Week Two: Travel

On January 21^st, our group took its first trip together to Segovia, Spain. We loaded onto a small tour bus and, with our guide Antonio, drove about two hours until we reached our final destination. I knew virtually nothing about what we were about to see, nor how incredible it would be, and was overjoyed to learn of how beautiful Segovia is and what we were able to see. Our first stop was the Segovia aqueduct. I honestly never thought an aqueduct would interest me, but the structure was absolutely incredible. The town was quaint and at one point came to a large open space that met the gigantic aqueduct. The weather, although beyond freezing, was beautiful as the skies were perfectly blue, and the contrast of the sun and the blue sky on the centuries-old structure was amazing. We went on to see the Catedral de Segovia and also the Alcazar Castle. The group climbed the tower of the castle and came out on top of the roof for a beautiful view. We learned of the history of the kings and queens and saw how they lived. The cathedral was also so beautiful and ornate, and the ceilings were soaring. Naturally, I was secretly identifying various elements of the cathedral that made it gothic, like the pointed arches, stained glass windows, groin vaults, etc that I have learned in my days of studying Humanities. What makes these structures so incredible is the amount of history that they have and the fact that they are so architecturally profound. I have lived here for just two weeks and have been able to see beautiful structures in El Escorial and Segovia, visit museums such as the Prado where I saw Las Meninas, The 3^rd of May, and Garden of Earthly Delights, and take a stroll through Retiro Park. There is so much to do here and I am lucky to have about nine more weeks here in Spain to soak it up. On another note, Abby and I have discovered a new favorite of ours: ARROZ CON LECHE. Each time Andrea feeds us this incredible dessert, we literally dance with joy. It is essentially whole pieces of cooked rice in milk (yes, the kind that we drink that isn’t always refrigerated and expires months later) with cinnamon. Much more appetizing than it sounds. AND one more thing, my brother NEXT WEEK! Heaven!

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

Week One: Adjust.

Before I begin, I want to emphasize that adjusting does not mean adjusting in a bad way, rather getting used to a situation that is different than what you're used to. Where to begin...

Abby and I met our host mother the first day of the trip in Plaza Cervantes in our little town called Alcala de Henares (the last a has an accent but I can't copy and paste it without it looking weird.) Her name is Andrea and she is 77 years old. She lives in an apartment on Calle de Ferraz that is small but charming. This was the first adjustment: our apartment is probably 600 square feet, maybe less, and it does not have internet. Coming to Spain without my beloved cell phone was enough, but take away internet access before bed and I am definitely out of my element. At first this was a shocking realization, but Abby and I are both grateful for it now. We have found a cafe called Rodilla that has free wifi and come here occasionally to send emails and upload pictures. With all the free time on my hands from not being on facebook, I have already been able to finish a book called Water for Elephants that I HIGHLY recommend reading before the movie comes out.

Only having one cell phone between Abby and I posed a large problem initially. Here we are with this cell phone that is arguably worse than the first cell phone I received with zero contacts in it and no way of accessing my email to look up the phone numbers of other members in our group. Luckily, on the second day we ran into a couple people from our group who were on their way to Madrid. They showed us where to pick up our bus/train passes and then we were off to Madrid. From Alcala, you first take a train to Atocha where you switch to the metro to Sol that takes you right in the middle of Plaza Mayor in Madrid. It is an incredible sight. I've since been back two other times and it's always equally exciting!

The food schedule is very precise here. Every morning we wake up and have breakfast, cereal, mini muffins, and fruit. Lunch is the biggest meal and is at two. We've had everything from pasta to fried lunch meat and cheese. It's always a little bit scary to look out from our bedroom to the table and see what Andrea has prepared, but we are grateful that she is so sweet and diligent with her responsibilities as host mother. She doesn't miss a beat-she adjusts to our schedule and takes it upon herself to be there for us when we need her.

The most fun I've had so far was yesterday when Abby, her father and I went to El Escorial to a historical palace! The weather was beautiful and there was so much to see and hear about. It made us really excited for the weekend trips that we are going to take with the group to tour all of the beautiful cities in Spain. Also, we went out to Media Pinta, a bar in Alcala, with our good friend Sofia (Andrea's granddaughter who is our age) to watch the Athletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid game. I LOVE being in a place where everyone loves and looks foward to watching a good game. Abby and I are looking forward to going to a game in the near future!

Next week is our first full week of classes and first trip as a group. Segovia here we come!

home for the holidays

how time is flying. after being at school for a year and a half now, i have gotten into a general routine of when i come home to visit: april, august, and december for the holidays. this trip home came incredibly fast because of a fall 2010 semester that just flew by. this was the first opportunity i had to go home for three full weeks, the longest i've been home since i moved out of the house last august. the highlights of my trip, as always, include seeing friends and family, spending quality time at home, christmas with the missionaries, and at least 100 hours of glorious sleep in my full bed.

whenever i come home, there are a few situations that drive me crazy. the first is the fact that i have this idea in my head every single time that i am going to get to spend time with all of my friends from high school. i fail to forget all of the reasons why it is a surety that i will not see half the people i planned on seeing. when i first moved, since i was the only one to go far, far, away, my arrival home was always anticipated by my friends. with each semester, people feel the excitement less and less because this is life now. i live in utah and i do not visit home very often. another issue is the adjustment of going from car to no car. although my parents are generous whenever they can be, i find myself with days like this where i am alone for hours on end with nothing to entertain me but leah, my dog.

oh yeah, and fantasizing about my trip to europe (which commences in just two days.)
i just want to share my incredible travel plans:
January 10th-ARRIVE
January 21st-Segovia
January 28th-Salamanca
February 3rd-Paris
February 9th-Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba
February 18th-Toledo
February 23rd-Canary Islands!!
March 2nd-Bilbao, Burgos
March 9th-Barcelona
March 19th-Valencia for Las Fallas Festival

please follow my blog and also http://byumadrid.blogspot.com/ to keep up with the adventure!
...and my brother gets home from his mission in chile in just 26 days!!!

Voy a MADRID!

My experiences as a student at BYU for Fall 2010 have been drastically different from my Spring and Summer term. I came back to BYU at the end of August after two relaxing weeks at home, and I was feeling really hopeful about the semester, my new roommates, and having all of my friends back. It quickly became clear that the semester was going to be fantastic! Two of my closest friends, Abby and Londyn, were back from California (Bay Area) and Denver, CO respectively, and it has been so good to be around such happy, fun people. Additionally, my roommates are wonderful! I live with Whitney, Courtney, and Chelsea. Chelsea's been my roommate and great friend since my first apartment last January, and it has just been a pleasure living with people that are nice and easy to get along with.

The most exciting piece of news that I have to share, which is old news to most people seeing as I have told just about everyone on earth, is that I was accepted to the Madrid Study Abroad program for Winter 2011! Yes, two months from now I will be LIVING IN SPAIN! Even better news, Abby applied to the program just a few days before the application closed and was also accepted into the program. This was a huge relief for me as the students attending this study abroad live with host families in pairs, and I had absolutely no idea who I would be paired with, if we would get along, etc. So naturally this brought a lot of relief and happiness to the situation and allowed me to feel much more at ease as I anticipate next semester in Europe.

In Madrid, me, Abby, and 28 other students will be studying at the, and we have the option to choose between a variety of classes including Spanish, History of the Church in Spain, Photography, and an optional research class where I am going to study the history of art and architecture in Spain. On top of that, we will be traveling as a group every other weekend all around Spain. Wait, it gets better. On top of that, we have the option to travel in Spain, to France, or to Portugal during the weekends we are not traveling as a group. Not to mention most of the group, including myself, is going to stay in Europe for a couple of weeks following the classes, which run from January 12th to March 31st, to travel. What a dream! I am so excited for this opportunity and so grateful to my parents for their love and support.

There is still so much that needs to be planned as far as travel goes. Abby and I have tried making a list of places in Europe that we are dying to see, and next on the list is to solidify these plans and start packing!

And one more thing, I love my missionaries! Jonathan will be home in less than three months, and although I will be in Spain, I cannot think of a happier moment than seeing my big broski.

Fresh Start

Well, clearly it has been quite a long time since I’ve blogged. Blogging, I’ve realized, is difficult because once you begin, you’re expected to steadily maintain your site. This can be difficult if you lack the time and inspiration to write or are picky about the subject you decide to blog about, like me. Nothing out of the ordinary has occurred lately. This summer I chose to remain in Provo to take classes and work, and the majority of my time was spent doing those two things and struggling. Looking back on it now, I realize that a lot of the time I spent struggling could have been avoided. When you are placed in a situation that is less than desirable (to put it lightly), you are able to learn things about yourself that need improvement. This learning is, unfortunately, a lifelong process. The first time I was uncomfortable at school I wanted someone to tell me exactly what I need to do to feel better. I wanted a clear diagnosis of what my issues were. I did not want to hear “you’ll feel better if you stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about others” or “you’ll feel better if you get a job and be productive.” Finally, after a year of living in Utah on my own, I’ve come to realize that there really is no solution to the problems of life. Problems, trials, obstacles, etc. will always come, and the only thing you can control is how YOU handle them.
Without getting into much detail, my living situation this spring and summer term at school was just not fair. When I first moved in, I tried to be optimistic about everything. I noticed little things that I didn’t feel were right but decided that rather than confronting the problem, I would over compensate for a lack of courtesy by killing with kindness. I did not address any problems initially, and the situation got worse and worse, literally draining my roommates and I of energy to even fight anymore. By the end of the summer as the time was approaching for me to go home, I was EXHAUSTED. Tired of being lied to and trying to defend myself, tired of being accused unfairly, tired of taking hits for someone else’s lack of honesty. I had a very difficult time moving on from the situation as I didn’t feel it was resolved properly. I wish I could give more detail, but I am trying to go forth with a forgive and forget attitude. As mentioned before, one of the things I have learned is that I am only in control of myself. Instead of blaming another person, I decided to look back on the situation and determine what I could have done better to avoid it. One of the things I took from this experience was that communication is a major, MAJOR key to a happy relationship and friendship. If issues arise, it is absolutely crucial that one communicates with another and compromise is made. I avoided confrontation and this created a lot of internal negativity that eventually was really draining for me. I also had my first real taste of the difficulty of forgiveness. I absolutely did not want to forgive in this situation, but realized that the only person this was hurting was myself. Forgiving allowed me to let go of the emotions I had tied to this summer and MOVE ON!
Now, what am I moving on to? Another sweet semester at Brigham Young University. In just a few days I will be moving in to a new apartment with new roommates and new ward and starting class once again. I have my all-sports pass ready to go and can’t wait for another football season! I have an interview on September 8th to determine whether or not I will be leaving this January to study abroad in MADRID! And to top it off, my brother will be home in just FIVE months!! I have a lot of things to be grateful for and now I will shift my focus to those things. More to come soon☺!

what i have learned

with every decision made, i will always wonder about the other

many of you know that i had an impossibly difficult time trying to decide between byu and the university of michigan. i had pretty substantial reasons to want to remain close to home, one being the prestige of the university that accepted me for admittance. i had great friends, relationships, and family very close by. for whatever reason (i still am not sure), i chose to attend byu, and i do not regret it at all. i am happy to be here, happy with the relationships i've been lucky to establish, happy with the decisions i've been making, and happy for the growth i've experienced. are there days where i wonder what it would've been like if i went to michigan? of course. but they do say "the grass is always greener on the other side."

think before you sign

contracts have become terrifying to me after my experiences with them. it all began with gold's gym, more specifically, Candy at gold's gym. i have no problem saying that she tricked me into signing a two year, binding contract. i have never felt so confused and afraid after leaving gold's gym knowing i have no excuse anymore about why i do not go to the gym. so, think before you sign, read the fine print, ask questions, etc. this also came into play as i signed three separate leases: winter, spring/summer, and fall/winter. it's hard to make big decisions without my parents close by! this might be common sense to most of you, but it wasn't to me...

there is always something to be learned

moving to provo, ut was definitely a culture shock for me. i wasn't used to being immersed in lds culture, and i had a really, really difficult time adapting. i was desperately trying to find a group similar to the friends i had at home, and because of this i think i had the tendency to judge people too quickly. i finally realized that there is something that everyone can take from each situation and each person they encounter. it's great to associate yourself with people who you might not normally spend time with. they might turn out to be a wonderful friend, they might have interesting point of views or different insights, they might teach you what NOT to do, and either way, they help to shape you into the person that you want to become. so, participate in as much as you can. it is SO GREAT to feel uncomfortable, because those are the times that you experience the most growth.

i hate saying goodbye

well, this is pretty self-explanatory. it all began when i moved from home to utah, saying goodbye to my bffls, my parents, my family, etc. on top of that, the beauty of being a freshman here at byu is that almost every guy friend you will meet will be leaving very shortly to serve his 2 year mission for the lds church. it was especially wonderful when i had to say goodbye to jordan, first at byu, then in detroit, then in alabama, then in provo, then at the salt lake airport. i hate saying goodbye.

change is good

a little change of pace never hurt anyone. as scary as it can be sometimes, never be afraid to change your situation. take a chance and do it. it could be a disaster, but it could also present you with yet another time you can improve yourself and learn your weaknesses. try to find atleast one positive aspect of something, especially when it feels like the situation is hopeless. look on the bright side.

what is good for the soul

learn what makes you feel the most joy. there is a difference between what makes you feel most joy and what is the most fun. most of the time, the things that are easiest and most fun are not actually the best for you. doing something nice for someone else for no reason at all is an example of something that will make you feel truly happy.

and...

the best kind of relationship is one where your significant other inspires you to be a better person on a daily basis. someone who genuinely wants the best for you, who wants to watch you do great things with your life. someone who works as an addition to the family/friend relationships you already have in your life, who takes the time to get to know the people that you already love. someone who is always thinking of ways to make you happy and show you they care about you and love you. who challenges you and forces you to think in ways you normally wouldn't and brings out the best in you. this is how i think love is meant to be.

Draper Temple Visit

Here is a video of the Draper Temple courtesy of Andrea Marks. You can find out more about LDS Temples at www.ldschurchtemples.com