Final(s) Week - pun intended :p

Hello all! This will probably be one of my last blog posts...if not my last. I currently am procrastinating on studying for my finals by WRITING a blog post and because of this you guys get to procrastinate by READING a blog post =]

Anyways! I am wrapping up my semester with an obscene amount of finals this week. Probably the most I have ever had (6 in one week...yeesh). I already took two on Monday and then tomorrow I have two and Thursday I have two. Then Thursday afternoon there is a goodbye party for everyone in IES that all the families are invited to, as well as all my professors! I will then start packing because packing more than one night before I leave is just too easy :p

Unfortunately there are no more pictures for me to post but I hope to be taking one later with my host family and posting on here later =] I think Teresa is avoiding a picture because each day her hair looks worse and she keeps saying "tomorrow when I fix my hair!!" but it really just keeps looking worse haha

I have edited this post and included the promised picture of my host family and I for those of you who have not met them over skype or facetime =] Teresa was so funny, she put on make up, dyed her hair, curled it, and put on a nice shirt just for a picture!

but as always there was a photo that didn't quite turn out as planned....poor Isidro haha 

Anyways, today at lunch we were all done eating and Isidro got up to clear the table and Teresa got up too (which is odd because usually she usually stays to finish De Buena Ley on the TV) and told me "wait here I have something to show you." She came back with a little black baggie and said "just for you so you never forget us."

Glasses because I'm studying and my eyes are starting to get blood shot from staring at the computer all day :p

The little dotted decoration thing in the middle is the symbol of Salamanca and she bought it at this little tiny silver store in town =] Teresa and Isidro have been such a wonderful second family to me in my 3.5 months here and I'm sad to be leaving but at the same time I am so incredibly excited to be coming back to 'Merica. 

My 3.5 months here have been filled with new experiences..some I will leave here because in all honesty I don't want another bite of veal in my life...or chicken/eggs for a while because I eat 2 eggs sunny-side up for dinner about 4/7 days of the week. But in all honesty, I have learned a whole new way of learning in school: instead of constant powerpoints where I just sit there and copy the notes blindly and then never look over them again until a test...I actually have to listen to the prof (it's in spanish too) and pick out what information is important because it's impossible to write everything down and then review my note the night before because the next day in class the teacher will ask questions about yesterday's lecture. I also have learned a new way of studying for finals...which is actually really hard because for once in my life I don't have a study guide or know the format of the exam going into it....and it's actually incredibly terrifying. 

Anyways, I have to go study or I for sure will fail my exams but I leave for Madrid on Friday around 4pm my time and then am leaving Saturday morning on an 11:50 am flight direct to Chicago =] 

See you all soon...ish =]

Love,

Amanda

Roma, Italia. My last trip out of Spain until I come back home!

So as you all know, Karen and I went to Rome this weekend! I just got back about an hour or so ago and figured that before I jump into my homework I'll procrastinate as I usually do and write you all a blog post!
I've got lots of pics for everyone!!

Ok so, the first day we had a plane the left Madrid at 6:15 am and got into Rome Ciampino Airport at 9:00 ish and then took a shuttle to the city center. We left the hostel after we got all settled around noon and went and grabbed lunch, saw the Colosseum inside and out, saw the forum, then the Pantheon, then the Trevi fountain, followed by Piazza Navona for dinner =] phew! busy first day!

Yes those are tomatos I'm eating...shocking 

Basilica right by our hostel

Inside the basilica

Pretty dome =]

Colosseum!!!

Pointing to Salamanca...ish

Inside

View of the Forum from the Colosseum

In the Forum

Back of the Pantheon

Front of the Pantheon!!

Inside! It's nice that all these churches/temples are free 

Trevi Fountain

I found Ice Age's Scrat in a window =]

Piazza di Navona where Karen and I had wine and dinner that night

 The next day we started off early and woke up at 8 or 8:30 and were in Vatican City at 10 and standing in line for the Basilica. We covered a lot of ground that day too! Basilica, Museums, Piazza de Repubblica (which I don't have a pic of...oddly enough), Spanish steps for sunset, shopping district where Karen bought another purse, Piazza di Popolo, the river, and then dinner at Taverna Romana (Thanks for the suggestion Mom and Dad!!)

St. Peter's Square!!

In front of the Basilica

Michelangelo's sculpture  

St. Peter's Square again (which by the way...is not square)

Karen and I

tee hee =] Swiss guards

Karen and I in front of some globe thing

Inside the Vatican Museum on our way to the Sistine Chapel

Thought this guy was hilarious

More ceilings...There's lots of ceiling pictures here 

View of the dome of the Basilica

Spiral staircase down

Looking up 

Sunset on the Spanish Steps =]

Aforementioned Spanish Steps!

Piazza di Popolo

Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pics in the Sistine Chapel but it was amazing! I also assure you that the famous painting that we all hear about...is actually really small!

I miss you all and will try to find some interesting things to post about for the next couple weeks =]
Love,
Amanda/Mandy

Mom comes to visit!!

Hello again! I bring to you the last blog post that I was behind on!
Two Tuesdays ago my mom came to visit! Luckily she didn't get sucked down into the hurricane that was busy destroying the east coast... :p

Anyways, I left Monday night from Salamanca on the last train and got into Madrid at 10:40, took a cab to the Hilton Madrid Airport Hotel (very nice hotel by the way) and woke up at 7 to get to the airport by 7:40 or 8 to pick her up. Unfortunately even though her flight left on time it was still delayed by about 30 minutes or so. After some tears on my end we headed off to the train statino, bought our tickets, and were on our way to Salamanca. Unfortunately my body decided that since mom came to visit it didn't have to keep working on keeping me healthy so! I got a sinus infection that also turned into pink eye. gross. We took it pretty easy overall but I'm pretty sure I saw more of Salamanca in those few days that she was here than I'd seen in the months that I've been here haha. Then on Friday...mom took me to the doctor :p yes she flew 4000 miles to see me and ended up taking me to the doctor...things apparently haven't changed much =] Sorry mom!

Well! Here are some pictures I took when she came to visit:

Thought this was a pretty picture along with the quote: "The best type of love is that the wakes the soul and makes us breathe more, it lights up our heart and brings peace to the mind. This is what you have given me and what I hope to give you forever." 

Thought this guy looked like the spanish inquisition :p

Chapel in the university

Courtyard

My awesome hotel room in Madrid

The facade to the old university building

Locks with peoples' names on them locked onto a well as a symbol of love being eternal. CUTE!

Mom and I!!

On top of the cathedral 

In the cathedral

Looking out over the plaza and the clerecía

Roman Bridge that leads across the river

Courtyard of a big church. super pretty! 

Well that's all!! This Thursday I head off to Rome for the weekend! Thanks for coming to visit, Mom!!