Hi everyone!

Sorry in advance for taking so long to update you all. Life is in full swing, and naps are sadly being prioritized over writing my blog.

So since my last post, I’ve been lucky enough to see/visit a ton of things.

Medulas: Our class took a trip out to the mountains to explore some really cool caves there were old goldmines of the Romans. Essentially, they ran water through some under ground tunnels and built up enough pressure to break up the rock under ground to harvest the gold. The views were absolutely AMAZING. Its a little strange through because the land/rock was red like in Arizona, but there was a ton of green vegitation at the same time. I wish my pictures could do the view some justices.

Chocolate tasting: Every thursday, our class generally has a “tasting” class where our professor brings in the traditional food that we have been studying that week. Last week since everyone was away in Portugal (seriously we had 4 people in our class), she decided to go visit a chocolate store. It was a tough day. A really popular snack here is “Chocolate with Churros”. We were luck enough to get a sampler of 4 different chocolates, dark, milk, a cold “French Chocolate”, and a white chocolate. Holy cow was it amazing. I may have gained 5 pounds afterwards, but it was SO worth it. The chocolate has a thick consistency and is warmed, almost like you melted down a whole chocolate bar. I wish all of you could fly here for one day just to try this heavenly concoction.

Santiago/A Coruna: Last weekend, I took an excursion with the Language Center to Galicia, the northwestern state in Spain. We started in Santiago, where the “Camino Del Santiago” ends. Some people had been walking for over a month, so it was really cool to see everyone excited to walk into town and take pictures in front of the cathedral. We were able to walk on the roof of the cathedral as well, which had super awesome views of the city. All the “Romanico” cathedrals were made in the shape of cross to represent the “body of Jesus”. Its hard to tell from below, but all the over head views show an awesome view of the cross shape.

The next day, we traveled to A Coruna.. where I experienced my first NUDE beach. Don’t worry, I stayed fully clothed. It was pretty awkward seeing so much naked-ness, but cool at the same time to see that being naked doesnt always have to represent something sexual. Props to all those old fellas out there, letting their stuff hang! I don’t think I would have enough balls (hehe there were so many at the beach) to walk around naked and proud!

The Meat/Cheese Factory: Yesterday, we went to a cheese factory and then a cured meat factory afterwards. Both places didnt have the BEST smell in the world… The cheese factory getting my vote for the worst. But the free ice cream at the end of the visit definitely made up for the smells.

The meat factory was.. something else. I guess being from the US, it is a little unusual to see dead animals hanging around (which is actually super common here). The whole “cured meat” thing was something I could have lived without knowing as well. Essentially, they just let the meat sit in a room and rot for awhile… Then after awhile, they clean off the mold stuff and then you eat it. Yum…… What I would do for a normal “American” Ham.

In other, more personal news, I have had this constant battle of trying to discover what I am really passionate about in life. When I was growing up, it was sports, but as I got older, I felt like I had interest in a million different things. I guess I always thought being passionate had to involve something specific, like being passionate about soccer, cooking, or something of that sort. It took awhile to figure it out, but I feel like I finally have realized what I am most passionate about: learning. My whole life, I have loved school, learning new things/people/facts. Being here and constantly learning new things/facts/history/people has made me the happiest I have ever been. I just really like “knowing stuff” , whether its relevant or not. Now if only learning/education wasn’t so darn expensive ☺ So with that, I think I would really like to become a professor one day so I can share my knowledge and love of learning with others who want to learn. Needless to say, it feels pretty great to begin figuring my life out ☺

The whole next week I get to spend it at 2 beaches, San Sebestian and Barcelona. Finally all my “Big trips” are happening and I get to travel around Spain. I am starting to get more and more excited to come home though. I am really starting to miss my family and friends (and American Food). But its just a little more than a month away till I am back, and I’m sure it will fly by! ☺

Until next time, Hasta Luego! ☺