Some Pictures

Nothing too interesting has been going on here lately but I'll share some pictures with you. I went wandering around Granada today and visited some of my old stomping grounds.

Here is an example of a Spanish rest stop - on my way to Granada from Madrid



Here are Paco and Pilar's youngest daughter's kids - Julia and Pablo


This is the reason why I gained so much weight two years ago - the BREADY LADY who makes delicious pastries!!!!

It´s simple, really....I hate cell phone companies

Friday September 24, 2010 6:23pm – Spain
What do I hate?! I hate cell phone companies. Not only do I hate cell phone companies in the US, I now hate cell phone companies in Spain and I’m sure I’d hate them in any other country I happen to visit. I hate them with a passion that transcends all evil (that doesn’t even make sense but it sounds mean).
This morning at 10:00¸ I met up with my friend Juan Carlos and after dropping a paper off at his university, he was a trooper and we began our adventure of finding a cell phone. We traversed to all of the popular cell phone companies to find catalogs of the cell phones. This took about an hour and then we sat in a plaza to start our search for the perfect phone for Emily (but I think I was a bit disillusioned that something would measure up to my iPhone and I was sadly mistaken). Since I am not really a Spanish resident (yet) and don’t have a bank account (yet), I have to get a pre-pay cell phone and those options are much more limited than if you have a contract (much like the United States). Well, I decided upon a company and three phones I wanted to see. So we went to Orange (the company I chose) and asked to see the phones. Easy enough, right? Wrong! The woman didn’t have any of the phones but she said that another store had them. So Juan Carlos and I trekked all the way across town only to find that none of the ones that I wanted were at that store either. So it was onto another company to see my second option of phone (which was still a nice phone). We hiked to Vodafone and asked to see this particular phone which said in the catalog “pre-paid.” Well, the woman told us in so many words that this particular phone could only be purchased if you have a contract. Strike 2, 3?! Feeling very defeated, we did the next best thing……we drank. At this time, our search had gone on for 2 ½ hours and we had nothing to show for it. We sat and had a beer and a tapa and discussed our options. Juan Carlos suggested that we go to this place called The Phone House. And yes, the name is in English. However, the whole time, I thought he was saying “let’s go to the FUN house.” Ohhhhhh boy. This is a place where they sell phones for all of the companies. I found one I liked there with a company that is not as well-known. However, it was nearing lunch time and Juan Carlos had to go home and so did I. So we parted ways (at 2:30 – almost 5 hours after our adventure began and with empty hands) and agreed to meet at 4:15 to buy the one we had picked out. The woman at Phone House assured us that the store doesn’t close for the afternoon like the rest of Spain.
Imagine our disappointment when we met each other at the Phone House at 4:15 and it was closed. I think that was maybe strike 15 of the day? Juan Carlos had to go to work at 5 and so we walked toward his workplace and we happened to find an open Vodafone store on our way. I said “hey, let’s go in and see what they have – it can’t hurt.” Lo and behold, they had the phone that I wanted earlier and it could work pre-paid and not only with a contract!!! It was like the heavens opened up and angels started singing. I quickly made a decision that this was the phone for me (and most of you know Emily and quick decisions don’t go together). It’s an LG Cookie Fresh (what a name, right?) It has a touch screen and it’s pretty nice. I have put in most of my Spanish contacts and am good to go. I don’t really want to walk anywhere for days – I think I covered just about every square inch of Granada in my search for a cell phone. My feet hurt so bad.

Here is a picture of my phone (of course they didn´t have it in pink and mine is black but I was not into being too picky at this point in the day.)

So, after this long and drawn-out story (I’m sure most of you stopped paying attention in the first paragraph), I’d like to reiterate that I hate cell phone companies. That’s all for now!

Oh the Spanish way of life

Thursday September 23, 2010 10:04 pm – Spain, 4:04 pm – United States

Well, I made it through my first full day in Spain and it was exactly how I remembered it. After a long 36 hours of traveling, I finally made it to Granada only to find out that my cell phone that I had bought two years ago when I was in Spain did not function. I tried contacting my host mom numerous times and her daughter via text message (why a text you ask? Because I am a chicken and was scared to call). There was a little internet café in the bus station in Granada and I logged on to keep my sanity. I was able to send an email off to my parents to let them know I was safe and a few other tasks. When I was done with the internet, I had no choice but to put on my big girl panties and go find a payphone and call Pilar. Let me tell you, it was not nearly as bad as one might imagine making a phone call could be ;-) She answered and was so happy to hear from me. I took a cab to their house and she was outside waiting for me. I gave her the biggest hug and it was amazing. I went inside and saw Paco – more hugs and kisses. Everything is the same except for their new wood floor which I noticed right away. I feel right at home here. I took a shower (I don’t think I could have possibly fallen asleep with the stench that was following me everywhere) and went to bed around midnight. I didn’t wake up until after 11 this morning (can we say jet lag?)
I spent time with Pilar this afternoon – we went for a walk and made stops at the pharmacy and to get fruit. We ate lunch and then like a true Spaniard, I took a siesta (nap). Paco and Pilar’s daughter Pili came over tonight with her husband Pablo and their children Julia and Pablo. I couldn’t believe how much Juila had grown since the last time I saw her but she still remembered me and was all smiles. Pablo (their 2-yr-old son) was born shortly after I left in 2008 and so this was our first meeting. It was a lot of fun to see them all again.
Moving on to dinner……Pilar is a good cook but tonight’s dinner was interesting. We had a cold pasta salad with cheese, tomato, hard boiled eggs, onion, olive oil, and POMEGRANATE! I had actually never tried an actual pomegranate and was shocked to know that you essentially are eating seeds. Oh, Spanish cuisine, how I have (not) missed thee.
Nothing too interesting to happening now. I am going to meet my friend Juan Carlos tomorrow and take him to be my representative when I try to figure out this cell phone issue. He knows some English so I think it will be helpful.
Hugs to all!

Long Day(s)

Wednesday September 22, 2010 – 12:30pm Spain time/6:30am in the US

Well, here I am sitting in the bus station waiting for a bus to take me to Granada so I can see some familiar faces in Spain (aka my Spanish family – Paco and Pilar). I made it safely on my flight and was lucky enough to sit next to a girl who is doing a similar thing as me (teaching English in Madrid). However, she has no job and really no place to live, etc. And my family and friends thought I was crazy?!
She was nice and we were able to chat about our respective experiences in Spain (she did two years of college in Spain at St. Louis University which apparently has a campus in Madrid – how neat).
On a random side note – since I mentioned that my flight to Spain went so well, maybe I’ll tell you about my flight from Detroit to Atlanta. What is everyone’s worse nightmare of flying (besides the plane crashing)? When you spot that person that you pray doesn’t take the seat next to you? Yep, well this time he was behind me but that didn’t stop me from smelling him. This particular gentleman had the worst body odor I have ever smelled. The woman sitting right next to him had her face turned away with the paper covering her nose. I had never seen such a horrified look and I thought many times she might just lose her cookies right there in the airplane aisle. After the flight took off, she disappeared! I caught up with her on the tram and asked her where she was lucky enough to sneak off to and she said the flight attendants let her sit up front (because the flight was full). I kept getting wafts of the smell and could only thank God that this was not my 8 hour flight to Spain! 
In case you are all wondering and sitting in suspense, the luggage contraption worked like a charm and I had a much easier time navigating the airport and the metro to make it to the train station. Does this mean I am not sitting here sweating and smelling like I just played 90 minutes of soccer? No. Does this mean my hands do not have blisters? No. Does this mean I’m not exhausted beyond belief and can’t wait to take a shower and put my head on a pillow? No. Nevertheless, it worked and I was a self-sufficient traveler.
As we were approaching our descent and about to land in Spain, it became very surreal that I am finally back. I always imagined I’d be back but maybe just for a visit and that’s it. I can’t believe I am actually fulfilling my dream of living here for almost a year. I know that it will be a different experience (I already felt different as I was traveling because before I had a whole group of U of M students with me and this time I was completely on my own). I had a few moments of just plain fear while I was sitting waiting for my flight in Atlanta (and anyone who talked to me during that time before I left could probably sense it – aka mom, Connor, Meghan, Emilee, Dave Wu – haha). But I think that I am ready for this adventure. I am ready to be independent in another country, immerse myself in the Spanish language and culture and just have fun.
I send love and hugs to everyone from SPAIN!!!!!

Moving Day!

Since I have a few extra minutes before I leave for the airport, I thought I'd begin my blogging adventure from the comfort of my own home. All my bags are packed and let me tell you about the adventure my father and I had this morning which caused the neighbors to come outside and stare. Dad was concerned about me lugging around two suitcases (combined weight = 100 lbs) in addition to my carry-on. So he rigged a system (aka a bungee cord) which would link my two suitcases together and thus leave me with a free hand to open doors and to make me a self-sufficient traveler. He even walked around the driveway demonstrating it's capability to make swift turns and maneuvers. It was quite the sight to see and we laughed that the neighbors were probably watching out their window. Well, upon further inspection, I realized that suitcase manufacturers pay people millions of dollars to figure out contraptions to avoid having people make their own redneck straps. There are indeed straps that allow one to hook suitcases together making travel easier for individuals. So, again we strapped them together with our newly found discovery and mom had come out at this point with her camera. Needless to say we were all amazed and took a turn "driving" the suitcases around the driveway........that's when the neighbors came out and requested a turn with the suitcases! I guess we just all needed a good laugh this morning!
I want to thank everyone for their love and encouragement as I am about to embark upon this new life adventure (and this time I promise I'm actually moving to Spain and won't move back in a week ;-) Like I always say, I'll try to be good at updating my blog but I know that the first couple of weeks my internet accessibility will be spotty and so I'll do my best.
Love to all,
Em

Here are some pictures for your entertainment

Life is Unexpected

I wrote this a few days ago and never posted it. I will post it now for the people who may not know what happened.

Some of you are probably wondering why it has been so long since I have written a post and I have to say it's because sooooo much has been going on that I have not even thought about writing. Instead of delaying the inevitable, I will just say that my mom and I had a great vacation in Florida and are now back home in Michigan (yes, BOTH of us). After some further investigating and getting answers to questions (which were not asked by me before I packed up my life and moved to Florida), the internship turned out to be something that did not seem to be the right fit for me. However, along the way mom and I made a friend. His name is Jim and he is the owner of the house that I "lived in" for two days. He is a good friend of the boss. He is a pilot and wanted to take mom and I up in his plane but the weather was not great when we were there. We definitely have his card and will look him up if we are ever back in the area. He was at the house on Sunday doing some work when I decided to not take the internship. He was very sad as he had enjoyed talking to my mom and me and vice versa. He had another friend helping him with the house and so we all piled into my car and went to lunch at the marina in Placida, Florida. We had a blast and laughed so hard. I have to give him credit because he did his best to keep me in Florida. It's funny how you can meet a person and instantly feel comfortable and like you've been friends forever. That's definitely how Jim made us feel and he helped contribute to our positive memories from this experience.
We did have a wonderful two day visit in Longboat Key with some family friends (have to give my shout-out to the Goldsens for being such awesome people). It was relaxing to get away and we had a great time.
The drive back was long and we did it in one trip. I drove the first 15 hours (through the night) and then mom finished out the last five. We are exhausted today and my mom and I definitely took naps this afternoon. It's a bit depressing to be facing the reality of Michigan winter again (after being in FL weather for a week) but I've done it for 23 years now so why start complaining now?
I'm on to bigger and better things in my life....I hope :-)

Home Sweet Home (for now, at least!)

Hello again from sunny Florida! Mom and I woke up this morning and after our complimentary breakfast at the Hampton Inn and a good rinse for the car (it was filthy from our 1400 mile adventure), we met up with the man who owns a house in the area to check things out. It's in a neighborhood that looks pretty quiet (and is right on a golf course). The guy who owns it, Jim, is hilarious. He's quite the jokester and mom and I enjoyed talking to him. He's a pilot and suggested we come fly with him!! I think I just might take advantage of that! He gives lessons and I have always wanted to be a pilot....new career option?!? I have good news and bad news, however. He is putting the house up for sale once he makes some last-minute fixes and hopes to have it on the market by March 1st. So this living situation may be temporary but I really can't beat the price. Now for the good news......there was a zero-turn lawn mower in the garage!!!! For those of you who may not know, I really have an unhealthy obsession with zero-turn lawn mowers. Ever since I worked for the City of Adrian, I have dreamed of owning my own one day. I told him that he would never have to mow the lawn at this house again because he could include that duty in the price of rent! Yay.
After that, mom and I decided to take a little overnight trip to Siesta Key. We have been here before when we were in Longboat Key for spring break a few years ago and had some places we wanted to revisit. We had a cocktail at a place called Daiquiri Deck and then went for a nice walk on the beach. It was beautiful. We are planning on going to the Broken Egg Cafe for breakfast tomorrow (a favorite place of Dick Vitale when he's in town) and I might hit the beach for a while (to take care of that little ghost problem I have).

The pictures above show mom washing the car, my new humble abode, and mom and I on our walk on the beach! Enjoy