Environmental awareness in Spain

While traveling through Spain, I had the opportunity to see first hand how the country conserves the environment. Spain’s focus is on clean energy, recycling and pollution reduction.

Caring for the planet needs to be a group effort. During my three weeks in Spain, I gained a real sense of pride and awareness about the environment. The focus in Spain is on energy conservation. I saw this in almost every hotel I stayed in during my trip. The room’s lights and air conditioning could only be turned on after inserting a key card into a special switch box, usually located on the wall of the room. Although this system was sometimes inconvenient it does help conserve energy when no one is in the room. According to Jeremy Jacquot, of treehuggers.com, approximately 27 percent of all Spain’s energy is clean energy. Throughout the country, wind turbines are present, especially in the countryside. These gigantic modern windmills stand taller than the Statue of Liberty. Their great stature gives them the advantage of using event he sightless wind flow.

The metro is another tool in Spain helping keep the air clean. The purpose of the metro is not only to provide a fast, reliable and affordable form of transportation, but it also helps alleviate congestion and pollution. I became a fan of the metro while in Spain, even if sometimes the strong body odor on the compartment made me wish I had walked to the bus, it was still a fast way to get around the city. The metro uses five times less energy than private vehicles. Subway tickets cost less than one euro. Often a better deal is buying 10 rides for less than seven euros. There is no excuse not to use their services. In Madrid there is another alternative to driving: the city buses. Most of these buses run on natural gas or ethanol fuels that aid in the reduction of carbon emissions. According to Scania, a Swedish a transportation company, Ethanol engines can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 90 percent, compared to engines powered by fossil fuels. Currently Spain’s government is pushing biofuels. While riding the bus, I asked Victoria Zendejas, my roommate in Spain, why we not have a transportation system like this back in San Antonio. She answered, “We should, for as big as San Antonio is, we should have one. It would save the public a lot of money.” I completely agree with her. San Antonio is a city with a population of over 1.1 million people. As a community, we could all benefit from a better public transportation system. Although we currently do have VIA (Via Metropolitan Transits), more often than not, a bus takes longer to get to your destination, and a few bus changes are necessary to even get to where you are going. Needless to say much improvement is needed for people to actively take our public busses.

Recycling is another important focal point in Spain. Almost everywhere I visited, I never failed to locate a recycling bin clearly marked for paper, glass or plastic on the streets. I was impressed as to how consistent the bins where found. Most importantly, I was awed to see that people would actually use them. I asked Zendejas. Why do you think we do not put as much efforts into recycling as they do in Spain? She replied, “Because we are lazy, plain and simple. The city does not make it simple to recycle.” San Antonio provides small bins only to those who request them, and are they often filled before they are picked up. Having little room to recycle discourages people from working the effort.

Spain works not only on recycling, clean energy and reduction of pollution. I noticed that each city took pride in their surroundings; everywhere I looked there were green trees and clean parks. In Madrid, there is an organization called Trees for Cities that is working closely with its local partner ARBA (Asociación para la Recuperación del Bosque Autóctono): ARBA is a volunteer-based organization whose focus is in reforestation project around urban areas. The Madrid tree project encourages the planting of native trees for both conservation and ecological value. The important lesson that is to be gained is to understand that our flora and fauna need conservation, especially in urban areas. Trees not only give beauty to our cities, they also give the vital oxygen we need to survive. According to Russell Ball of ARBA, “Environmental education will be a major element of this project with focus on climate change and all the associated benefits that trees bring.”

Currently a lack of public information about the preservation of our environment hinders us from knowing how we can help. In our society it is too common to expect someone else to make the effort in caring for our planet. Yet, it is only when working together that change is achieved. This is another reason why a step forward into modernization of our electric, transportation and recycling systems is necessary. Environmental awareness and involvement for each one of us should be made a priority.



Madrid, Spain Metro Station. Photo by Metro.com

Recycling bins in Madrid, Spain. Photo by Mariela Cox

Wind turbines in Spain. Photo
by Mariela Cox

Still me, only different.

I am still an only child, I am still married, I am still me but this trip had changed me completely. When I sign up for this three week adventure to Spain, I had not idea that deep impact it would have on me as person. I knew that taking two college classes while on the move was going to be a challenge so I can say that I was shocked to see the amount of work and dedication it took to stay on top of all of our assignments. We usually had an hour to sit down and write our blogs, respond to emails and well honestly check myspace.com. Taking a class abroad yes was hard but I learned more in those three weeks in Spain that I could have ever learned in a regular classroom setting. The books came alive to me. After reading one chapter about the history of Spain, we usually had the opportunity to visit these magnificent places. It made history came alive, these places, the battle and the people where real. It is hard to understand what really happened from black and white, but seeing the palaces, the ruins made it real.


I had read about the Moors influence in Spain but I did not realize as to what extent. I was only after spending the day at La Alhambra that it made sense. I could undresntand why the Moors did not want to leave their paradise.

Studying abroad open my eyes to the world. Seeing how another culture functions, seeing the advances and disadvantages made me realized that as a person I could make a difference, I can make the world better. I have to be honest I wish the United States would adopt some of the European ways, especially siesta and the awareness of the environment. I was so impress as to how easy it was to get around Spain, how clean it was and how life seems to revolve around food and good company. I know that I will return to Spain, actually I have chosen to study at the university of San Sebastian next summer as part of my degree in Bilingual Communication. I also know that when ever someone was to ask my opinion if they should study abroad, I am sure I will scream at them and say “GO, go get your suitcase ready!” Spain has gotten under my skin and I feel the need to return and gain more experience. The travel bug has really gotten a hold of me. Not only do I wish to return to Europe, I wish to see more of the world. If I was able to gain this much from just three short weeks in Spain, I can only imagine what more I could learn from seeing the rest of our world. I encourage for anyone who has the opportunity to travel to do it with an open mind and a good attitude, no travel is perfect but that is where the fun part usually starts

Back at home

July 14th, San Antonio

Well the journey is sadly over. It is nice to be back at home with my friends and family but I do wish I could go back tomorrow to show my husband just how beautiful Spain really is, the pictures really do not do justice.

I returned home with over 800 pictures, and just thousands of memories, fun stories and adventures that will stay with me for a life time. This trip has really changed me in the way I view the world, and how I could improve something's here at home. Spain is focus on keeping a clean environment they pride them selves in using clean energy, recycling and using public transportation it was all this things that made me more aware of the little effort I have put into in keeping a clean environment in our town. Some of my project will be to start recycling, and start pressing our city to provide more options for recycling, since we live in a rural area we do not have city trash pick up but instead we rent dumpsters with no option for recycling. Also I am more energy efficient aware and I will start implementing some changes around my home and also encourage others to do the same. I believe that if we can start working together it is possible to keep the earth clean, first starting with ourselves and family encouraging others to also make the small effort to make a big change.

There is one thing I do regret now coming back from the trip, and that is not keeping a daily journal. So many things happened, that is hard to think back to what city I was even in however I am planning to sit down this week and work on writing as much as I can remember form each place, with the help of the hundred of photos I have, to conserve those memories.

Tomorrow is back to reality, we return to class bright and early where I will be working on grammar and editing the past blogs.

Thanks to all of those who read my blog, I truly appreciated the feedbacks and encouragements.

All good things must come to an end

Sunday, July 1st 2007
Madrid

Here I am in a small and a little smelly Internet cafe not far from our hotel, it is very crowded today there is even a man with a small parakeet on his shoulder and the bird is making a lot of nice. This will be my last blog entry until I return to the states, but how I wish I could stay here longer.

After only three weeks of hard bread, lots of water, walking endlessly, and tons of fun my trip to beautiful Spain has come to an end. Tomorrow we are heading back to Newark, NJ where we are expecting a 7 hour layover, yuck! but some of us are thinking of quickly escaping to New York in search for some knockoff purses and little sightseeing.

Last night was a night of celebration here in Madrid, it was the Gay pride parade it was really a blast, there was more than 300,000 people on the streets dancing, drinking and having fun. We stayed out walking the party buses come down the street full with, well what can you expect, full of almost naked men. To see that many people out on the street was something rather shocking I had never seen a sea of people just having fun and being themselves.
I can not wait to return to Spain and hopefully soon. I have already spoken to my husband about returning later on this year or early next since I have truly fallen in love with this country. Spain is going to be the place I will recommend to people to come and vacation in there is so much to do and see.


Thank you Spain for the great memories and good times!
Chao

Could I just stay here please ?

June 30th, 2007
Madrid

When I first sign up for this trip, I had not idea it was going to have such a great impact in my life, it had actually change me as a person. After spending three short weeks in Spain, I have fallen in love with this country, its people and their life style. This week had been a great week very relaxing, it felt to good to say ¨I don’t have anything plan for today but there is always something to do in Madrid.
Last night a group of us went to the opening of the Gay pride week, it was very interesting to see, and a lot of fun there was great music playing and everyone was dancing in the streets, as soon as we got off the metro and walked up the stairs to the street, the whole place was packed with people just having fun and being themselves, something I have never seen in the US. It seems to me that people here in Spain are more open to new ideas and are not as judgmental as back in the states, but that is just my personal opinion based on what I have seen and experienced.
Today Victoria and I went and had lunch at this great Argentino restaurant where we had some steaks, finally!!. We have spend the rest of the afternoon walking around the city, window shopping and looking for a new suit case for me to take back with all the souvenirs i have gotten.. what can i say i love to shop. I am looking forward to coming home and spending time with my husband, relaxing at home. I will post pictures and videos of this trip as soon as I return home.

Until then... Olé!

I saw an orginal Picasso!!!

Sevilla

June 24th, 2007

Our second day in Sevilla is winding down but the heat is definitely not. We arrived yesterday and shortly after checking in to our hotel, which by the way is beautiful, we went out for a walking orientation of the city but soon after starting our walk our guide, Gary realized that we were all melting in the sun and everyone was falling behind so we cut the walk short. Victoria and I decided to walk back to the hotel, but only after getting some cold and much earned ice-cream I got the lemon and mango sherbet, it was so refreshing.

Dinner at the hotel was also excellent, although it was nearly 100 degrees outside we had chicken soup for dinner, it seemed that everyone loved it because there was hardly any plated still full, the second course was pork sirloin and watermelon for desert.

Today had been a full day again. We had a 7 am wakeup call and breakfast at 8 am, the breakfast was so good, I wanted to eat everything that they had, I could not get enough of the fresh squeezed orange juice. After eating we had a guided tour to the Plaza España.

The highlight of my day was going to the Museo de Bellas Artes, where I saw an original Picasso painting, La Planchadora. I had dreamed of seeing an original Pablo Picasso painting and today it happen. I was amazed to be standing in front of this magnificent work of art. Today we also I had the opportunity to visit the tomb of Christobal Colon, that was something spectacular, to be standing in front of the final resting place of the man who discovered the Americas, and to think that it was thanks to him that I am here was mind boggling.

Well my time is coming up to get off the computer since there is people waiting to use the computer. I will post more once I arrive to Madrid.

Stairs at the Plaza Epaña

Pablo Picasso. La Planchadora

Real Alcazar Palace

http://www.esp.andalucia.com/home.htm

La Reconquista

Torremolinos

June 21, 2007

I am completely exhausted from walking 30 blocks to get to the internet cafe, but it had been worth it, since this Torremolinos is a beautiful beach city. Today is just absolutely perfect, a nice cool breeze, sunny skies and a breathtaking ocean view the water is a deep blue with white sandy shores. I have not had the change to visit the beach yet, that is on my agenda for tomorrow since we finally have a FREE day, that means no 6 am wake up call, no bus leaving at 8 a.m. and I will be sleeping in a little bit especially since we have a night of dancing planned.

Now getting to business, my topic for the day is the Reconquest or ¨reconquista¨, this lasted for almost 800 years and was one of the most important historically events in Spain. The battle was between the Christians and the Moors. The moors had their strongest influence in Andalusia in cites such as Cordoba, Sevilla and Granada all of which I have had the pleasure of visiting.
The key players during the reconquista where El cid, who Spain adopted as their national hero, he represented the confusion of loyalty between Christians and Moors at the time. Alfonso VI who exile El Cid and fought in the service of the Moors but his army was recaptured in Toledo in the first victory of the reconquista which boosted the moral of the Christians in the old Visigoth capital. The Jews were also involved in the reconquista, the were expelled by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492, the Jews were giving the choice to be baptized or leave definitely .

.........More to come, running out of time at the internet cafe......

La Alhambra

Gaudi, a master of architecture

June 20th, 2007

Barcelona

In Barcelona, we got the opportunity to see some of Gaudi´s work. The most popular of his architectural works are the Sagrada Familia a church that until this date is still unfinished, it started in 1882, the church is amazing to say the least, the style is a gothic and modern which was influeced by the great immigaration to Barcelona. Another work by Gaudi was the Parque Guell, the park has a very unique and distinct architectural desing, Gaudi uses lost of colors and odd shapes in anything he built. The park has a whole roof with mosaic railing that gave live to the building and this was the only place where the was no flowes growing. Arches, domes and pillars could be found all around the park, it resemble very much a childs playground, combinng nature and architecture to blend together, as if the buiding grew into the park. I have learned to apreciate Gaudi´s style of architecture especially after having the apportunity of seeing his work first hand.

Me at the Guell Park

Gaudi´s Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Buen provecho

June 19th, 2007

Valencia

A nice breeze helped cools us off as we step out of our tour bus. We had been on the road to Valencia for over 7 hours and it was a relief to be able to stand up straight. It was a nice surprise to feel the warmth of the sun on my face, since for the past few days it had been a little chilly.

We began walking down the street in search for a place to eat. We found a nice cafe on a small side street. The cafe had several small tables set up outside under some orange trees that were in bloom. We sat down and quickly ordered our food. I had the menu del dia (menu of the day). Soon after arriving, a small man with his guitar came and stood across the restaurant and began strumming his guitar. He sang Guantalamera and other Spanish songs. At that time, all of our moods changed from a grumpy and tired to a happy and upbeat as if the music erased our exhaustion from long road trip.

Our waiter brought my first course, was arroz al horno (baked rice), which was so delicious, it was yellow rice with garbanzos and lamb a full plate that would of been enough but I was anxious to taste my second dish that was soon to come. The second dish was a fresh and tender Lenguado, an excellent white meat fish that was covered with a creamy butter sauce accompanied by some scallop potatoes and green beans. The fish seems to melt in my mouth, and even as I was feeling full, I could not stop eating it. After the main dishes was serve and eaten, dessert followed I order the manzana asada (baked apple), it was more than exquisite the taste was granny and sweet you could cut the sugary sweet coat with a spoon. I was one happy girl as I ate my dessert. After finishing our perfect meal, we sat back and chatted for a little while.We could hear the faint sound of music coming from around the corner on the next street, the band was playing Mana, and we all began to sing along with the faint lyrics.


The church bells rang punctually at 3 p.m. that was our cue to leave. We had a lot planned for the small amount of time we had in Valencia. We walked fast to the church where the Holy Grail is located. It was an amazing experience to walk around the ancient church filled with paintings and sculptures from the 17th and 18th century. We saw the Holy Grail from behind a thin rope, still encased in a protective box. We also saw original paintings from Goya and even saw the arm of Vincent the Martyr. That was a Little creepy to say the least. Our stay in Valencia was very short, and it left me wanting more, but at the very least I was able to see the Holy Grail and had an amazing lunch...Tomorrow we have an early wake up call to head to Granada.

Manzana asada

Arm of Vincent the Martyr

What did they say?

Barcelona
June 18th, 2007

In Barcelona there was to much to do and not enough time. That is why I was rather disappointed of the little I saw of the city. We stop to eat as this little authentic Italian restaurant, while eating there a couple sitting next to us was holding hands and smiling a lot. It was obvious that they were in love. They spoke softly, but I was able to make out that they were speaking English. The man softly held her hand and had a charming smile on his face. The women flirted with her eyes and giggled as she hanged on his every word. I overheard them speaking about the time they were returning to their cruise ship that afternoon and spoke of the great time they were having in Spain, I did hear him say that Barcelona was not quite what he had expected and would have much rather gone to visit another city. The couple also spoke about their time in Italy. Apparently, they had also visited Tuscany and other parts of the country. Although their conversation was short and hard to hear over the loud music, it was interesting to see how people interact, and how I could read their body language. It was easy to see how clearly in love they were.

This assignment was challenging. It was hard to focus on what we were talking about, especially when one is eating delicious Italian food yet it was a good exercise for anyone. To train your mind to multitask is the key to any good reporter.

All you need in Spain

June 18th ,2007
Barcelona

All you will ever need in Spain is a good pair of walking shoes, bread and water. The shoes are the most important part, since there is a lot of walking involved, and you do want to explore every single corner in every place visited.
During this past week, we have been in Madrid, Burgos, San Sebastian, Bilbao, and Pamplona, today we are in Barcelona. All of these cities have been influenced by the Hapsburgs and Bourbons. San Sebastian and Burgos were strongly influence by the Hapsburgs, especially with architecture. The Hapsburgs were obsessed with making everything grand and paid attention to the minute detail, in the Sagrada Familia cathedral there many references to the Holy Trinity, and the Holy family all represented in several different views and forms.

The Bourbons were sent to centralize Spain with authority. This created a power struggle with the Bureaucrats, new ideas were coming in by these immigrants and people resisted, which explains why people in Barcelona are still very reserved and conservative, although people are still friendly is you approach them with a smile, they are still not as warm as other parts of Spain that we have visited.

First impression are everything.

June 16th, 2007

San Sebastian


Throughout Spain’s history, there has been as influence of other cultures. During this trip, I have seen all the places that we have read about in our textbooks for example, the Palacio Real de Madrid where King Felipe II ruled. This week we have been traveling through the north part of Spain. For the last two days, we have been in San Sebastian, which was originally control by the Basques until the Spanish reconquista began. In addition, we explored Burgos, which was also heavily influenced by the gothic styles especially in churches, with their giant in structures and crafted to the smallest details. It is sometimes hard to comprehend how back in the 18th century architects. Were able to build such magnificent structures without the modern technology we have today. All I could do was to stand within these magnificent places of history and soak in all its beauty.


San Sebastian has been so far my favorite place so far. I am tempted to hide under my bed and stay here. Today we took a 2-hour walking tour of the city. We saw the beach, and for the first time I almost cried because it reminded me so much of Antofagasta, Chile where I was born and raised. The people here are so friendly and helpful. We had an excellent tour guide who took us to the top of a hill to get a panoramic view of the city. It was simply breathtaking. To one side the deep blue sea, the shore filled with white sailboats and people walking on the beach, and to the other side we could see the mountains that divided the border between Spain and France. Actually, the French border is only 20 miles away, too bad we only had two days in San Sebastian otherwise I would of love to take a day trip across the border. Next time I will.

Me in San Sebastian

Sailboats in San Sebastian

The World is a book.....

Burgos, Spain

June 14th, 2007


"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page,” said Saint Augustine, it was this very phrase that inspired me to travel and see the world, I only hope that reading about my experiences will inspire others to do the same and get out to see the world.

Spain had been magnificent, to say the least. Everyone I meet is warm and welcoming. Some people may feel that because they do not speak the language of the country they would like to travel it will hinder their experience, but let me assure you that it is not the case here in Spain. I am fortunate to be able to manage the language, but for those whom do not, anywhere you go in Spain people will give their best effort to speak in English and make you feel welcome, like an old friend that is just happy to see you.

Important lessons I have learn form this trip so far, is that it is possible to have a clean, organized and interesting country if everyone works together. Anywhere in Spain people take pride on their city but providing clean fuel public transportation, and metros to alleviate the congestions on the streets and reduce pollution. I ask my self, why could we not take more pride about our environment? Especially being a world leader the US should take a queue from Spain in the environment advances made here.

Traveling to another county should be more than just going out to see new things, or shopping. It should also be about learning why those sites are there to begin, for example La Cathedral de Burgos took over 300 years to build and is still standing strong and just as beautiful. It is important since it is the resting place for El Cid, who is a hero to the Spaniards. Understanding the past allows us to comprehend the future. Everyone should care about other cultures and become a well-rounded individual. I believe the best way to gain this experience is to travel to those places that call the heart.

Personally, these few days of being away from United States has open my eyes to how sheltered and narrow minded some people can be about others places around the world. I aspire to bring new ideas back to the United States about how we can improve as a community, and hope for a better place to live.

Llegamos vivitos y sanos

Our journey has begun, after a long and exhausting 12 hrs of flying we are finally in Madrid. Once we arrived in Madrid’s airport it had been non-stop for all of us. We arrived around 10:40 a. m., and honestly it was hard to believe that I am actually in Europe! We waited for a while for our suitcases to come out. It was very hot in this small baggage claim, full of tourist and Spaniards alike all lined up waiting for their bags to come out. I, too, waited patiently to see my pink suitcase emerge. I was relieved to see it finally emerge. Some were not as lucky. Our teacher’s in fact was placed on another flight, which delayed our departure from the airport.

We all gathered in the airport’s lobby and waited for our tour bus to arrive. We walked outside crossing a sea of taxis, and cars to a parking lot full of tour buses. Our bus was comfortable and big, and it had to be since there is another group from Alaska also on this Spain adventure. We drove around seeing the sites around Madrid; my first impression was nothing less than amazement! What a magnificent city, everywhere you look; there is something grand staring back at you, from the spectacular architecture dating centuries ago, to new modern construction. We soon arrived to our hotel. My first impression was, a little less than excitement. I was glad to arrive and have a place to take a cold shower, since we were all hot and tired from the long flight. I took this little elevator to the second floor where our room was. I enter this big apartment-like room. It is equipped with a small kitchen, dinning room, and a small living room with a little TV. Our room is kind of small, with two twin beds together. I laugh when I saw the beds together and jokingly said to my roommate just barely meet you¨. The big plus of our hotel room is the balcony that overlooks a residential street where cars are parked all along the narrow and often busy road. Although our room is warm and a little dark, I am pleased to lie down on a bed after being in a plane packed like sardines.

Madrid is truly amazing. For a city this big it is incredibly clean and organized. It even smells different, as if the air is clean too. Our next stop was the Palacio Real de Madrid, which was incredible, there were endless rooms that flowed from one to the next all having different themes with different carpets or curtains to aid in knowing where exactly one is in the grand palace. It was as something out of the movies. This castle was magnificent! Filled with marble, gold statues, ancient artifacts and much more. I even saw a shield of Chile, since it was part the reinatos of Spain.

I would love to write longer, unfortunately I only paid for 1 hr of Internet cafe and my clock is winding down. I will update more hopefully tomorrow and continue sharing my amazement and adventures.

The story of Spain

The Beginning.

The Iberians were one of the first groups to conquest Spain. The Iberians are referred to as enduring, quarrelsome devoted to their animals, suspicious of strangers and religion, but above all, they are characterized for their individualism and dislike for organization. Iberians spoke Basque, a exceptionally difficult and complex language.

They were the first colonizers from an identifiable civilization. The also brought iron, and introduced the short sword. They were mostly pastoral by nature, lived in remote areas, and brought the custom of wearing trousers.

The Phoenicians arrived next. They were seeking copper, silver, and the hope of trading their manufactured goods in return but they did more than see minerals; they also took over the Atlantic trading route. With the arrival of the Phoenicians, Iberians for the first time were introduce to the advanced Mediterranean society. Iberians benefited from the Phoenician alphabet that helped them developed their written language.

Greeks also had an incredible influence in the “creation” of Spain. They are credited for striking the first coins, developing oil and wine culture. The Greek expansion was cut short when the Carthaginians took over, remaining in control of the entire southern coast for over two centuries. In the end their greatest contribution was that they brought the Romans.

Busy Bee

Wow, can you say busy? It's amazing the amount of work that goes into traveling, and the entire running around making sure you are packing enough. Let me just say that my life is a little hectic right now, but it is all going to be worth it in the end.

Our classes are excellent; a lot of work goes into to becoming a better writer. The course is really a great foundation for gaining good writing and communications skills. Although I have always seemed to struggle with getting my ideas on paper, I have learned to enjoy writing, especially about things that interest me. For example, I feel very passionate about animal rights, improving the quality of life for our elderly community, and Bilingual education to name a few. Coming from another country, I have had the opportunity to see how different cultures feel about these topics, and I would like to explore them more with the objective of bring about a change of attitudes.

Although I am not a native Texan, I do take pride in the small town I live in. Floresville is a small town located southeast of San Antonio. Life is quiet out here, and not a lot of news happens. Which explains why our local newspaper is only printed once a week. Because of the long time frame news are delivered to the city, leads me to believe that some information is going unnoticed or disregarded that may be relevant to some. Some issues that are left unexplored are the lack of recycling services, no high-speed I Internet available especially to the schools or how to get involve in the community.

Still in San Antonio

June 4, 2007 Palo Alto College, San Antonio TX

Let the final count down begin! My mind is filled with hopes and thoughts about what this Spain adventure will bring, and my stomach filled with butterflies from excitement as our departure date fast approaches. How to being summarizing what I expect to gain from this opportunity? The main thoughts I have is to learn and soak in all I can from all the wonderful places that are waiting for me, I hope to return home with a better understanding about the world that I live in, and to know that this there is more out there than just this little piece of land I walk on everyday. I hope to make new friends, to have fun and experience unique adventures. I hope to come back with more pictures than I can afford to print, and a story attached to each and everyone of them. How to being grasping the idea that I will be a whole continent away from my bed! A completely new world is out there just waiting for me to discover it and I have my walking shoes ready. I can only imagine what Spain will be like. So far, I have countless stories from our teachers and those who have gone in the past. I have the website with photos and pages of itineraries. I picture Spain as a country filled with new colors, taste and smells, the food I imagine will be delicious. I personally cannot wait to visit El Museo del Jamon,, the museum of ham. I can picture myself sitting there enjoying the fantastic food, and of course with a good glass of tinto as I watch the European world go by. I know that I am setting out to explore, learn, and enjoy every single second I spend in Spain.