily conversation without hesitation. "Yo he visto una chica bonita". In the second hour, Paqui went over Ser v. Estar. These are probably a few of the harder verbs to differentiate and so we will probably study it more. After class my friends and I went to a restaurant that Joimo (a friend from France) had gone to with his family and said it was the best. So, we all went there and had some of the best burgers I have ever had. My burger had cheese, bacon, and a fried egg on it....man was it good! He also ordered me a "Mosta" I think it was called. I asked the lady what was in it and she said it was basically "zumo de uvas con un limon and algo mas" "Grape juice with a lemon and some more stuff." It was very very good. Afterwards we of course, went to the beach. We laid out, played football, and swam in the ocean. Another good day. We ate out tonight at a pizzeria, that was okay. The Italians and I both said that it didn't compare to the pizza in Italy! Haha, like I am such an expert! Another good day in San Sebastian. Enough of a description of my classes DAD!?

San Juan

(Click Pictures To Enlarge)

Sorry about not writing yesterday. After a long day of school, a trip to San Juan, and the beach of course I was just too tired to motivate myself to write anything. Yesterday after another good day of school my friends and I ate Kebab's at a local bar. A Kebab is similar to a stuffed pita with meat and cheese and basically whatever you want. It was very good and very filling. We then took the bus to San Juan, a small pueblo near San Sebastian that has a big port for ships. We took a boat through the port and out into the ocean and the city was just amazingly beautiful. The waves got pretty big and it was very fun to be on a relatively small boat. Despues, we all went to the beach of course and sat out and relaxed for awhile. I returned home showered, ate dinner and went to bed. The sun really tires you out, especially after waking up early and going to school. Also a little side note, the ice cream is the best thing in the world. Not comparable to that in the United States.

¡Vamos a la playa!

Today we didn't have to arrive at school until 9:30. We have a class from 9:30-11, a 30 minute break and then class again from 11:30-1. Today the first hour was with a Spaniard named Fede. He is our "grammar teacher." Instead of really teaching us, he put a picture of a good looking girl on the board, and asked "Quien es la chica?" "Who is the girl?" None of us knew the girl so we guessed "Su novia, madre, hermana, una cantante..." "Your girlfriend, mom, sister, a singer.." But we weren't able to guess who she was. He finally told us she was his EX girlfriend. He said they broke up yesterday and that he would tell us the story. He had strips of paper with sentences in spanish on them and he gave each of us one. We each placed one on the board and conjugated the verb in the sentence that was highlighted. This was practicing the preterite and imperfect. The story told us that it was Ana's birthday yesterday and they had a surprise party for her. Someone rang the doorbell and Ana opened it and she was surprised to see a guy there and acted like she didn't know him. The guy entered and actually wanted to tell Fede that he was with Ana also. Fede told us that he and the guy (Javier) fought and that Ana was "una tramposa." I asked him how long they had been together, and he said 2 years and a few months. Now you'd think that after 2 years, to break up with a girl that you just found out has been cheating for who knows how long, you'd be pretty upset and sad. Fede said this (in spanish..) "Freud says that when you have negative energy you need to change it to positive energy. What good does it do me to sit home and sulk and cry? Its better that I tell the story and we laugh and we change the bad situation to something better." Interesting class huh? My second hour was with Paqui, and she taught us vocabulary. No interesting story here because we learned about fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, and other products. After my class I went with my Italian friends to a bar and grabbed a "bocadillo" a baguette with meat and cheese. It was very good and we walked to the beach, sandwiches in hand. We spent the next 5 hours on the beautiful beach of San Sebastian. (Note. I learned that many Spanish women prefer to be topless on the beach) Anyway, we went into the water some and played soccer on the beach. The waves were huge and it was pretty dangerous actually but it was awesome. In soccer we played Italianos vs Americanos, we had 3 Italians and 3 Americans so it worked out perfectly. The Italians won of course, something like 14-10. We then met some girls from Spain who didn't speak english. We proceeded to talk and laugh while we translated words from spanish to english and vice versa. They were very nice. We all went back home and I took a shower, had dinner and relaxed. Un buen día.

El Primer Día

After my long trip here it was relatively easy to go to sleep and catch a rest before my first day. We had to arrive at school at around 8:30 to take an entrance exam and get situated in different classes based on skill. The exam and oral went well and they placed us into different classes. I have two kids from France and about five or so from California and one from NJ and one from NY in my class. It's cool because there are kids from all over the world here. I have a few friends from France, a few from Italy, one from London, and a lot from all over the US. Thankfully my luggage arrived at the school and after class I brought it back to my house. I then left to meet my group and grabbed some ice cream on the way. It was very good, like the gelato in Italy. We then took a bus to a lift that took us to the top of the mountain. The view from here is amazing. You can see most of San Sebastian from here and it's really awesome. There is also a little theme park there with games, ponies, bumper cars, and a roller coaster ride. Kind of old and low end, but cool nonetheless. We came down from the mountain and returned home because it started to rain. It was a good first day. Hasta manana...

Bienvenidos a San Sebastian...Finalmente

I left for Spain on a direct flight from DFW -> MAD at 5:30 PM. We ended up not departing until 6pm but it seemed okay because I would have plenty of time to make my 1:30pm connection in Madrid to San Sebastian. About 5 hours into the flight the captain came on and said there was a problem with the plane and we could not cross the Atlantic. We had to take another hour and return to New York. We arrived at JFK at about midnight and they had a scheduled re-departure at about 1am. At about 12:30 a gate agent told us that the flight attendants were now illegal due to FAA flight regulations. So here we go, two more hours. By the way, did I mention that JFK is closed? No one else is there. The airline tried to pacify the 100 or so passengers by giving us $10 vouchers but no one was really pleased. We finally departed around 4am and arrived in Madrid at about 5pm local time. I had since missed two connecting flights to San Sebastian and was set to leave on my 3rd at 7:30. The Madrid airpot is very nice and I had my first meal in Spain there. Una bocadillo con jamon y queso. (A baguette with ham and cheese) It was very good. The one thing I will tell you about Spain. It is very hot. And no, not the weather. The ladies! Everywhere you look you see the most beautiful women, even the flight attendants! After finally arriving in beautiful San Sebastian at around 9pm the best thing happened; they lost my luggage. I went to my host family, had dinner, showered and went to sleep. My family is very nice and the flat that I am staying in is also very nice. I have just finished my first day and will write about it soon. Es todo! Hasta el proximo..

Dear Readers,

From July 12th to August 1st, I will be traveling to San Sebastian, Spain. San Sebastian is located in the Basque region of Spain. (North East, on the coast) I will try to update this blog as much as possible with a summary of activities, places, and pictures. I am excited to try new things, meet new people, and learn plenty while I am there. Feel free to email me at cd.greenhill@gmail.com . I will try to reply, although it might take me a little while, so please be patient. I hope you enjoy reading and seeing what I am up to as much as I enjoy writing these little posts.