Half Way Retirement

Today’s the day that puts everything into perspective… the half way mark. This is it, 5 months down, 5 to go.

This day has come so fast. These past 149 days flew by, and the scariest part, is that the next 149 are going to go even faster. It’s a tornado of time that sucks you in and spits you out as a bilingual girl.

Today was really good. Nothing in particular, just little moments of laughter with friends. Understanding without thinking. FINALLY getting good grades (69% on my physics and chem exam :), and feeling good about exams. It was a good reminder to enjoy these next 149 days. It’s weird to think about saying goodbye to this place. I’ve developed a second home, which I have already planned on visiting multiple times over the next years.

I’d like to give a shoutout to my dad, my papa T., used to be referred to as Poppy-vandershnitzel, and better known as Papito, who will be retiring today from his job in carpentry. In less than an hour, he’ll be finished. This may sound silly from child to parent, but I’m so proud of him.

I remember sitting in the back of the car on the way to the airport that tuesday morning, in the middle seat. I was so confused, so excited, so happy, so sad, so emotional…. I remember looking up into the rear-view mirror and making eye contact with my dad. That’s when all my emotions went down the toilet until I fell asleep on the plane to Spain. With that sappy moment, 28 days. ONLY 28.

In case you haven’t noticed before, I count down a lot.

Course selection for my senior year is now complete, so I’m glad that’s completely out of the way. I don’t even want to think about that.

Time to go study for the math midterm. If anyone wants to explain logs to me, I will love you forever.

Whoaaah I’m Half Way There

Day 144.

Today I’m missing the 1st birthday of the most beautiful little baby in the whole entire world.. my second cousin Avery.

I’m actually pretty mad I missed a big chunk of this little girls infant years. SHE’S SO CUTE.

Thursday is the half way mark for me. It’s like I’ve been counting down to this point, but now that it’s here, I know these last five months are going to come and go faster than the first five. That’s both scary and exciting. It’s also the day my dad retires, so I’m feeling a mini Skype party coming on.

I’ve also been working on course selection, which brings me to the fact that I’m graduating next year. What? How?

I had 6 exams last week, and 4 in the upcoming week.

I’m just going to say it:

I had an English exam and I didn’t understand the first part. IT’S ALL GRAMMAR AND STUFF OKAY?

I had an exam on Wednesday where I had to comment on a map of Europe during the first world war. Because no one knew which map from the book it was going to be on we had to study like, six of them, and the teacher would put a picture of the one he chose on the screen. However, the screen was broken, so a girl in my class convinced him to let us use the picture in the book. Let’s just say I nailed that exam. Other classes from the grade started to hear about what happened and all of a sudden every computer from the sophomore class was broken.

Tomorrow I’m meeting a girl from Maryland who is staying with the family from Toledo that I visited for a weekend last month. It’s probably a lot more exciting for me than for her, but it should be fun. There’s also a slim chance that I’m heading out to another soccer game tomorrow so fingers crossed.

I’m off to work on history vocabulary about the Great Depression. I really wish that last year when I was sitting in that junior history class I would have listened a little more. This would be easier.

A lot easier.

 

 

 

It’s Officially Official

I have officially recieved my return date to return back to Lansdale and I’m not even going to lie, it’s a great feeling. I woke up to a message from my dad this morning:

“Saturday, June 29th!!!!!!! :D”

I wish there was an easy way to explain how that message makes me feel right now.

It’s basically a whole lot of:

“Oh my gosh I’m so excited, but that’s only 5 months away, I can’t wait to see my family and friends, but I will never see some of these people again, I don’t want this to end, let’s count how many days exactly until June 29th…..”

But for the most part I’m excited, because there’s no place like home. But there’s also no place like Europe. My mind is going in circles.

On a completely different note, I’m planning on ditching school tomorrow due to the fact there is an English test that’s a total of 4 or 5 classes. So thats 4 or 5 hours in the library, plus another one after the hour of lunch, resulting in one class for me tomorrow: the last one of the day. So that’s not happening.

Let’s flashback to Monday morning, first class of the day:

Get to class.

Hand in the work that took me a good hour to do because Spanish.

Teacher sees that someone has written an offensive work on the keyboard.

I have no idea what this word means.

Everyone gets a zero for the work because no one admitted to doing it.

Tuesday:

No one has fessed up.

Two points off of the next exam.

Teacher calls me out to sing a song in 2 weeks in English with others for some “day of peace” at school.

I say no.

He says it’s “obligatory”.

I say I’m not going to school that day.

Emily – 1

My teacher Ricardo – 0

That’s what I like to call winning.

And to all a goodnight.

Exciting Things

Just a quick couple of things. Super quick because my battery is about to die,a nd where my charger is hiding is way beyond me.

• I’ve had about 340837249870 people tell me I speak Spanish super well since I came back from winter break.
• Starting tomorrow I’m going to stay in English class with my fellow peers, which I’m so excited about. Finally talked everyone into letting me.
• Because of previous said exciting thing, I have 3 less hours of sitting in the library a week. Moment of silence for this amazing news.
• Lastly, I got 3 tests back this week. 1. Technical drawing, didn’t pass because of 5%. 2. Math, teacher said “muy bien”, so I’ll just go wit that and not tell you what the percentage was. Numero tres deserves it’s own bullet…
• Physics and chem.The dreaded subject… I will admit my test was different from the others but still, got a 70%.

Okay, I’m off to try to do this thing called sleep, because the past three night I’ve gotten a total of 11 hours. Don’t ask me why, I couldn’t give you a good answer.

Hope you can sleep better than me tonight.

ADDDIOOOSS.

Life is a Climb

Today is an “everything is gonna be okay”, kinda day.

My favorite kind of days.

Part of me hates that I can’t share everything I do with my family and friends, all the little moments of happiness, and things that remind me of them, simply because I can’t remember it all. The other part of me likes that. I like how it’s something I’ll always have with myself.

Last night as we were driving from Leganes to Madrid,  as me and my host sister singing to Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Swedish House Mafia, I began to get angry with myself. Two months ago I was afraid of just letting go, and belting “DON’T YOU WORRY, DON’T YOU WORRY CHILD”! Why?

Why have I spent so much time wanting to be in Lansdale? LANSDALE.  I have the rest of my life to live there if I want. Now things are easy, I know the language well enough to understand, and can go long periods of time without English. I finally made it. I’m working on my fifth month, and from here on out, it’s all about enjoying the ride.

Haters gon’ hate, but you know that Miley Cyrus song “The Climb”? You know how she said in that one Hannah Montana movie, “Life’s a climb, but the view is great”? I know it’s cheesy, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said that to myself over the past 4 months and 2 days.

I saw this thing on the internet about a month ago that was a suggestion for the new year. Take a jar, and everytime something good happens, write it down and toss it in, and at the end of the year open them all up. I started January 1st, and I already have about 20 pieces of paper in there of small little memories I want to remember looking back.

It’s a great reminder to look at and recognize the good things.

This post made me think of something, so I just added a new one.

“January 6, 2013: Being woken up to by ‘Viva La Vida’ live playing on full volume all through the house on the holiday of Reyes.”

That moment made me happy because Coldplay and presents.

Tomorrow I start school again, the 16 day break is coming to an end, and I DON’T EVEN CARE.

Because life is good. And I’ll see my dad in 51 days. My mom and brother in 68 days.

Before I go on any further, I’m sorry that this post is completely unorganized and probably too full of emotion for anyone liek my brother.

Starting today there are major sales here, so Dad if you could throw a few thousand in my bank account that would be A+, thanks.

I guess that all. Happy Monday, only 4 more days until the weekend everybody.

PUEDES HACERLO.

12 Grapes

Things are good.

I know before I’ve said that “I’m loving it here”, and that “it’s starting to feel like home” and what not, but there were so many days in between there where I just wasn’t adjusted, and I wanted to go home. I still get days like that, and I don’t think that feeling will ever completely go away, but the times when it’s not infecting me, I’m good.

In 2 days I’ll be four months done.

Can I please take a moment to say that my language skills are currently kicking ass. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting to say that. Things are so much easier now.

The hardest part right now is the past tense of verbs, because theres at least 3 different tenses, mixed with hundreds and hundreds of verbs, combined with 6 different persons (1st, 2nd, 3rd person etc). But no worries, I’m getting there.

So about what’s been going on:

Blanca came back on the morning of New Year’s Eve and that was a lovely moment. She brought back every good thing from America, for us and her parents to enjoy… and by things, I mean food. And by food I mean:

• Pop-tarts
• Swedish Fish
• Skittles
• Nerds
• Oreos
• Goldfish
• Reeses
• Hershey Kisses
• Airheads
• Cookies

And that’s all I can think of for now without have the food filled suitcase in front of me.

On New Year’s Eve family friends came over until midnight when we did the typical Spanish thing, which might also be European in general, but either way the tradition is to eat 12 grapes, 1 for each time the clock rings out.. on the television. The funniest thing was probably watching my host grandmother try and down 12 grapes. I have a video of it, it’s pretty entertaining/ I took a super cute picture with her which I’ll be sure to include in this post.

After midnight, I went with the friends back to their house. They have a daughter one year younger than me, so we went to a party. I’m not going to go into detail for the sake of my reputation, but let me just say, as I was in the streets in the early morning of January 1st, with a drunk girl, her friends, and my friend, after fleeing the party due to the police, it felt as though as I was watching my life from the outside. How did everything in my life bring to that incredibly weird moment?

I just can’t even.

Sorry mom.

I must note that I did meet some incredibly nice people.

Moving on. I still have 5 days left of break, which I’m more than pleased about, and I barely have any homework to deal with. So little, that I can totally wait until the last hour to do it. Like in those two hours I spend in the library on tuesday morning.

55 days until my dad arrives, and 72 until my brother and mom get here. I can’t wait.

I believe that’s all.

Now, I’d like you all to meet Martina:

Oh, and this is Blanca and I prepping the grapes for eating. (Removing skin and seeds). Just call me the grapist.

Sorry, I had to.

Feliz año nuevo a todo.