by Katie Reed
Universidad de Navarra, Spain
It is official, I am back in the world of technology. I now have a phone here in Spain; texting, calling, it all does still exist! On Tuesday, February 7 (one month after leaving for Spain) I bought a Spanish cell phone. I feel like I am back in middle school when I had a flip phone, and it was the coolest thing ever. I won't know what to think when I get back to America and have a smart phone again. After getting a phone, my day got even better, I decided to make BBQ chicken in my room for dinner. It is one of my favorite foods at home and definitely makes my life in Spain better! Later on Tuesday night I went with Aude and Andrea to the Uruguayan guys apartment to hang out with them and two of the French guys. The next day it was official, I was beginning to get sick along with Courtney and Bobby. It was so crazy too because as soon as I told Mom that I was getting sick, what do you know, she was getting sick too. I really am my mother's child for sure! Even in totally different sides of the Earth we get sick at the exact same time!! Anyways, on Thursday night we indulged in the typical Spanish Thursday night of Pintxo's in El Centro. All of the international students were there, so it was a lot of fun. However, Courtney, Bobby, and I headed in early since we were not feeling well and Bobby was leaving Pamplona to go to Murcia the next morning. The next morning I had another meeting with my advisor to finalize my classes. It was a little bit frustrating because they put me with an advisor from the law department rather than business, so he is not able to answer many of my questions. However, he signed my registration form and I went to turn it in. When I returned back to my dorm I had an email stating that I had mail. I went downstairs only to discover that they had sent my box to the nearest post office (a 25 minute walk). Not only was it at the post office, but I have to pay 21 euros to receive it. This mail system is just crazy! I decided to go out to find the post office since they would not be open for very long the next day (Saturday). When I finally found it after asking many locals for directions they informed me that it would not arrive there until the next morning. So my package was riding around in a truck somewhere in Pamplona, just great! I then went to get a few groceries. On my way back I felt just like Kevin from Home Alone 2. I was walking down the street, all bundled up, carrying a bag of groceries in each hand, feeling very watched by locals. At least my bags did not break like his and I did not get followed. After getting back to my dorm I had had enough adventure for one day. I spent the rest of the day in my room. On Saturday I slept in and was not enjoying being stuck in my room. It was such a pretty day outside, but the getting better part of me would not let myself go out. I began to get really homesick, but later that afternoon Courtney got me to go with her and Amanda to Corte Ingles to shop and get groceries since they were going to take a taxi. We decided we wanted to make crepes with chicken for dinner. Amanda had picked out another wonderful movie for us to watch as well, The Indian in the Cupboard. Cooking with the girls was a lot of fun. We are still working hard on our chef skills. Courtney is a professional crepe maker now. Amanda worked so hard on the sauce for our chicken, then gave the duty to me as she thought she had messed it up, but she did not, just did not cook it long enough. She continued her duties of finding us stuff to watch on the computer. When our wonderful dinner was ready we sat down for our movie. It did not take long at all for us to realize that movies are so much different once you get older. Parents have to think childrens' movies are ridiculous while watching them with their kids. After the movie I went back to my room to make some hot green tea. I worked very hard at getting it to where I would drink it with some honey and sugar. And of course as soon as I get it ready I put it in the microwave to get it really hot I spill half of it all over the floor...good job Katie! Time for me to lay down for sure.....now it is Sunday, the day of rest, quite literally in Spain. There is nothing open or anything to do. That is ok since tomorrow is the first day of real class in Spain for me...let's do this!
Universidad de Navarra, Spain
It is official, I am back in the world of technology. I now have a phone here in Spain; texting, calling, it all does still exist! On Tuesday, February 7 (one month after leaving for Spain) I bought a Spanish cell phone. I feel like I am back in middle school when I had a flip phone, and it was the coolest thing ever. I won't know what to think when I get back to America and have a smart phone again. After getting a phone, my day got even better, I decided to make BBQ chicken in my room for dinner. It is one of my favorite foods at home and definitely makes my life in Spain better! Later on Tuesday night I went with Aude and Andrea to the Uruguayan guys apartment to hang out with them and two of the French guys. The next day it was official, I was beginning to get sick along with Courtney and Bobby. It was so crazy too because as soon as I told Mom that I was getting sick, what do you know, she was getting sick too. I really am my mother's child for sure! Even in totally different sides of the Earth we get sick at the exact same time!! Anyways, on Thursday night we indulged in the typical Spanish Thursday night of Pintxo's in El Centro. All of the international students were there, so it was a lot of fun. However, Courtney, Bobby, and I headed in early since we were not feeling well and Bobby was leaving Pamplona to go to Murcia the next morning. The next morning I had another meeting with my advisor to finalize my classes. It was a little bit frustrating because they put me with an advisor from the law department rather than business, so he is not able to answer many of my questions. However, he signed my registration form and I went to turn it in. When I returned back to my dorm I had an email stating that I had mail. I went downstairs only to discover that they had sent my box to the nearest post office (a 25 minute walk). Not only was it at the post office, but I have to pay 21 euros to receive it. This mail system is just crazy! I decided to go out to find the post office since they would not be open for very long the next day (Saturday). When I finally found it after asking many locals for directions they informed me that it would not arrive there until the next morning. So my package was riding around in a truck somewhere in Pamplona, just great! I then went to get a few groceries. On my way back I felt just like Kevin from Home Alone 2. I was walking down the street, all bundled up, carrying a bag of groceries in each hand, feeling very watched by locals. At least my bags did not break like his and I did not get followed. After getting back to my dorm I had had enough adventure for one day. I spent the rest of the day in my room. On Saturday I slept in and was not enjoying being stuck in my room. It was such a pretty day outside, but the getting better part of me would not let myself go out. I began to get really homesick, but later that afternoon Courtney got me to go with her and Amanda to Corte Ingles to shop and get groceries since they were going to take a taxi. We decided we wanted to make crepes with chicken for dinner. Amanda had picked out another wonderful movie for us to watch as well, The Indian in the Cupboard. Cooking with the girls was a lot of fun. We are still working hard on our chef skills. Courtney is a professional crepe maker now. Amanda worked so hard on the sauce for our chicken, then gave the duty to me as she thought she had messed it up, but she did not, just did not cook it long enough. She continued her duties of finding us stuff to watch on the computer. When our wonderful dinner was ready we sat down for our movie. It did not take long at all for us to realize that movies are so much different once you get older. Parents have to think childrens' movies are ridiculous while watching them with their kids. After the movie I went back to my room to make some hot green tea. I worked very hard at getting it to where I would drink it with some honey and sugar. And of course as soon as I get it ready I put it in the microwave to get it really hot I spill half of it all over the floor...good job Katie! Time for me to lay down for sure.....now it is Sunday, the day of rest, quite literally in Spain. There is nothing open or anything to do. That is ok since tomorrow is the first day of real class in Spain for me...let's do this!