Disfraz Fiesta and Teaching

At the Rector Peset, the Spanish students plan several parties that everyone can buy tickets for. The most recent was a costume (disfraz) party in the basement of the dorm. Buying the ticket was last minute, but I ended up going as a beach bum. The party was so much fun - the Spanish kids always do a great job with planning them. The 'Divinas' of Rector (similar to the Plastics of Mean Girls, but they're not very mean) all dressed up as sailors. Some of the others dressed up as the Jolly Green Giant, a spice girl, and one was a knight. I was surprised that their costumes were similar to ones in the U.S. It was such a great night! :)

The same weekend, I went to a small community center by the beach with my friend Sean to teach English. It was one of the neatest interactions I've had with people in Spain because the people there were in my same position of trying to learn a new language. I was able to help them, and at the same time, practice my Spanish a little bit. We worked on pronunciation since it was only their second week, and everyone seemed to enjoy it!

When in Rome...

A trip to Italy has always been at the top of my bucket list, and last weekend, I finally got to check it off. I was so happy we managed to fit several of the major attractions into just a few days. We were on the go for a good part of it, but definitely took time to relax, drink wine, and do as the Italians do!

We stayed in a cute Italian hostel called Etsy Bed and Breakfast, which came equipped with an Italian mother I've always wanted! She was so sweet to us, but we had a hard time communicating since she spoke neither Enlgish nor Spanish.

This was our first meal in Rome! It was the first of many bottles of red wine and plates of pasta. I ordered fetuccini alla carbonara (red sauce with peas).

One of the first things we decided to do was visit the Colosseum. Being there was surreal since I had seen it so many times in pictures, but never right in front of me. So much history happened within the monument that it was difficult to soak everything in.

Inside the Colosseum

This was originally covered by the ground on which the gladiators fought. Each of the small chambers held a gladiator before he was brought out to fight.

We were able to visit the Roman Forum on our first day too. The ruins are considered to be the heart of ancient Rome. Again, it was an overwhelmingly great amount of history to soak in at one time.

I ate gelato SO many times during the weekend. I think my favorite was probably one called chocolate with biscuits. The fruity flavors were delicious also, but I couldn't help but try all the chocolate flavored gelato.

We visited the Trevi fountain twice during our stay. It's my (hands down) favorite place in Rome. The water that flowed through it was gorgeous, and I don't know how to describe the statues really. They seemed life-like--I guess you just have to see it yourself!

The Trevi by night

Throw one coin in: You will return to Rome.

Throw two coins in: You will fall in love in Rome.

Throw three coins in: Start hearing wedding bells.

After sipping wine in the plaza and eating gelato (of course), we went inside the Patheon!

Inside the Pantheon: the Romans invented the dome! Inside, it once was a shrine for the Roman Gods, but has since been used for Catholic purposes.

This is Katie and I in Piazza Navona with one of the several fountains. This was actually one of Elizabeth Gilbert's (Eat Pray Love) favorite spots in Rome when she visited, so I was really excited to be there.

My roommate Jessica and I on the way to the Sistine Chapel

Unfortunately, we weren't able to take pictures inside of the Sistine Chapel, but it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. The detailing Michelangelo used for his art on the celing was incredible. The paintings seemed 3D, so the room seemed completely overwhelming and colorful. The pictures do not come close to doing it justice.

My friend Sean took this picture of me in the Vatican Museums. A guard yelled at him for laying on the ground, but we got an awesome picture out of it. :)

We visited St. Peter's (the biggest cathedral in the world) in Vatican City before leaving. Outside of the cathedral, the POPE came out of his window and spoke to the group of people waiting for him about God's love and promises. He also blessed us! Even though I'm not Catholic, it was incredible to see him in person and be a part of such a neat event.

I had a wonderful time with great friends, and if my wish at the Trevi Fountain comes true, I'll be returning. :)

Valencia by Bike

Last weekend, a group of ten of us decided to rent 'Do You Bike' bikes for the whole day to see more of Valencia. None of us had ridden a bike in years, so we were really sore after biking for about 6 hours, but it was so worth it. The weather was beautiful--sunny and breezy, which made for a great day. I actually forgot how much I loved riding bikes! Someone even mentioned that it felt like we were a part of Eat Pray Love strolling on our bikes on the other side of the world. This day was a highlight of my time in Valencia so far.

We passed by the rio and La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. The rio is probably one of my favorite parts

of the city--it's filled with foutains, palm and orange trees, and people just hanging out.

This was our bike line-up when we stopped at a little shop to get bread, chorizo, and cheese for our beach picnic.

After eating, we layed on these rocks and listened to our i-pods for a little while. It was so relaxing taking a nap right next to the water!

After lots of picture taking at the beach, this is our official Backstreet Boys album cover--Enough said.

¡Los Murciélagos!--Valencian Soccer

Two weeks ago, we went to the Champions League game--Valencia vs. Schalke (Germany) at the Valencian stadium, Mestalla. The game was intense. We scored a goal during the first half, and they scored one during the second half ending it with a tie. The people around us were kind of skeptical at first since we were all speaking English, but after my friend Agata spouted off reasons in Spainsh of why futbol in Spain is better than in the United States, they loved us. One interesting thing I noticed that is a lot different from what we do back home is that here, they whistle instead of booing. Normally, we consider whistling to be a good thing, but when the Valencians were upset, it sounded like vultures squawking in the stadium.

This is the Bocadillo Man. This man loved the fact that we were Americans...so he kept offering us some of his bocadillo (sandwich).

The madness after the game