Pobrecita

I awoke not one or two but three times this week with a fever. I decided to ignore the pest on Tuesday morning, blaming it on a late night with little sleep. I missed my morning classes on Wednesday and Thursday and subsequently realized I might have a problem. I went with my theater class Thursday night to see La Noche de San Juan, a play we had just read, and halfway through it, I felt nauseous and feverish. I got home to learn my hot little friend had returned in all its 102 degree glory. I called my mom that night and she made me realize that if I decided to travel at 6am the next morning with my friends to Mallorca I would probably just worsen. So reluctantly I called my friends and let them know I would be sitting this weekend out, sick.

My fabulous host mom Jani then called the doctor Friday morning, who actually came to the house to check on me (I know! I thought they stopped doing that last century.) I was admittedly a little skeptical of miss Dr. when she walked in all sporty with her jeans and matching jacket, so casual. She took one look at my throat, though, and quelled my fears of having mono, which apparently is going around Toledo right now. I guess with that you get really puffy and swollen ganglios and a swollen spleen as well, which I certainly do not have. Doc prescribed me some antibiotics to take every 8 hours and I have been feeling progressively better ever since. I know I would have been miserable and probably crabby if I had gone to Mallorca, and, like my mom pointed out, maybe wound up in some sketch medical center in po-dunk Parma. It just completely bums me out though since my friends were here from ND, not to mention I was really looking forward to getting myself a nice tan this weekend. 

I guess I can look at this weekend as kind of a culture experience, though. I got to experience Spanish medicine first hand, as well as spend some quality time with the family— like watch a dubbed over Halle Berry movie. I also did two loads of laundry and some homework, which is more progress than I have made in the past week entirely. woo woo

Another thing: Thank you everybody who continues to read this tontería that is my life right now. It is seriously so cool to see comments and what not. I cannot wait to print this whole shebang out someday later and laugh at all these shenanigans.

Visitors!

Last weekend was the much-anticipated ND-paid excursion to Granada, which is a beautiful old city in Andalucia (southern Spain) with lots of interesting toques musulmanes, probs because it was the last Muslim stronghold in Spain, and for all those interested, fell to the Christians in 1492, año de Colón. OK I am done being a nerd, but that trip was fantastic. We visited first the mosque-turned-cathedral in Cordoba and then toured the Alhambra on Saturday, the night after my friend's 21st birthday celebration, which was real fun, needless to say. On Sunday a few friends and I, after checking out of the hotel, went and enjoyed some authentic delish tea at an arabic tea house, then continued with our cultural delving by shopping around at this cool eastern market, where I bought Jani some herbal tea.

My friends Tracy and Alex (who studied here last semester) came this weekend to visit for their spring break. Oh. my. God. I was so excited to see them on Sunday I almost cried. We chatted about life updates and reminisced about last semester. Alex lived with my host family last semester so they stayed here the first three nights they were here. Jani of course has been so completely welcoming and hospitable, insisting on feeding everyone her ridiculously tasty Puerto Rican-Spanish cuisine. Needless to say have been going out every night since they got here (or since Wednesday more like) so I guess it really does not really surprise me that I woke up this morning with a fever. 

I have not had a fever in like 58 years and I have always prided myself on the fact that I have the immune system of a man. My host mom said it maybe is because I have been wearing flip flops. I cannot help it, though. The weather here is so gorgeous it is impossible not to treat it as spring and dress accordingly. My head feels like it is going to explode and this makes me miss home of course, because being sick and away from home is the pits. I just want to get better before this weekend in Mallorca, where I will lay out whether or not it is 60 degrees, like they are predicting. 

Bonjour... the extent of my French

This weekend I traveled to Paris with a few friends. Let me first say how glad I was I finally went. For a while, for some reason, I had it in my mind that Paris was not a city I needed to see. It was spectacular. Such a European melting pot of fabulous art, beautiful architecture, rich history and posh people. I met my friends there on Friday afternoon and we walked around the Luxembourg Gardens for a bit before hitting up a little French market for some wine. We walked around the city a bit more before enjoying a fabulous French dinner right near our hostel in the Latin Quarter. The next day (something I am so proud of) we woke up early to walk to Notre Dame Cathedral. Wow. Of course after a while all of these cathedrals and palaces kind of seem to run together in my head, but this one was incredible. Being in there somehow took me back to a time where everyone went in just felt cold and hunger, where their only comforts might be their own prayers and thoughts. Probably the recording of a Gregorian chant echoing throughout the vaults contributed to this feeling. It was stark and plain inside, save for its extravagant stain glassed windows. 

From there we walked to the Louvres. We walked around the entire museum for several hours, seeing all of the famous pieces like the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Hammurabi's Code. My favorite part were the French paintings, where I discovered an affinity of mine for the combination of pastels and gold. Those paintings were all just pretty, which is basically all I care about when looking at art, sorry if I sound ignorant. It was all beautiful, but admittedly, naturally, I got museumed-out after about three hours. We walked across town a bit to the Hôtel des Invalides, the place where the wounded soldiers from war went back in the day (don't know when.) Here also is the tomb of Napoleon and his brother Joseph, which was pretty cool to see. The building also houses a museum of World War I and II. It was interesting to see the history of the two from a non-American point of view. 

From there we strolled down this little street, I think called Rue Cler, to buy some wine and cheese for a picnic dinner on Champs de Mars, the field that extends under the Eiffel Tower. It was a beautiful night and tons of people were on the field— playing frisbee, strolling, chatting, singing and playing guitar. We lingered on the lawn until the sun went down and saw the tower lit up. My favorite part was how, every hour on the hour, it sparkles. I know up close it's an awkward rusty metal giant of a structure, but it is really pretty with the lights. We got lazy and took the elevator up to the top, where it was freezing but we got some good pictures. 

That night I bought a bottled cider for 7 euro. I gracious changed my mind but the bartender replied with "What do you want me to do with this one, shove it up my ass?" in broken English. hmm. I would not have minded. I think it is true that the French are not particularly fond of Americans as a whole, but most of the people I encountered this weekend were very gracious. It is their country and they have the prerogative to treat us however they want. The language barrier, however, did make me miss Spain, and as always I was glad to get home Sunday night. 

My eyes have been so dry all weekend. I could not even keep my eyes open last night to do homework because they were so watery. So I took my host mom's advice and bought some lágrimas artificiales, or fake tears. Feeling a little better but I look like a freak. Also I am pretty sure we walked many many miles this weekend. I am feeling it, which is a good thing because I never exercise on the weekends anyways. Also, I go home next month?

Midterms, already?!

Yep, this week is llena de midterms and I actually have prepared for them. I know, I know. You would not have thought as much with all of the festivities of this past weekend. But seriously. I have actually prepared pretty well for these suckers, and I have been having these light bulb, connect-the-dot moments with my learning of all this history and art. And theater and cine. Whew. I sound like a huge nerd, but I can say I am pretty pleased with the way this week has gone so far. 

I think that my host brother watches upwards of eight hours of television per day. Not even kidding. People talk about how all Spanish people do is chat, walk around the city, drink wine and enjoy each others' company. This I see... in the street. But so many people are constantly watching TV. I am suddenly glad I was raised in a house where watching more than two episodes of Boy Meets World was severely frowned upon. People say there is nothing to do in this town? Open the door and take a look outside... I beg to differ. 

Mood: jaded, yet surprisingly optimistic. I grind my teeth so hard during the night that my jaw aches the next morning. What the heck is my problem? One of my main sources of sanity now (and previously) is running, and Flannery and I recently signed up for the Prague Half Marathon... plane tickets and all. I am way beyond excited, especially after hearing what a cool city Prague is. It is so weird to think that by that time, at the end of March, we will almost be done. Seriously. I have learned the hard way my entire life that I only realize how good I have it when I don't have it anymore, and I am sure this year-long experience will be no exception, even if I do know every day how many days until I see my family again. It's hard not to have a countdown when you already have that number in your head, from a while ago during a bout of homesickness...

Carnaval

This weekend was Carnaval, the Mardi Gras-esque celebration that for some weird reason is largely neglected in the United States. Needless to say, my friends and I wanted to take full advantage of this wild celebration that here in Spain, seems for like Halloween. People dress up in the wildest costumes— men as dirty nurses, Pink Panthers, Smurfs, pirates. The list goes on and on. We were planning on traveling to Cadiz, a coastal town about 8 hours away by bus, but at the last minute ended up changing our minds and deciding to go to Madrid on Friday night and stay in Toledo Saturday night. Madrid was fun of course— us girls had our Carnaval masks and fun colored tights and the guys wore these hideous skeleton masks with neon colored long haired wigs. We ended up just bar hopping a lot in the city and were pretty surprised to find that we were some of the only ones dressed up for the night.

No the case in dear old Toledo. Last night people started packing the streets early in the afternoon to watch a parade, listen to concerts in the plaza and take full advantage of the makeshift bar set up for the night. It was the liveliest I have seen Toledo since New Years eve, and people were absolutely nuts. It was awesome because a ton of our friends stayed here in the city, one key reason being that we have midterms this coming week (what???) Theoretically, there is absolutely no reason I should not have had a blast last night, but one of those overwhelming waves of homesickness and mental exhaustion hit me hard early in the morning. I only stayed out until 3 or so, telling people I was not feeling well (halfway true.) I do love it here, but I am starting to just realize I miss my life back home a lot. Maybe I am just being a huge baby. It's just so ironic that this happened on such a wild when seriously the rest of the world it seemed like was on cloud 9. I need to snap out of this. I am in Europe for a year. Poor poor Katie.

no pasa nada

Notorious phrase here in Spain. Upon arrival, I actually thought it meant that nothing is happening. It means something more like "don't worry about it," "whatever," or, perhaps most accurately, "Hakuna Matata." Little did I know initially that this simple little slogan not only is meant as a passing phrase, but it more accurately describes the Spanish way of life. Don't feel like opening your shop for three more hours after siesta? No pasa nada. Don't feel like checking my backpack for the 6oz of perfume I forgot to put in those little Ziplock baggies before boarding my flight? No pasa nada. Don't feel like finishing a sidewalk repair in less than 5 months? No pasa nada. This mentality is both endearing and terribly irritating. But mostly I feel like it is just something I have gotten used to about this place, something I know neither I nor no one else can ever change. 

And something that has begun to rub off on me. I have started getting incredibly irritated by the prospect of going to class (don't worry mom and dad, I always go) and writing essays. I currently actually am evading a terribly boring Cine essay by updating this here blog. I honestly always feel like there are more useful things I could be doing to further my comprehension and appreciation of this wonderful country. I sincerely believe I learn more about Spain when I am out and about the town with my friends, when I am dining with my host family, when I am running the gorgeous Ruta de Don Quixote around the city. Like Mark Twain always said, I will not let my schooling get in the way of my education. 

Happy Valentine's Day

Today is February 14, Valentine's Day. I cannot say that this is a day I miss being home because of some romantic annual event I inevitably will be missing out on. I miss being home on days like this when I know my mom does cute stuff around the house and makes things really special. OK enough with the sad stuff. I am so excited to get home, but I know I have a lot more to learn here. And I continue to feel more and more comfortable, which may or may not be a good thing. 

I know I probably think about this a little bit too much, but I am going to need a mammoth sized makeover when I get back in April. I will look like someone who has not had a haircut since August and who has been wearing and rewearing the same grungy clothes. Oh, wait, I have done that. Yuck. If I can just vent a little bit. I cannot wait to get back and meet the new puppy (Boo), wear my other clothes and buy some new ones, go on hikes with mama, visit the friends at ND, scope out the new car, enjoy warm Carolina nights on the deck and finally live in Chicago for the summer. OK I know I cannot dwell like this for too long.

I am staying here in Toledo this weekend 1) because my friends are going to Dublin, where I have been, 2) because I have some work to get done which probably will not even happen 3) because I am giving the bank account a rest and 4) because I am giving my poor body a rest. Even though it's not exactly so, I feel like I have been going a million miles an hour and I need some rest to appreciate everything. Alright gotta run. Spending the day with Jani and Ricky. She is so into holidays so I think today she will pull all the stops out.