I never finished my story of my endless summer in Europe because it went by too quickly and with so much detail. Here's the rundown after I returned from Germany.
• became close with the otter Intrax interns from around the US. Sad I met them so late in the trip and actually got closest by the end.
• went to Toledo once more to visit family friends and they took me to a Spanish royal park and "castle" located between Madrid and Toledo
• I stopped working at Forocio the Tuesday before departing Europe because was really slow and I wanted explore the places I didn't get the chance to go to.
• also there was a Japanese intern who worked with us for about a week an then blatantly told the owners that it was borin and sh was finding another place to intern. She was weird because she didn't like to travel nor was she open to new things (and she's interning abroad and learned a foreign language?!)
• bought last minute presents and souvenirs of course!
All in all, it was an amazing experience. It had it's ups and downs, but definitely unforgettable. I made so many international connections and traveled so much in one summer. I know this will look great on a resume and be a fantastic talking point in both my professional and personal life.
Ps. Exchange rate was terrible = broke for my jr year at Pitt :)
You know where to check out albums for photos on my Facebook!
Life's Little Luxuries
#foreveryoung
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Germany
I went to Germany for 5 days to visit my aunt and cousins. It is always a fantastic time, and I really did not want to leave. I am looking forward to returning to my birth country :)
Thursday: My flight left from Madrid-Barajas a bit past noon and I got to Germany a bit before 3. Perfect amount of time to not be tired and still enjoy the day with my family.Her house is so cute! She had a chocolate cake sitting on her kitchen island that she made for me! She decorated and bought new furniture for her new place and it is absoultely adorable. I lover her patio that she constructed herself and her kitchen table and seats were so comfy. During Sunday family lunch, we all just layed there because it is so incredibly comfortable!
My aunt decided that we were going to go on a few bike rides, so we went and borrowed a bike for me from the city lost and found. After we picked up one of my cousins and his gf from their apt and we all walked to get some delicious and ENORMOUS pizza from a cute Italian restaurant.
Friday: Woke up to breakfast on the back patio with my favorite cereal! Only in Germany they have these delicious chocolate potatochip-shaped cereal. mmmm. Then we rode bikes to a mini mall with my aunt in the morning. Kicked my butt and almost ran into an old lady riding her bike, heh. We bought some groceries and I showed her my favorite new makeup company called Kiko, and I got her hooked! Affordable and great quality. (I think I may go there today). When we returned we lunched. She is a great cook, like all of my mom's family, and she made a delicious pasta with creamy sauce. I also finished my the rest of my 13 inch pizza pie from dinner the night before.
After, my aunt, her boyrfriend, I rode our bikes to the old city center where we walked into a church, then went to this structure where people find these rings to spin for good luck. 
We then got our bikes and rod them to another area where we went to an Irish pub and had some bier and food. We had to ride our bikes back fast because one of my cousins was going to pick me up from the house and take me to his apartments where his friends are meeting to pregame before we went to a club. (him and his twin brother conveniently live next door to each other) The night was fun, but I was falling asleep because I had not taken my siesta like I am used to in Spain haha. The club was called Mach 1. 
Then I slept over at one of my cousin's and my aunt's boyfriend picked me up in the morning to start our day because we were driving to Neuschwanstein early! (and my cousin had to study because it was his finals week).
Saturday:We visited Neuschawanstein. It was absolutely breaktaking! We did a lot of walking (to get there is 1 mile uphill) and then we had to pass some time as we waited for our tour. We had about 3.5 hours to kill so we lunched at a cute restuanrant on the way up, then explored different trails. The bridge was awesome.
Got great views of the castle and the surrounding town! I did the tour in German with my aunt and her boyfriend, and my ticket was free - because we said I was 12 years old! So funny! 
Ended my awesome day by going out to a club with one of my cousins and his girlfriend for the opening of one of its new rooms, "The Party Room"...omg, try more like 90's, middle school dances type music. But it was fun, as always! Got back around 3:30 a.m. Luckily, I was driven back.
Sunday: Woke up to another awesome breakfast of the back porch. Stayed in the house all day. It rained and it was cold, ew. It felt like fall already. I stayed in my pj's all day, watched TV, napped, played Sudoku on the back porch. Lunch time is when everyone came for family BBQ. I totally had some bratwurst, delish! When my cousins left, I decided to go up to my room here I had the huge iMac at the foot of my bed to watch a movie. I watched most of Dr. Strangelove, but got really bored of it so then I watched Dinner for Schmucks. It's funny, but sorta strange. As twilight began, the sky had cleared of rain and it was beautiful! Pink clouds and blue sky <3
Monday: I was so sad it was the day of my departure. I woke up at 8, all the other days I woke up before 9:30 which was good, and had breakfast on the back patio again. Then my aunt and I went to buy some last minute things, which is went I saw the crackle nail polish and got a macaroni color base to make cheetah print nails! 
The we had some fantastic German bread at a place that I relate most to a "Panera" in the states. We also got extra bread for my trip back. We then went to a mini mall that had a grocery store to buy some Greek wine for me to try and take back to the states for my mom and whatever else I needed. We then went to the old city center and got HUGE ice creams, mine looked like spaghetti (gelato) and sauce (strawberry syrup) and she had an enormous cup of yogurt with banana ice cream and strawberries. We went into this this department store and they had a little section of dirndls, and my aunt made me try some on, and I ended up loving one. 
I have 2 or 3 at home but they are very snug since they are from when I was 12 or younger heh. We got some meat and headed back. Stopped by a street stand where they had bratwurst and I ate it all. DELICIOUS. Apparently, I am not a vegetarian in Germany, haha.
I finished my packing, painted my nails, then we started our drive to Munich drop me off at the airport. WAHHH, I didn't wanna go!
Best trip ever.
Monday, July 11, 2011
July 9-10 Pamplona
We arrived to the Plaza de España at 2 pm for our bus ride to Pamplona for the San Fermines festival of the Running of the Bulls. I sat by my friend, Sarah, who is an au pair from Canada. We had two stops. The second was soley for a bathroom break. It should be a 4.5 hour drive, but it ended up being closer to 6 hours. Our bus was freezing so it was incredibly hard to nap. Napping was important because we all would be pulling an all-nighter.
Once we arrived we followed the guides to the main plaza, Plaza de Castillo. That is where I spent most of my all nighter. There would be music in the square, dancing, a hell of a lot of drinking, fireworks, and restaurants, and bars with some dancing. My first order of business was to find a place for food. After struggling through jam packed side streets, many closed nice restaurants, and extremely full bar restaurants, we found a little sandwhich place. Got myself a hoagie. There were many min parades with marching bands that would cross by on the street. It was cute. Then it began to drizzle. As we continued on our adventure to try and get back to the main square, it started to pour. We definitely handled it well because we walked through the rain for a while until we decided to "bar-hop" to avoid it. Many of the bars were filled with over 30 year olds playing rock music. Only thing I found cool about the places were the matching outfits haha. I cannot explain the stench, the dirtiness, and crowdedness.
Once we found the square, we realized it was going to be a long night. So we deciede to find "cool bars" where we could pass the night. We found a few in the plaza, and also once it stopped raining we explored to the beginning of the bull run, the encierro. Spent a good few hours bopping to music in 2 or 3 places. Sat down at some outdoor restaurants to get a break from standing. We never ordered anything though. It was rather chilly, too. Too hot in places pack to the ceiling with people, or too cold in the north Spain weather. Never a happy medium. We decided to explore some more and found a fairly empty pub called "O´something." Haha. We utililzed their bathrooms and some of the seating in their basement for some rest. Then we went right outside and sat on a stoop. We returned to the pub because it got really chilly during the 20-30 minutes of people watching from the stoop so we returned to the basement seats when Vy realized she no longer had her iPhone. We cleared all bags, and decided to return to the last bar where she last whipped it out to check her email...(while bopping in a dance club, I highly do not recommend showing people you have a valuable item by checking your email on it). We searched the corner were we all stood and nothing. I believe someone stuck their sneaky little hand in her bag when we were squished through one of the streets trying to get out of the plaza. You think its just people shoving into you, but really that's their diversion. Or in the club, one of those sneaky douchers mst´ve seen her take it out and somehow got into her bag when no one was paying attention. But that is crazy because we 3 always kept an eye on the bags. She did at one point have it on her shoulder for a while, so that must've been it.
We walked some more and found a diner-like place to pass about an hour with coffee and a crossaint. We then just walked and walked. Until it was near 6 am, and it was time to grab a spot to watch the Running of the Bulls. Yes, you need to stand your ground at least 2 hours beforehand. That was the roughest 2 hours ever. Sleepy, being pushed, annoying and loud drunk people, and horrid alcoholic and gross people smells, and all for less than 30 seconds of people and bulls running by. Lorrrdd.
Finally, it was 9 am. We were told sharp to be at the bus station because we had less than 5 minutes to board buses. Yeah well they were 20 minutes late. That was fun - not really. Of course, passed out on the bus, had a 45 minute break in the middle, passed out until we got to Madrid. Ate a salad at home, then slept until 9:30 pm. Man oh man. Rough weekend. Gotta catch up on sleep though, Nürnberg from Thursday to Monday!
Once we arrived we followed the guides to the main plaza, Plaza de Castillo. That is where I spent most of my all nighter. There would be music in the square, dancing, a hell of a lot of drinking, fireworks, and restaurants, and bars with some dancing. My first order of business was to find a place for food. After struggling through jam packed side streets, many closed nice restaurants, and extremely full bar restaurants, we found a little sandwhich place. Got myself a hoagie. There were many min parades with marching bands that would cross by on the street. It was cute. Then it began to drizzle. As we continued on our adventure to try and get back to the main square, it started to pour. We definitely handled it well because we walked through the rain for a while until we decided to "bar-hop" to avoid it. Many of the bars were filled with over 30 year olds playing rock music. Only thing I found cool about the places were the matching outfits haha. I cannot explain the stench, the dirtiness, and crowdedness.
Once we found the square, we realized it was going to be a long night. So we deciede to find "cool bars" where we could pass the night. We found a few in the plaza, and also once it stopped raining we explored to the beginning of the bull run, the encierro. Spent a good few hours bopping to music in 2 or 3 places. Sat down at some outdoor restaurants to get a break from standing. We never ordered anything though. It was rather chilly, too. Too hot in places pack to the ceiling with people, or too cold in the north Spain weather. Never a happy medium. We decided to explore some more and found a fairly empty pub called "O´something." Haha. We utililzed their bathrooms and some of the seating in their basement for some rest. Then we went right outside and sat on a stoop. We returned to the pub because it got really chilly during the 20-30 minutes of people watching from the stoop so we returned to the basement seats when Vy realized she no longer had her iPhone. We cleared all bags, and decided to return to the last bar where she last whipped it out to check her email...(while bopping in a dance club, I highly do not recommend showing people you have a valuable item by checking your email on it). We searched the corner were we all stood and nothing. I believe someone stuck their sneaky little hand in her bag when we were squished through one of the streets trying to get out of the plaza. You think its just people shoving into you, but really that's their diversion. Or in the club, one of those sneaky douchers mst´ve seen her take it out and somehow got into her bag when no one was paying attention. But that is crazy because we 3 always kept an eye on the bags. She did at one point have it on her shoulder for a while, so that must've been it.
We walked some more and found a diner-like place to pass about an hour with coffee and a crossaint. We then just walked and walked. Until it was near 6 am, and it was time to grab a spot to watch the Running of the Bulls. Yes, you need to stand your ground at least 2 hours beforehand. That was the roughest 2 hours ever. Sleepy, being pushed, annoying and loud drunk people, and horrid alcoholic and gross people smells, and all for less than 30 seconds of people and bulls running by. Lorrrdd.
Finally, it was 9 am. We were told sharp to be at the bus station because we had less than 5 minutes to board buses. Yeah well they were 20 minutes late. That was fun - not really. Of course, passed out on the bus, had a 45 minute break in the middle, passed out until we got to Madrid. Ate a salad at home, then slept until 9:30 pm. Man oh man. Rough weekend. Gotta catch up on sleep though, Nürnberg from Thursday to Monday!
Well I really blew it on this blog.
I left off right before Milan. Here's the run down.
June 17-19: Málaga/Marbella. Visited my cousin and his girlfriend during their beach vacation. Really fun. I will be seeing them again when I go to Germany.
Week: worked.
June 24-26: Milan.
Week: worked.
July 1-3>: Weekend spent in Madrid. Pretty relaxing.
First week in July: worked...A LOT!
Next post will be about the weekend. If you wanna know more of what I did at work, you know where to go!
June 17-19: Málaga/Marbella. Visited my cousin and his girlfriend during their beach vacation. Really fun. I will be seeing them again when I go to Germany.
Week: worked.
June 24-26: Milan.
Week: worked.
July 1-3>: Weekend spent in Madrid. Pretty relaxing.
First week in July: worked...A LOT!
Next post will be about the weekend. If you wanna know more of what I did at work, you know where to go!
Monday, June 20, 2011
June 13-17 week
Everything I did that was somewhat interesting you can find in my internship blog right here!
I will update about my wonderful beach get-a-way weekend later when I have time because I would like to add some photos as well :)
I hope everyone is having a fantastic start to their summer and had a great Father's Day <3
I will update about my wonderful beach get-a-way weekend later when I have time because I would like to add some photos as well :)
I hope everyone is having a fantastic start to their summer and had a great Father's Day <3
Monday, June 13, 2011
Weekend June 10-12
Friday - Finally met the woman behind my internship and the voice on skype. Jenna! We went to La Mucca, and she paid for the delicious wine. I'm going to try my best to describe it: red wine, not too strong, soft taste, but the after-taste is delicious: like a flower but not in a gross, "ew, I just ate a rose petal" kind of way. Here it is: 
This restaurant was in an area between Sol and closer towards Huertas, right by Plaza Santa Ana. Great location. So afterwards, my coworker and other intern and their friends were meeting in Sol by this bear, where many bar crawls begin. It was my first barcrawl AND it was in Madrid :) Vy joined and she even told she had a lot of fun. I loved being shown all of these cool new places to go to!
Saturday - Went to the zoo with my coworker and her Puerto Rican friends that attended a Forocio trip to Lisbon. Great group of kids and so much fun! We totally went randomly, we were just planning on hanging out ni a park reading, studying for finals, listening to music, and picnic-ing. The zoo is in the park Casa de Campo, which is enormous and you can see the theme park from there! I also found out there is a WB attractions park in Madrid! (I am so going.) Here you can see my zoo pictures. I hope to load a few videos from the dolphin show, which was fantastic by the way, and have them on Facebook. The zoo wore me out so much, that I stayed in the rest of the evening and went to bed relatively early for a weekend in Madrid.
Sunday - Went to el Rastro, the flea market that opens only on Sundays from 10:30-2:30 and got myself a Spanish leather shoulder purse! I needed a bigger and shoulder hanging purse for this trip. I brought just a small crossbody bag, but I definitely would like to carry around a water bottle or a book in my bag sometimes! Spanish leather is amazing, and it was one of my goals to get a leathergood before I leave Spain. The other goal is to purchase a Mallorica pearl something. They have the best Mallorcan pearls here, too! I bought both items when I went to Mallorca four years ago. Best purchases ever. After the Rastro, I made lunch, and layed out in the park for about 2.5 hours and got an amazing tan in that short amount of time! I had to go to the fountain to dip my feet in though, it was reaching mid-80's and clear skies, so that sun was strong! Not humid though! Can't wait to do more laying our by the fountain in el Parque del Oeste. When it gets breezy, the water mists over and it feels amazing. I love it, the park is going to be one of the biggest things I am going to miss about living here.
Today starts workweek numero tres!
This restaurant was in an area between Sol and closer towards Huertas, right by Plaza Santa Ana. Great location. So afterwards, my coworker and other intern and their friends were meeting in Sol by this bear, where many bar crawls begin. It was my first barcrawl AND it was in Madrid :) Vy joined and she even told she had a lot of fun. I loved being shown all of these cool new places to go to!
Saturday - Went to the zoo with my coworker and her Puerto Rican friends that attended a Forocio trip to Lisbon. Great group of kids and so much fun! We totally went randomly, we were just planning on hanging out ni a park reading, studying for finals, listening to music, and picnic-ing. The zoo is in the park Casa de Campo, which is enormous and you can see the theme park from there! I also found out there is a WB attractions park in Madrid! (I am so going.) Here you can see my zoo pictures. I hope to load a few videos from the dolphin show, which was fantastic by the way, and have them on Facebook. The zoo wore me out so much, that I stayed in the rest of the evening and went to bed relatively early for a weekend in Madrid.
Sunday - Went to el Rastro, the flea market that opens only on Sundays from 10:30-2:30 and got myself a Spanish leather shoulder purse! I needed a bigger and shoulder hanging purse for this trip. I brought just a small crossbody bag, but I definitely would like to carry around a water bottle or a book in my bag sometimes! Spanish leather is amazing, and it was one of my goals to get a leathergood before I leave Spain. The other goal is to purchase a Mallorica pearl something. They have the best Mallorcan pearls here, too! I bought both items when I went to Mallorca four years ago. Best purchases ever. After the Rastro, I made lunch, and layed out in the park for about 2.5 hours and got an amazing tan in that short amount of time! I had to go to the fountain to dip my feet in though, it was reaching mid-80's and clear skies, so that sun was strong! Not humid though! Can't wait to do more laying our by the fountain in el Parque del Oeste. When it gets breezy, the water mists over and it feels amazing. I love it, the park is going to be one of the biggest things I am going to miss about living here.
Today starts workweek numero tres!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Feeling the Routine
So today marks the end of the second week of my internship. I feel the routine already: get up around 9:15, get out the door around 10, maybe bring a snack for work, leave work around 2 for lunch usually at the apaprtment (because I am trying to save money), nap, get my tan on and read at the park, then feed myself again and usually hang in the apartment or go out for the night. It is totally an odd schedule, but I honestly don't mind it. Just wish there was pool or beach nearby...
So as much as I don't mind hanging out by myself, this whole missing IU student, Lauren Spierer is really freaking me out. I am really saddened that it has been one week since she's been missing and that there haven't been any major tips. Her physical stature is the same as me, and it's definitely scary. I know I am far away from Bloomington, but I wish I was there to help because this is really crazy to comprehend. This also puts things in perspective for me, when I walk home from the library really late when I'm at Pitt, or from a late class, I should probably be carrying around something in case something does happen. I am always vigilant, but there are a lot of wackos out there, even in college towns.
I feel incredibly safe in Madrid, and I don't read about missing people very often in the papers, to be honest, I have yet to come across a murder or missing persons article in the paper or online. Of course, I will be careful.
So as much as I don't mind hanging out by myself, this whole missing IU student, Lauren Spierer is really freaking me out. I am really saddened that it has been one week since she's been missing and that there haven't been any major tips. Her physical stature is the same as me, and it's definitely scary. I know I am far away from Bloomington, but I wish I was there to help because this is really crazy to comprehend. This also puts things in perspective for me, when I walk home from the library really late when I'm at Pitt, or from a late class, I should probably be carrying around something in case something does happen. I am always vigilant, but there are a lot of wackos out there, even in college towns.
I feel incredibly safe in Madrid, and I don't read about missing people very often in the papers, to be honest, I have yet to come across a murder or missing persons article in the paper or online. Of course, I will be careful.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, Tuesday June 6, 7
I have realized how writing this blog has made me start to enjoy writing (kind of). If you know me, you'd know how much I hate it. Anyway, wondering about my intern? you know where to go to read up on that, because that is terribly boring to write to be honest. I have quite a few ideas for a"rant/bitch blog." I think I am kind of funny, in a dry way, so the way that I rant, I am sure you might think it entertaining if anything. I will think about it, I just don't want to bug anybody with anymore venting than I usually do.
Vent for Monday: Traveler's Checks. Bad idea.
Vent for Tuesday: Dirty people. Annoying people.
Vent for Monday: Traveler's Checks. Bad idea.
Vent for Tuesday: Dirty people. Annoying people.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Weekend! June 3-5
Worked, the usual. Here is where you can read all about my internship specifically. http://undergradinternabroad.blogspot.com/
First thing I did that night was go have a drink with my friend I made at the language school because she as leaving for Barcelona then back to Switzerland :( Her name is Sarah and she is very cool! After saying goodbye and having her first milk chocolate montadito, we took one last picture together and then I headed out toward Nuevos Ministerios. I was going to one of my flatmate's bosses' shows our at a club in Madrid called Tartufo. It was really awesome, because a) got in for free b) most of the Pitt kids went c) Pretty nice club. Snazzy, and not cheap looking. d)RAVE music! [I have been getting a little sick of regualr club music where all the creepy guys try and grind with ya, ew. Anyway, stayed up till about 5:30 am (includes a shower and packing), reason I mention that is because
...I went to Toledo for the weekend and I took the expensive middle of the day AVE train. It was an awesome weekend. I got to hand out with my aunt's best friend and her family. She is the sweetest woman ever. Her husband is awesome, too; he kept offering me food, drink, and tv. She also has two sons, one a year older than me and one about my brother's age. I haven't seen them since I was like about 9 or 10 years old! Basically, it was a great "home-feel" and I definitely will be visiting again for that homey feel :) Ended up taking the last train back to Madrid on Sunday only because all of my electronics died and I didn't bring my chargers. Here are some pictures of my weekend!
Nighttime walk through Toledo.
Toledo at Twilight.
Sarah and Me after 100 Montaditos.
First thing I did that night was go have a drink with my friend I made at the language school because she as leaving for Barcelona then back to Switzerland :( Her name is Sarah and she is very cool! After saying goodbye and having her first milk chocolate montadito, we took one last picture together and then I headed out toward Nuevos Ministerios. I was going to one of my flatmate's bosses' shows our at a club in Madrid called Tartufo. It was really awesome, because a) got in for free b) most of the Pitt kids went c) Pretty nice club. Snazzy, and not cheap looking. d)RAVE music! [I have been getting a little sick of regualr club music where all the creepy guys try and grind with ya, ew. Anyway, stayed up till about 5:30 am (includes a shower and packing), reason I mention that is because
...I went to Toledo for the weekend and I took the expensive middle of the day AVE train. It was an awesome weekend. I got to hand out with my aunt's best friend and her family. She is the sweetest woman ever. Her husband is awesome, too; he kept offering me food, drink, and tv. She also has two sons, one a year older than me and one about my brother's age. I haven't seen them since I was like about 9 or 10 years old! Basically, it was a great "home-feel" and I definitely will be visiting again for that homey feel :) Ended up taking the last train back to Madrid on Sunday only because all of my electronics died and I didn't bring my chargers. Here are some pictures of my weekend!
Nighttime walk through Toledo.
Toledo at Twilight.
Sarah and Me after 100 Montaditos.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Mid-week Report
Monday- First day of my internship. It was more like an orientation kind of day. I stayed for about two hours. To know more about what goes on specifically to the internship, check my Marketing Internship blog! So that day was just a weird day.
Tuesday- Regular work day. 10ish - 2ish. My coworkers are awesome, and the bosses mostly work from home and stop once in a while. There wasn´t really anythign specific for me to do so I asked a ton of questions about how they market themselves, what sources do they use, where they are (like what sites such a as facebook, google, their own websites, etc.), and sort of started brainstorming about what kind of project I can do to help them better get their name out. I was able to be admin of their facebook page which is cool small step into something that I could work with. Basically, it was just a day of reseaching and brainstorming at work.
In the evening, Mike, the faculty trip advisor for the past 2 weeks, stopped by the apartment to say goodbye to us because he was leaving the next morning for the US. Jenna, the lady who found all of our internships will be replacing him in approximately 8 days. We have had a lot of great trips with Mike and he was definitely an awesome advisor to have for this trip. He knew nothing of Spanish and accepted it. At least he tried to learn the basics!
Wednesday- Researched my own trips for a bit while at work, but then really got down to business as to what I can do. One of the ladies gave me a ton of suggestions and I will writing more about them in my Marketing blog. You can see this isn´t like the internships the other students have: they are given all fo these projects to do and are very busy but definitely love what they are doing to help their companies (most are marketing related). Originally, I felt bad about my job, but it had been only 3 days and I know there was some work coming my way, but I wasn´t sre what it really entailed. As Mike said to me the day he stopped by, the fact that I am taking initiative to make a project relative ot marketing for this company is definitely a great thing. I am trying to get something out of this and not just sitting around accepting what I am given (or lack thereof).
So Wednesday nights, my company hosts "Fiesta de Cambio" at a bar/small club in Sol. It is marketed towards past participants of their many trips, so they can gather again and hang out and even bring in new customers who see 'Forocio' written on their nametags, the 'Forocio girls' one of which I open in the mornings, and people liek me talking abotu the fantastic trips we have! (I felt like I was soliciting at a nightclub/one of those club promoters to bring in people in the first place.) Once again, I will explain more in detail about the 'Fiesta'. In all, it was very fun and engaging. Open bar 10:30-12:30, girls free, guys 5€ who can resist that?!
-Oh last thing, as I was walking through Puerta de Sol to get to the club around 10:30, I heard someone say my name who I passed on the sidewalk and it was 3 people I knew back from Pitt! Mike, Lucy, and Ashley. We a got a picture together, but really we could have been anywhere in the world, but it was still a very cool moment! They were on their last night from their multi-week European trek and they ended back in Madrid. I am sure they enjoyed their adventures!
-So Vy and I caught the last metro back to the apartment and as we got the apartment door, we coudln't open it. Someone had locked the top lock, which I had no idea there was key for it and how to even do that with two keys in the door at the same time. whatever. So to no avail after some knocks and calls to our flatmates, we heard the neighbors chatting (they speak english) and we asked if we could go through their backdoor do we could knock on the bedroom windows of our apartment. The neighbors were totally schwasted and Christina gave us a mic and headset for skyping, and some other random stuff because she was packing to leave the next day. So weird. Anyway, Sam basically died in her sleep that night and wouldn't wake up, so I flashed my handy dandy 19€ cellphone built-in flashlight and knocked on the guys' windows. They really did not want to get up and let us in, but trust me, it was not like I really wanted to fall into the apartment through a window. Yea, fall. The chair was further away frmo under the window where it usually is and I fell and have quite the bruising and scratch from it. So I pushed it closer for Vy. Ouch.
Thursday- At work, did some stuff for them such as research schools in Barcelona, mostly English speaking, so I could send them emails about our trips to Pamplona, which is coming up. I am a little upset in the stomach/spinning head from the open bar...and so bought a Napolitana de Chocolate from La Mallorquina (one of the oldest and best bakeries in Spain! and it's next door).
So for the remaining hour-ish of work I hope to work on their facebook for a little bit. Maybe later, once I get back and relax for a bit at the apartment, I will try and be way more productive with the project brainstorming. P.S. I sent my aunt an email with a brief description of my dilema and she gave me a lot of great ways/questions to answer in order to start creating a marketing project. She's awesome and a genius when it come to business, especially in marketing!
Tuesday- Regular work day. 10ish - 2ish. My coworkers are awesome, and the bosses mostly work from home and stop once in a while. There wasn´t really anythign specific for me to do so I asked a ton of questions about how they market themselves, what sources do they use, where they are (like what sites such a as facebook, google, their own websites, etc.), and sort of started brainstorming about what kind of project I can do to help them better get their name out. I was able to be admin of their facebook page which is cool small step into something that I could work with. Basically, it was just a day of reseaching and brainstorming at work.
In the evening, Mike, the faculty trip advisor for the past 2 weeks, stopped by the apartment to say goodbye to us because he was leaving the next morning for the US. Jenna, the lady who found all of our internships will be replacing him in approximately 8 days. We have had a lot of great trips with Mike and he was definitely an awesome advisor to have for this trip. He knew nothing of Spanish and accepted it. At least he tried to learn the basics!
Wednesday- Researched my own trips for a bit while at work, but then really got down to business as to what I can do. One of the ladies gave me a ton of suggestions and I will writing more about them in my Marketing blog. You can see this isn´t like the internships the other students have: they are given all fo these projects to do and are very busy but definitely love what they are doing to help their companies (most are marketing related). Originally, I felt bad about my job, but it had been only 3 days and I know there was some work coming my way, but I wasn´t sre what it really entailed. As Mike said to me the day he stopped by, the fact that I am taking initiative to make a project relative ot marketing for this company is definitely a great thing. I am trying to get something out of this and not just sitting around accepting what I am given (or lack thereof).
So Wednesday nights, my company hosts "Fiesta de Cambio" at a bar/small club in Sol. It is marketed towards past participants of their many trips, so they can gather again and hang out and even bring in new customers who see 'Forocio' written on their nametags, the 'Forocio girls' one of which I open in the mornings, and people liek me talking abotu the fantastic trips we have! (I felt like I was soliciting at a nightclub/one of those club promoters to bring in people in the first place.) Once again, I will explain more in detail about the 'Fiesta'. In all, it was very fun and engaging. Open bar 10:30-12:30, girls free, guys 5€ who can resist that?!
-Oh last thing, as I was walking through Puerta de Sol to get to the club around 10:30, I heard someone say my name who I passed on the sidewalk and it was 3 people I knew back from Pitt! Mike, Lucy, and Ashley. We a got a picture together, but really we could have been anywhere in the world, but it was still a very cool moment! They were on their last night from their multi-week European trek and they ended back in Madrid. I am sure they enjoyed their adventures!
-So Vy and I caught the last metro back to the apartment and as we got the apartment door, we coudln't open it. Someone had locked the top lock, which I had no idea there was key for it and how to even do that with two keys in the door at the same time. whatever. So to no avail after some knocks and calls to our flatmates, we heard the neighbors chatting (they speak english) and we asked if we could go through their backdoor do we could knock on the bedroom windows of our apartment. The neighbors were totally schwasted and Christina gave us a mic and headset for skyping, and some other random stuff because she was packing to leave the next day. So weird. Anyway, Sam basically died in her sleep that night and wouldn't wake up, so I flashed my handy dandy 19€ cellphone built-in flashlight and knocked on the guys' windows. They really did not want to get up and let us in, but trust me, it was not like I really wanted to fall into the apartment through a window. Yea, fall. The chair was further away frmo under the window where it usually is and I fell and have quite the bruising and scratch from it. So I pushed it closer for Vy. Ouch.
Thursday- At work, did some stuff for them such as research schools in Barcelona, mostly English speaking, so I could send them emails about our trips to Pamplona, which is coming up. I am a little upset in the stomach/spinning head from the open bar...and so bought a Napolitana de Chocolate from La Mallorquina (one of the oldest and best bakeries in Spain! and it's next door).
So for the remaining hour-ish of work I hope to work on their facebook for a little bit. Maybe later, once I get back and relax for a bit at the apartment, I will try and be way more productive with the project brainstorming. P.S. I sent my aunt an email with a brief description of my dilema and she gave me a lot of great ways/questions to answer in order to start creating a marketing project. She's awesome and a genius when it come to business, especially in marketing!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Semana 2
Sign in Sol that I thought was so good. Also, it was in English!
Domingo (May 22) - Went exploring through the city of Madrid. Found out Gran Vía, was connected to Sol, connected to Plaza Mayor, connected to Ópera, connected to Palacio Real, connected to el Parque del Oeste, connected to my apartment! (Clearly, I walked a lot that day.) Took a ton of pictures and had a few flatmates adventure out with me as well to get some awesome pictures!
Lunes - Day whatever of Spanish class at AIL. Had a substitute teacher, and we learned about what was happening in Sol and learned more about the government parties. He had a very different opinion and view of why it was occurirng. Lecture was about La Gastronomía Española (Spanish food). It was annoying in my opinion because I am a vegetarian and people look at me like I am an alien when I tell them that it also includes seafood. Basically I eat pasta, bread, pizza, baked goods, and cereal. Reason I am not fat yet is because of the immense amount of walking. After class Ryan Reis and I went shopping through the touristy areas since he needed to exchange money and the places I wanted to go were in the same area. It was fun, surprisingly; he hates shopping, so 75% of what he said were complaints haha. I also got a lot of great pictures of posters that are in Sol from the demonstrators. Pretty sure I napped once I got back to the apartment, I was still not used to sleeping in a set pattern.
Martes - Spanish class in the AM. Had some personal issues going on at home that I missed part of it. Afternoon lecture was going to the Prado Museum. Cool museum, enormous and definitely will return before I go home. Hung out at the other apartment for the rest of the evening, even napped there.
Wed/nes/day - Spanish class, better day. Lecture was going to the Reina Sophía museum a block away from the Prado the day before. It was nice, but too weird for me. Picasso, Goya, and Dali are all there, too! It was a lot of more recent artists compared to the Prado. We could take pictures as long as there was NOT a Picasso in the room. Went to the other apartment for the remainder of the evening. Everyone went out that evening except for me. Didn't mind it because I needed a break. Funny part: I was the only one of the Pitt kids that showed up to my A2 level class the next day ;)
Jueves - Class was empty salvo me and the English girl, Sarah. It was fun actually cuz we practed and talked a lot :) Went to get 1Euro coffee with her during our short break. Afternoon lecture: 5/13 showed to class. Jesus was the teacher and he was really awesome and nice. And the 5 of us learned a lot about the regions of Spain. VERY happy I didn't ditch like I had originally planned. Relaxed the rest of the evening.
Viernes - LAST day of Spanish class! After our short break we all convinced Sonia to continue class in el Parque Retiro. It was beautiful. First rain in Spain since I have been here! It was some showers there, not bad. Skipped the lecture, it was to Plaza Mayor and I had already gone on Sunday, plus the whole rain thing.
Saturday - Went to the train station to meet Mike because my flat wanted to take the train to Toledo for the day (since we missed the Segovia trip due to missing the train, heh). We arrived with ample time, but the train had sold out and our number to buy tickets at the manual office was super high. As we were waiting for the next train (1.5 hours later) we found out there were automatic kiosks on the second floor. Mike was pissed and it was HILARIOUS! We all walked around the neighborhood Atoche (where the Prado and Reina Sophía museums are located) and we got to the station about 20 minutes before departure and the security line was really long, then the gate line was kinda long. We made it on the train literally 4 minutes before it left.
Vy and I spent a lot of our time in Toledo together and everyone else did their own thing. BEAUTIFUL place. I'm staying for the weekend with my aunt's best friend next week, and I am very excited! I got my first salad since being in Spain in Toledo, as well. I wanted to pass out when I got back to the apartment around 6:30, but after I took my shower, I was invited to the other apartment where Sammy was already making dinner with Stacey and watched the game with them as the guys all went out to the bar to watch the Barça v. Man United game. Viva Barça! Nobody went out that night because we were EXHAUSTED.
Domingo (hoy) - Went to el Rastro (flea market) that is only open Sundays from 10-2/3ish. Then went to Gran Vía, then to Sol, and exchanged some $ to EU. Holy Crap, exchange rate! I still need Birky's...but I bought other cute stuff :) Found my place of work so I am prepared tomorrow! Except I don't know how to get it, but I found the door. There is no doorbell or sign, hmmm. I really need to relax soon. Enjoy the pictures!
WORK TOMORROW :)
Saturday, May 21, 2011
La Primera Semana (Week 1)
I have yet to figure out how I want to organize this but here's one way that I am going to do it.
Sunday: Arrived in Madrid's airport. Coincidentally, behind my friend Kara and I, two other students from the trip booked seats right behind us. Had a long day because we all stayed up until midnight because we were told that was quickest to get over Jet Lag. Once unpacked at our fabulous little 6 person apartment, we went a little adventure in our area - Argüelles. Later that evening, "Pitt" treated us to a dinner in Sol, where the huge demonstration is taking place. In general, it was a great first day.
Monday: Had day 1 of Spanish class at the language school and also learned how to use the metro flawlessly :) A few of my flatmates and I found our "hometown bar" around the corner, and the bartender was really such a sweetheart. In Spain, breakfast is served in bars, and restaurants open for lunch and maybe for dinner. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, rather interesting. Got a tour of a park.
Tuesday: Had day 2 of Spanish class. I am learning a lot there, very good review. I am learning a lot of common sense and helpful everyday phrases & expressions and even the best places for us kids to party and eat! Missed the afternoon lecture because I was tired and napped in the huge park that I live by : el Parque del Oeste.
Wednesday: Had day 3 of Spanish classes. Had to attend afternoon trip to el Palacio real, it was really nice. In the evening Jordan, Sammy, and I went to the Orange Cafe. Wednesdays are their awesome nights. 5 euro for open bar for an hour. After that, there was some dancing, but apparently the Americans really know how to dance and everyone else thinks we are weird kids.
Thursday: Had day 4 of Spanish classes. Attend a lecture about flamenco music and dancing. It is really boring to be honest. After that we all napped (my flat naps at the same time everyday haha). Then we headed over to the 8 person flat across the city and had a "family dinner," then we all went to an Irish pub in Sol, and it was nuts to get through the crowd, we needed a few detours. After that, some club promoter from Cali got us in for free into a club in Sol called Joy. It was a really fun night. Definitely a great bonding experience with the group! Had to take a cab home because metros stopped running at 1:30, so glad I am confident in my Spanish and where I live.
Friday: Attended class half dead, then I got a lot of energy somehow as we took a walk through Gran Vía and Sol for our afternoon trip. We all stayed in because we were exhausted! (Night 1 or 2 for me of staying in.)
Saturday: So we were supposed to meet by 12 at the Chamartín metro station where, inside, there is a train station. We first ended up in Pinar de Chamartín and missed the train. So we were told the next one to Segovia was at 1:15, so we went to get tickets and the next one was leavign at 2:20 and it was only 12:15 so we 5 flatmates decided to enjoy our day in Madrid. "Sorry aquaducts, I really didn't want to see you anyway." So later tonight more bonding time! :)
Sunday: Arrived in Madrid's airport. Coincidentally, behind my friend Kara and I, two other students from the trip booked seats right behind us. Had a long day because we all stayed up until midnight because we were told that was quickest to get over Jet Lag. Once unpacked at our fabulous little 6 person apartment, we went a little adventure in our area - Argüelles. Later that evening, "Pitt" treated us to a dinner in Sol, where the huge demonstration is taking place. In general, it was a great first day.
Monday: Had day 1 of Spanish class at the language school and also learned how to use the metro flawlessly :) A few of my flatmates and I found our "hometown bar" around the corner, and the bartender was really such a sweetheart. In Spain, breakfast is served in bars, and restaurants open for lunch and maybe for dinner. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, rather interesting. Got a tour of a park.
Tuesday: Had day 2 of Spanish class. I am learning a lot there, very good review. I am learning a lot of common sense and helpful everyday phrases & expressions and even the best places for us kids to party and eat! Missed the afternoon lecture because I was tired and napped in the huge park that I live by : el Parque del Oeste.
Wednesday: Had day 3 of Spanish classes. Had to attend afternoon trip to el Palacio real, it was really nice. In the evening Jordan, Sammy, and I went to the Orange Cafe. Wednesdays are their awesome nights. 5 euro for open bar for an hour. After that, there was some dancing, but apparently the Americans really know how to dance and everyone else thinks we are weird kids.
Thursday: Had day 4 of Spanish classes. Attend a lecture about flamenco music and dancing. It is really boring to be honest. After that we all napped (my flat naps at the same time everyday haha). Then we headed over to the 8 person flat across the city and had a "family dinner," then we all went to an Irish pub in Sol, and it was nuts to get through the crowd, we needed a few detours. After that, some club promoter from Cali got us in for free into a club in Sol called Joy. It was a really fun night. Definitely a great bonding experience with the group! Had to take a cab home because metros stopped running at 1:30, so glad I am confident in my Spanish and where I live.
Friday: Attended class half dead, then I got a lot of energy somehow as we took a walk through Gran Vía and Sol for our afternoon trip. We all stayed in because we were exhausted! (Night 1 or 2 for me of staying in.)
Saturday: So we were supposed to meet by 12 at the Chamartín metro station where, inside, there is a train station. We first ended up in Pinar de Chamartín and missed the train. So we were told the next one to Segovia was at 1:15, so we went to get tickets and the next one was leavign at 2:20 and it was only 12:15 so we 5 flatmates decided to enjoy our day in Madrid. "Sorry aquaducts, I really didn't want to see you anyway." So later tonight more bonding time! :)
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Pre-departure Preparation
Hello All,
I will be leaving for Madrid, Spain for an internship for the entire summer next week, and I definitely plan to be blogging about because I am sure I will have a lot to share about.
I hope to gain more interest for at least this summer!
-Elisha
I will be leaving for Madrid, Spain for an internship for the entire summer next week, and I definitely plan to be blogging about because I am sure I will have a lot to share about.
I hope to gain more interest for at least this summer!
-Elisha
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Second semester
Alrighty, I know I have updated in a while but pitt's nuts at keeping me busy!
First semester at a new school university- great! I've been dancing and studying hard and also made a really good friend!
Winter break- who knew being home for two weeks would make me gain over 5 lbs?! But I was thankful for all of my gifts and time spent with family :)
Second semester- well classes started about two weeks ago and they just jumped into work! Geesh. But I've been living the fun part of college life on the weekends so I'm not complaining! If you don't know, but the Steelers won against the Ravens yesterday! It was a playoff game and lemme tell you, it was wildly entertaining. Although I'm not nearly as enthusiastic about football as compared to baseball. Can't wait for baseball season to start! Phils all the way!
Currently, my boyfriend and I are driving an extremely dangerous car that my parents thought was ok to give me at school, but really, it is unreliable and has many problems. Why we are driving now? We are on the turnpike driving back to my house to retrieve my car, which is very reliable but also a very nice car. I say this because I park my car on the street while at school because my apt has no private parking. And college kids, especially on weekends aren't very awesome drivers!
So in the news: movements of the planets changing Zodiac signs. Huh. Senator Giffords is breathing on her own. And this world is getting whackier.
I'll be trying to leave intelligent posts at least every other week. So sorry for the absence! If I had more followers, I believ I'd be more intent on updating, but I really appreciate my current follower's!
First semester at a new school university- great! I've been dancing and studying hard and also made a really good friend!
Winter break- who knew being home for two weeks would make me gain over 5 lbs?! But I was thankful for all of my gifts and time spent with family :)
Second semester- well classes started about two weeks ago and they just jumped into work! Geesh. But I've been living the fun part of college life on the weekends so I'm not complaining! If you don't know, but the Steelers won against the Ravens yesterday! It was a playoff game and lemme tell you, it was wildly entertaining. Although I'm not nearly as enthusiastic about football as compared to baseball. Can't wait for baseball season to start! Phils all the way!
Currently, my boyfriend and I are driving an extremely dangerous car that my parents thought was ok to give me at school, but really, it is unreliable and has many problems. Why we are driving now? We are on the turnpike driving back to my house to retrieve my car, which is very reliable but also a very nice car. I say this because I park my car on the street while at school because my apt has no private parking. And college kids, especially on weekends aren't very awesome drivers!
So in the news: movements of the planets changing Zodiac signs. Huh. Senator Giffords is breathing on her own. And this world is getting whackier.
I'll be trying to leave intelligent posts at least every other week. So sorry for the absence! If I had more followers, I believ I'd be more intent on updating, but I really appreciate my current follower's!
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