We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. ~Frederick Keonig

So, I go to SWITZERLAND tomorrow. I am more excited than you could know.
All day Pablo hasn´t been in school, and niether have I because of a huge strike that the whole country is participating in. Tons of busses are shut down, airplanes, grocery stores, schools, etc. So Pablo got to hear me tell him a million times about my excitement about going to Switzerland. So, I told him again right after I officially printed out my boarding pass, and he just looks at me and goes, "Great. I´m going to school." and then walked away. Oh, Pablo. What will I do without you?

I am trying to remember what has happened since my last post, which I suppose was more than a week ago. I have been pretty busy. Well, school wise I have had a bunch of tests lately. I got an 8 on my philosophy test, an 8.5 on the essay for philosophy. I got an 8 on a math test, that everyone had failed the week before. I actually had a long conversation in my biology class about how I get better grades than the rest of the kids in my class, and the teacher told them to be ashamed. And they all just said it was because I am just really smart, and that no matter what language it was in I´d get good grades :) I think it´s becuase of the work hard, never rest american ethics that I have grown up seeing.

I went to a small town called Mijas in Malaga for my photography class last Saturday, it was  a cute little town, but it rained. Of course, the one day we go to go on a class trip, it rains. It never rains here. But when it does, it is absolutly the most inconvienient time.

I still took good shots though. here are a few:

This was a class favorite :)

Well, thats all for now, I shoudl get a good nights sleep before all my traveling tomorrow! I will make sure to take TONS of photos :)

“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

After talking with my family over the weekend I realized I am certainly missing a lot this year (namely a lot of big steps for Dani<3) Dani has a good role in her Madhatters play, she is going to be in our local talent show (the bizz), and she is graduating 5th grade. I will also be missing Jeremy´s high school graduation, and most of my best friend´s graduation.

I missed christmas and thanksgiving. I missed camping trips and family outings. I missed fall. But through all this, I have learned SO much. I have experienced things I could not have experienced in any other way. I know that in order to gain things in life you need to sacrifice. I sacrificed a year with my family to learn a new language and learn a new way of life.

Here are some quirky things I have learned while in Spain:

1. Everything will be okay, I don´t need to stress. If I miss the bus and I am late; if I don´t do as well as I wanted on my test; if plans fall through that I was looking forward to; etc, I can still make it. Being in Spain and the attitude of the people here has taught me to be more laid back. I have become a less stressed out person. I realize now that if things don´t go as planned, well the sky isn´t falling, is it? I will still be alive, I will still have my loving family and friends, and life will go on. 

2. Personal Motivation - Okay, to be honest I am still working on this one. But I will say my personal motivation skills have certainly improved considering I run on a regular basis without having a sport (well....lately I´ve been slacking...) and I do well in school and on tests despite that little voice in my head that tells me all my grades here don´t even count for anything and that even if I fail, it doesn´t even matter. 

3. Independence - I believe myself to be a very independent person to begin with, but coming to Spain has shown me a whole new level of independence. I can take busses and taxis by myself. I can approach strangers to ask questions (and in a different language), I can use an ATM (which may not be so good..), I can buy tickets and take trains by myself. Oh, the taste of independence :)

4. How to properly eat an orange. - This one speaks for itself. In the US I avoided eating oranges that were not precut becuase I didn´t understand how to eat one. Now I can.

5. How to change the television setting to english Oh it is God. I can watch my favorite shows. In English.

6. That walking is actually a valid form of transportation I swear I walk like 5 miles a day. In the US...well I walked to my car, what 50 feet?

Yeah those last few were kind of a joke...but in all honesty...eating an orange is tricky!

Miss everyone. Ally

Don't live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable. ~Wendy Wasserstein

I really love this quote, I think that it really stands to represent all AFS Students (or any student who travels abroad in High School). We decided to do something with our lives, and we didn´t decide that we eventually were going to do it, in our future, when we got older; we decided to do it now. We don´t wait for life to begin, we make life begin.

So, life has been pretty simple. Its getting warmer, I´m running again. I have 3 weeks til I go to Switzerland. 4 weeks until Lyla comes.
On Friday, Kate, the other American in my school, came over, and we made brownies then went out and took pictures, and we saw my friend from school who, when he say me threw his shoes in the air then hugged me while picking me up in the air. All of which I was not expecting and got completely shocked. But, I guess its good to know my friends care about me, I guess?

On Saturday I went out with my friend from school, Mariely, and I took portrait pictures of her for my photography class. They came out amazing! I went to her house after and we hung out and talked until 11. I also ate dinner at her house and learned that her mom studied in Kansas City in college.

On Monday I went for a run, came home and just as I was stepping out of the shower Mariely called me and asked if I wanted to go running. So I quickly changed and grabbed my bike and biked with her while she ran. She ran to the port, then stopped and we began to walk back to her house. We attempted to have her sit on my handlebars while i biked, but she is really tall, so I could´t really see past her too well, and her weight made it hard to steer the bike, so we nearly ran over quite a few people, but we managed....for about 100 meters....

Still having fun in Malaga with american friends and spanish friends :) I miss everyone! 3 and a half more months!

“Life is either a daring adventure, or it is nothing.” ~ Helen Keller

I have been in Spain for 6 months. I am nearing the home stretch with only four months left. ONLY FOUR MONTHS. thats it. time flew by way too fast, and its only getting faster. I just had february break (which I will tell more about in a bit..and of course post some pictures..) and now I have less than four weeks before I go to Switzerland to visit ANNIKA, and then after that Lyla comes to visit! Too much happening and too little time to do it in!

So the rest of my vacation was really fun. Despite after skiing for like 7 hours straight (okay a half hour lunch break) every day and not being able to walk after...it was still fun. I am still sorta sad that there wasn´t as much snow as there is normally...or really any snow at all except for on SOME of the ski trails. But I can´t complain, at least I got to go skiing. We also visited a small town near to the small town we were staying in that had some snow...but clearly from a while ago, so it was all ugly and brown.
During vacation I definitly feel that i bonded a lot more with my little cousins. I think they finally realized I am okay to play with and that I am not some random stranger that happens to be at their grandma´s house every sunday. I spent a lot of my afternoon´s on the mountain playing in the snow with them. Here´s a picture with some of them:

Also yesterday, a friend of mine in my program who originally was living in Sevilla moved to a new family in Malaga, and now goes to my school. It is nice having another girl who speaks english, and we have become fast friends especially since she got here and I know her being here will make these next 4 more months amazing. However, the downfall to here being here is that I swear these last two days I have talked more in english than in spanish, and this cannot keep going on like this. We need to learn some self discipline and talk in spanish, even though we both can talk in english easier. That is our new challenge.

Well...I started writing this blog post and then I left and skyped with a friend of mine (also a girl in my program living in spain) who was having some problems and needed to talk...so now its 10 and I still have to study for my french test...I will write more this weekend.

Adios! or should I say Bonsoir! necesito estudiarrr!

PS...i was also gunna throw out alittle bit of what I was thinking college wise. Cuase..you know I am a junior, which means I sort of need to have a general idea. My current life plan (subject to change..) I want to major in/study international relations and affairs, translation and language interpretation, and get a certificate, or more, in teaching english as a second language. With these majors I can graduate college go teach english in other countries and live in other countries for some time (like i want to do) and teach other poeple english while living out my dream learning about other countries. Once I get bored of that (because you all know me...I like to mix things up..), I can either come home to the US and teach foreign languages at home (if I am ready to come home and settle down), or if I want to keep traveling but less long term, I can either do volunteer work, put my international affairs or translation major to use and work for the government, or big companies and do international work for them, and presumably travel.

Colleges that I am interested in that have at least two of the above mentioned majors:

1. Salem State  University in Salem, MA.

2. Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec

3. CUNY Hunter University in New York, NY (yeah, I have really warmed up to the idea of college in the city, living in a city here in Spain has really showen me how much I actually really love cities)

4. SUNY Buffalo in Buffalo, NY (Okay, i know its freezing there and I might as well go to Alaska, but...the school is great. And I prefer really cold over really hot. Maybe I should do my college visit in winter, so I can really see how cold everyone claims it is)

5. SUNY Oswego in I think Oswego, NY (Also in northern NY, right on lake ontario, but hey, why not?)

6. Bridgewater University in Bridgewater, MA

So yeah. That´s kind of what I want to do with my life at this moment in time. I also want to study abroad in college. Probably to France, cause I want to learn french. So. If you have any suggestions, comments, anything im forgetting, etc. maybe talk some sense into me. Who knows. Email me, or comment ! Thankss