Fun ding-a-lings

Well, my life is boring, I have some homework, so I thought I would post a couple entertaining videos.
<3



Awesome


awesome too


cute


I'm obsessed with this song!

I live in this place called Madrid, have you heard of it?

Yeah, so sometimes I think that I just live in an average cosmopolitan city (which I do) but I completely forget that I am in a different country, let alone continent. Except I can't understand like 40% of what people say and I don't have my precious trailblazer to drive wherever I please.

My life is pretty dull this week. It would tick off Galileo if he had as much Astronomy homework as I do right now, my Spanish class is retarded, it moves at the pace of a kindergarten class, and my art history class is one cruel, cruel joke. It was so funny because when I got here they tried to scare us into going class and told us that our grade would drop after two unescused absences (which peeved so many people).

Everyone was so grumpy then, but now I realize that it doesn't matter, because the classes are so easy. My biggest problem with them is that they participate in the cruel, antiquated practice of busywork... not even real educational homework, but the kind your professor gives you because he thinks he should.

Sigh, that was just me being a winer, but still, this school is such a joke, I have never had an easier semester and I am thankful for it because I get to spend more time galavanting around Madrid.

I've started taking photos of all the random things in Madrid so you can look forward to that album soon. Also, this weekend I am heading to Lisbon, my roomate just returned from the same trip this morning and she had a blast, I can't wait, luckily school days pass quickly.

<3 the whiner.

Hoy

Today I was supposed to go to Segovia. This cool city about two hours outside of Madrid. I got on the metro and headed to the Cercanias line which is the train station where I intended on buying my ticket.

However, after getting trapped in, what I like to call, "the box of metro death," then running around trying to find the right platform, and finally buying a ticket, sprinting to the station.... then missing the train.

My friend, Sandy, called me and informed me that everyone had made the train but me. And I was sad. I didn't want to wait two hours for the next train so I decided to just explore Madrid, take the bus around, shop, ect.

Then Sandy calls back and informs me that they just discovered they got on the wrong train, and we headed away from Segovia. SO they decide we will just take the bullet train from the Atocha station into Toledo, a closer city to the south of Madrid.

SO I get back on the metro, head to the Atocha station, only to discover, after about 45 minutes of lines and confusing Spaniards... that there is no way we are going to make the train.

So we give up.

We walked to Puerta del Sol, eat, then went to see our first movie in Madrid, Marie Antoinette. I do not recommend it. It had no plot. But it was still fun to watch. But seriously, there is absolutely NO plot.

Tomorrow is Sunday, I might head to the flea market, or explore the Prado. I will let you know tomorrow, chau!

Fun times

I actually stayed up until 7am like a real Spaniard last night! My parents should be proud.

We went to Madrid's mega-club, Kapital. It boasts 6 stories, three different types of music, and the top story is a lounge with a retractable roof! It was so cool. Unfortunately I did not bring my camera, but I will steal some other peoples photos so you can get an idea.

Bad part is that I woke up 5:30pm (oops) instead of 2pm. I guess I turned off my alarm in my sleep! Oh well, I'll just take some NyQuill tonight or something.

Peace out.
<3 Sarah

FIRE!

Well, a few things exciting happened today, but my day definitely ended with me watching someones apartment burn. I felt bad but I can't help but be drawn to destruction... and it's not like I was the only one.
Here is some footage I shot with my camera phone...

This first video they aren't trying to put out the fire, but they are spraying water on the windows of the apartment above to alert anyone who is inside.


This is what I saw when I first got out of the subway

Here is a still shot...


Anyway, it was a productive day, I went running in Retiro, the huge park by my apartment, I got my eyebrows waxed for the first time here (yeah I know, the plucking has sucked!) They did it different too, they didn't put paper over the wax, they just pulled off the wax, AND they had to do it over the same spots a couple times. So I have no idea what that was about.


I also got my ABONO pass for the metro FINALLY. It took me so long because I had to apply for the "Joven" pass because I am under 21. Which works out great for me because then when I actually buy the pass, it is much less expensive than the regular one. The pass is monthly, so instead of having to buy a "10 viajes" pass for 6euro I can have an unlimited amount for around 20euro, which will save me mucho euros because of how often I have to take the metro.
Oh, but my picture makes me look like I am wanted in the Czech Republic for murdering my boyfriend and selling drugs. But whatever, we all know I take convict photos.


OH and I found out that Tara, my roomate is a EU Citizen because both of her parents are Irish. This makes me especially jelous because EU citizens can basically just flash thier passport and be allowed into any EU country. So yeah, that is all for today, I got to go to class, Chau

Oh jeeze Cadiz

I got to dress up like pretty pretty princess, do cool face makeup, spend a great time with my friends, see wild people, hang out in a gorgeous beach town, and I only spent 20 euro! (not including what I paid for the actual trip, which wasn’t bad at all)


Well, I had a great weekend. It may have begun and ended with an almost 9 hour bus ride. But that is okay, at least I was able to view the beautiful Spanish countryside. However there is no way I can forget to mention the annoying girls that graced our bus. It is important to note that this was not a school trip, but done through an outside travel agency, but all the kids were American, just not all from my school. So…. these girls or “sloohas” brought these naked baby boy dolls that were anatomically correct…and did not let you forget it. They were flirting in dirty Spanish to the bus driver and they were yelling the most crude, insane things ever, usually over the loudspeaker and let’s just say we hated them! But we got them back later… you will see

Anyway we arrived at about 6pm on Friday at an amazing hotel outside of Cadiz, and we were given the option of going into Cadiz that night, but we weren’t in the mood so we headed into the nearby town for some dinner. It proved to be a bust. As we later discovered Cadiz was pretty dead too. The festivities didn’t officially kick off until Saturday. So we just chilled out at the hotel and rested up for the day!


Saturday we enjoyed our complementary breakfast at the hotel (we each made a couple bocadillos and saved them for later, this greatly contributed to me only spending 20 euro). Then we headed in to Cadiz at 12, and the bus was going to pick us up at 5. It was the perfect amount of time. We got to check out the town, and I got to spend some quality time on the beach which I have been missing so much! Madrid is in the dead center of Spain mind you. We also had some great lunch on the beach, and I bought a cool leather bracelet.

The bus took us back into town at 8pm where we were fully costumed up. Now although the actual carnivale was incredible, I might just have to say that the highlight of the whole trip was in the bus ride on the way into Cadiz at night. Unfortunately for us those same annoying girls from the bus ride here were on our bus. And I pray, for their sake that they were drunk, because I don’t know how you honestly say, out loud, the nasty things that came out of their mouth.

They got a hold of the loudspeaker and began their antics and continued acting like total sloohas. My friends and I filled up the last four rows on both sides of the back of the bust and we decided we would not stand for their annoyingness anymore. SO we started yelling at them. Basically we told them to shut up because they were dumb hoes and no one wanted to listen to them. Then we started singing… “nah nah nah nah, goodbye” they still didn’t stop, but everyone on the bus supported us. Then we started chanting, “échela!” Which means, throw her out. They couldn’t even get a word in over us, and they had control of the loudspeaker! Words cannot describe, but it was so incredible to finally tell those girls off. If anyone wants to know what kind of foul things they said you can feel free to email me, but there is NO way I will post them. I could write all about what they did once we got off the bus too, but I will refrain. You can just know they were true blue sloos.

Anyway Cadiz was pure madness. It reminded me a lot of Santa Barbara at Halloween, except people weren’t dressed as slooha-ish and more concerned with having a great time than being smashed. But anyway there were loads of people, however there was no music, which was one thing that was really disappointing, because at times it was just like… me in a huge crowd of crazy people. It was still fun, however the amount of people around me got really frustrating after awhile, especially because of how carefully I had to watch my bag.


Luckily there was nothing of much importance in it. I had my money in my bra and my camera around my wrist. The only thing in my bag was some sea glass from earlier in the day, my water bottle, lip gloss, hand sanitizer, and Kleenex. I also was lucky enough to catch a Cruz del Compo hat, which is a beer company who threw out these red hats with blonde hair coming out of the bottom of them (to match their spokesman character). AND although none of that was valuable I still had some of it stolen throughout the night. The hat was stolen, and so was my water bottle, although I am not sure why someone would want my water bottle, except maybe they thought it was booze because that seemed to be how most people were rolling.



Anyway we came back on the first bus… which was at 2am mind you. But still, we were exhausted and there were so many people you couldn’t move! But I had so much fun jumping around with my friends and chasing the people dressed up as pac man ect. It was a great time and totally worth it!





This weekend will be much lower key. I am staying put in Madrid but my roommate is heading out to Lisbon, which is where I will be next weekend. School is going well, we have midterms right now, but it is nothing I am too concerned with. I am also trying to get better at Spanish, because it seriously sucks right now. It is definitely better from when I got here, but I have taken to teaching myself since my Spanish class is a complete joke. I’ll update you all on my regular life next time, but until then, chau!

The last few pics didn’t download, so I will try and update this link later… but if you can’t wait… here you go…

Cadiz Carnivale Picture Slideshow

¡Bienvenido a Càdiz!

Got back from Càdiz last night and I had an amazing time! I will be back to post pictures and tell you all about it in a day or two. Right now I have homework!

But here are some pics to hold you over!