Last few days in Spain...

Well, I survived my finals.
How did I do? Eh, we shall see! Ha Ha.

My last few days in Spain are wrapping up pretty quickly. Our friends our slowly making their way back home and we've had to say our good-byes. It's weird because saying good-bye really means good-bye. Back home good-byes mean "I'll eventually see you later", but here really means good-bye. Of course we've all promised to keep in touch and visit eachother again one day, but who knows when that one day will be. It's a little sad, but that's the reality of it all.

I finally got to meet Meredith's parents and two of their friends.
What a wonderful group of people. They are headed off to a Rick Steve's tour together soon. Meredith and I will part ways until sometime in July. Luckly for us, we live close to one another. I have heard that the reverse culture shock is something to be expected, perhaps having Meredith nearby will help reduce that can of worms.

My younger sister will be here saturday and we will be traveling around for 2 weeks!!!!
My heart smiles just thinking about it!
 This will be her first time to Europe. I can't wait to show her what my life has been like here in Spain for 6 months. After I show her around my hood, we will set off for an adventure.

Gosh, I can't believe I will be home so soon...


Let the countdown begin...
Kimee Paige

"There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again"-Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

Inspirations.

Do you ever think of the things that inspire you?

Lately I have been thinking a lot about what/ who has inspired me, and led me to where I am today, here in Spain and before I came to Spain...

Working our way back in time with people/things that have stuck some inspiration in me.

I'll start with some of the newer events.

Exhibit A

Meet Juan.

This Spaniard literally is the reason why Meredith and I bought rollerskates.

I know it sounds silly, but hear me out.

We saw him on one of our first visits to Retiro Park back in February.

Up until a week ago we had never met him, but only admired his free spiriting roller-dancing skills from afar.

I was unfair to judge Juan. I suspected that he was on drugs...because honestly you would have to be in order to dance around on rollerskates in public, right?

Wrong.

When we finally met Juan last week he was very polite and even tried to speak to us (Meredith, her brother Ford, and Me) in English. He was suprisingly more coherent then I thought an average roller-dancer would be, and even expressed his knowledge of American music artists...The Dixie Chicks. 

Juan stated that he loves all types of "good music" and enjoys being able to make "big free movements".

Juan is an inspiration because he exudes happiness and truly loves life. A trait that most of us try very hard to live by, but instead let daily struggles fog our hearts; focusing more on the uglier qualities of life rather than the beauty of it all.

Exhibit B

Photograph by Jacque Henri Lartigue

In Madrid there is a museum called CaixaForum.

They hold temporary exhibits at this museum, and just recently I came across the photography of Jacque Henri Lartigue.

He was a french photographer and painter born in 1894 and died in 1986.

He took over 200,000 photos throughout his life. He also kept a journal from the time he was a boy.

Even though Lartigue's photographs were absolutely stunning, it was his point of view on life that really drew me in.

His aim was to capture real happiness and beauty within a single shot. Not only was he able to do so, but it was evident that he was also able to live his life this way.

Some of the quotes from the exhibit were "I was born happy, that helps, doesn't it?" and "Humour is for the spirit what sport is for the body: a way to break free of the limitations imposed by social conventions, routines, and paralysis". He even had a journal titled "Reasons why I am Happy".

For whatever reason both of these men stuck out to me. More then likely due to the fact that happiness seems to be their life motto.

Now, throughout my years in schooling I've had some tremendous teachers.

But there are two that are constantly on my mind and that I admire for many different reasons.

The first being a professor I had for three seperate classes at OSU. Yes, I said seperate. I loved her teaching method so much, that I made sure to fit my schedule around the classes she taught.

Name: Monica Bein.

This woman not only is a brilliant teacher, but a top notch Speeach-Language Pathologist.

If it weren't for her, I would of changed my degree in my early years of college.

She was very passionate about her students and put a lot of effort into teaching. She was always coming up with creative ways to teach the material and kept the class interested. For example, in her anatomy class we used playdoh, pipe cleaners, and various foods and candies to learn.

On top of being a teacher and a SLP, she wrote a book called Teaching Speech the Fun Way!  

I only hope to be as half as wonderful as her.

Oh...She is also one of the reasons I want to learn sign language when I return home.

The other being a high school art teacher.

Name: Angel Porch.

This woman is talented beyond belief.

She holds many different titles such as a painter, photographer, artist, friend, wife, and mother. But for me she is also a role model.

Every time I think of her, all I can see is her smiling face and words of encouragement.

Since going to college I have not been very good at keeping in contact with her, but nonetheless she has had an impact on my life.

What I wouldn't give to be in the crafty creative mind of Mrs. Porch for a day.
Her family is currently in the process of adopting from Ethiopia!

If you would like to help support the adoption for her and her family, then you can follow her on her blog...

PorchesPathToAfrica

And now on to the most significant inspirations in my life.

Family & Friends.

Of course there are the obvious people...

My Parents- because they both had to put up with raising FOUR children. I'm still unsure how they did it. My mother has an amazing talent and capability to juggle a 100 different tasks and prevail in every single one. My father is logical and sticks to reason. His capability to remain calm and collective has and always will be something to be admired.

My siblings- Even though we are all very similiar we are all very unique. Aimee is the oldest of the four, strong, a good listener, and can always provide comedic relief. I always wanted to be just like my older sister, and I still look up to her. Chris is the younger below me. He is ambitious, a hopeless romantic, loves to stand out, and up for any challenge. Brenna is the youngest of the four, loyal to the ones she loves, blunt and honest when she needs to be, and an amazing athlete.

And my Grandmothers

Agnus, who has a heart of gold. (Right)

&

Beulah, who is a pure ray of sunshine. (Left)

These are two of the STRONGEST little ladies you'd ever meet.

Both have struggled with the loss of their spouses. A difficult task for anyone to go through.

They hold a very strong relationship with God and inspire me to have just as strong of a relationship with Christ.

 They always, always have the best intentions with others in mind.

They inspire me in more ways than one.

As far as my extended family and my friends go. I hold a high opinion for everyone. But my family is quite large and I have quite the list of friends. Listing out what I value in them all would mean this blog would never end. But I plan on telling you all exactly how I feel one way or another. Maybe not in a blog, but in one form or another you will know.

Other inspirations and creative minds/things that make my heart smile...

Dr. Suess

Mother Teresa

JK Rowling (I like to read because of her)

and anything found on Etsy, or having to do with Picnik.

Well, that is enough rambling from me.

Maybe one day I will inspire someone too,

Kimee Paige

"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory."  - Betty Smith

127 days ago.

One Hundred and Twenty Seven days ago I was on a plane to Spain.

I left all of my friends and family behind. I was nervous, scared, unsure, and excited all at the same time. Now I am more confident, independent, and content.
One hundered and twenty seven days ago I had never left the country.

Now I have been to five different countries.

One hundered and twenty seven days ago I drove everywhere I went.

Now I walk around for up to 4, sometimes 5, hours in a day.

One hundred and twenty seven days ago I worked to live and survive.

Now I want to work to travel.

I could go on and on, but I won't. It's crazy to sit and think about my time here and the changes I've made.

I've been very busy this month. Four guests have come to see Meredith and me in Spain. Starting off with her boyfriend Clark and then Meredith's friend Sarah. Clark and Sarah were a hoot. I'm so glad I finally got to meet them. Since being in Spain, Meredith and I have talked a lot about the people in our lives. So I felt as if I've known Sarah and Clark for awhile because I knew so much about them before they even got here.

The four of us ran off to London for a few days.

Tower Bridge in London.

I use picnik.com to edit my photos.

We found platform nine and three-quarters after Meredith asked the information booth. The guy looked at her like uhh...between platforms 9 and 10. We all had a good laugh. We also went to the London Symphony, which was spectacular. We ate some amazing food while we were in London thanks to Clark. He had an app on his phone called Yelp. It shows you things that are near to you and people rate their experience there. It was nice for Clark to be around too, because I did not have to navigate this time!
I think my favorite part of the trip though was seeing Meredith with her friends. You could tell she was genuinely happy. Clark and Meredith were hysterical and adorable; Meredith and Sarah were so much fun. AND all three together made it all the better.

Shortly after the London trip one of my best friends Rachel showed up! I was so happy to see a familiar face. I know I got to see everyone at my brother's wedding, but I was so jet lagged that weekend it felt like a dream more than reality.

Rachel minored in french at OSU and has dreamed of going to Paris since she was in the 9th grade. So we jumped on over to Paris for 2 very short, very eventful, fun days.

 

This is what happens when we are together. haha

My favorite pictures from paris.

again, I use picnik to edit these.

Inside Notre Dame

And of course I had to put this one in here. The pot of gold at the end of our rainbow =)

Rachel and I got to catch up on life. I've missed a lot since coming to Spain. Up until Rachel's visit I felt like I hadn't been here very long, but once we started catching each other up I realized how much I've missed.

I was really excited to show Rachel around Madrid and what my life is like around here. I know she enjoyed herself here, but I'm not sure if she really liked Madrid itself. I guess I was expecting her to love this place as much as I do, but to each their own. Having her here felt like old times. We got to be our normal silly selves like having a day in the park with our roller skates.

In about 18 days my little sister will arrive here! I'll be done with finals, so me and her will get to travel around for two weeks before we head home. I'm excited for Brenna to get here. This will be her first time out of the states as well. I remember how excited I was on my first trip out of Madrid. Can't wait to see that same excitement on her face.

I have a ton of stories from my trips, but it will take forever to write them all out. If you want to know more or hav any questions let me know. I'd be more than happy to share.

Trying to catch y'all up,

Kimee Paige

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

Istanbul,Turkey

We had a week off here in Spain for "Semana Santa", also known as Holy Week. This is the week leading up to Easter Sunday. Which I can't believe I've been here that long already! Time is flying by.

For our Semana Santa we decided to travel to Istanbul, Turkey. I know what some of you are thinking. Why Istanbul, Turkey? A whole week off from school and you didn't want to visit a beach or some huge party location. What kind of college kids are you?

But this whole semester and experience isn't about partying. If I wanted to do that I would of just stayed at home. This semester is about getting to know other cultures and learning and exploring new things. There is nothing new about drinking or getting drunk. It is, roughly, the same no matter what country you're in.

Back to Turkey.

This is Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He was and is, still to this day, very important and vital part of Turkey. He was there first President and led their nation to full independence and into what they call Modern Turkey.

For tourists seeing the images of Ataturk everywhere, literally E-V-E-R-Ywhere, might be a little off putting and seem rather strange. However after learning who he was and what he did for their country I can see why the Turkish people love and admire him so much.

If you'd like to learn more about Ataturk, which I stroungly suggest, here is a link... M. Kemal Ataturk. His military background and reforms are quite impressive.

Fun and interesting things to do in Turkey include, but not limited to, the following....

• Archaeology Museum
• Hagia Sophia Museum
• Basilica Cistern
• Maidens Tower
• Topkapi Palace & Dolmabahçe Palace
• Harem
• Mosques
• Grand Bazaar & Egyptian Spice Bazaar

The Archaelogical Museum

There are three museums in one complex.the Museum of Ancient Orient (Eski Şark Eserleri Müzesi), the Tiled Pavilion Museum (Çinili Köşk Müzesi) and the Archaeology Museum (Arkeoloji Müzesi) itself residing in the main building.

The museum of Ancient Orient houses pieces from the pre-Islamic Arabian peninsula, Mesopotamia (currently Iraq), Egypt and Anatolia (mainly Hittite empires).

The Tiled Pavilion Museum is the tiled kiosk of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. The kiosk was built in 1472 and is one of the oldest examples of Ottoman civil architecture in Istanbul.

And then the last and biggesst building is the Archaeology Museum. It is four floors with collection of Hellenic, Hellenistic and Roman statuary and sarcophagi, Thracian, Bithynian and Byzantine collections on the ground floor, next floor up was Istanbul through the ages, collections from Anatolia and Troy up from there and Anatolia’s neighboring cultures, a gallery devoted to Cyprus and Syria-Palestine up from there.

It was utterly amazing to be in the same room with these historical artifacts.

Hagia Sophia Museum

The Hagia Sophia was a  former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey.

This thing was huge and beautiful!

Basilica Cistern

This cistern is beneath the city of Istanbul and was featured in the 1963 James Bond "From Russia with Love". There were two Medusa Columns in the Cistern and their origin is unknown, but believed to have come from a Roman building.

The Maiden's Tower 

Was built in 408 bc to control the movements of Persian ships coming into the Bosphorus Strait. It has since been restored and modified. It was also featured in James Bond "The World is not enough", "Hitman", and "The Amazing Race 7".

We took a cruise over from the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side and came across this tower. There is a cafe inside and you can go up to the top of the tower and get a 360 degree view of Istanbul.

Boat ride view. On the way to the Asian side

Palaces and Harem

Turkey crazy for tulips.

Mosques

Inside the New Mosque

Outside of the Blue Mosque

No shoes allowed inside the Mosque

Honestly don't remember which one this is...

This was my first time in a Mosque. I'm so glad I got to experience it too.

We went to five different Mosques. Although they all look very simliar, each one was unique in it's own way.

There were cats everywhere! This particular cat was in the Hagia Sophia 

Shopping

Of course there was a lot of shopping to do in Turkey. Two Turkish Lira equaled one Euro, this made shopping very very exciting. When something said it cost 10 lira that meant it only cost us 5 euros.

The Grand Bazaar and The Eygptian Spice Market were a must see. For warning though, Turkish people are very friendly people and they are even more friendly when trying to sell you something. Embarrassingly enough me and Meredith fell into the trap of a very smooth scarf salesman at the Grand Bazaar. It honestly was not overpriced, but we definitely did not NEED to buy that scarf!

On top of all of the attractions and shopping the food was delicious! And again, the prices were reasonable because it was almost half the cost for us. One word....Kebab! They were everywhere and SCRUMPTIOUS! We ate a kebab wrap almost everyday. It had kebab meat, french fries, lettuce, carrots, and fejita cooked veggies inside. MMMMMmmmm.

Another delectable treat was Baklava

flakey layers filled with nuts, like pistachios, and sweetened with syrup or honey.

There is no way I could live in Turkey because I couldn't image the weight I gained in a week multiplied by 52 weeks in a year...

Let's just say things wouldn't be looking very good by the end of a year in Turkey. I would probably have to invest in a Hoveround.

 

We found this cafe that ran along the street. It was not in a building, just some couches, a coffee table and an awning. The owner was very nice and very funny. He taught us some turkish phrases to help us get by and gave us free Apple Tea. Apple tea was so stinking good too.

 

I have way too many stories about this trip. I could go on and on, but this post is already long enough. If you want to know more then you can always ask.

Up for telling more stories,

Kimee Paige

“Everyone has a 'risk muscle.' You keep it in shape by trying new things. If you don't, it atrophies. Make a point of using it at least once a day.” - Roger Von Oech

Here, there and Everywhere

Man, it's been a while, sorry...I literally have been running from point A to point B for the last couple of weeks.

Let's start with Barcelona.

If you ever get a chance to go, then go. It was absolutley one of my favorite places thus far. Well, except for when the taxi driver yelled at me. Bitter old man. Lesson learned do not put your foot on the seat in a taxi cab. They don't like that.

We went to the beach, the Adele concert (which was AWESOME!!!), Gaudi Park, Sagrada Familia, Monteserrat to see the oldest boys choir and the black virgin and enjoy the great outdoors, took a boat tour, the Picasso museum, shopped on la Ramba, ate A LOT of gelato, and delicious seafood.

I honestly cannot tell you what my favorite part of the trip was. The hour trip to Monteserrat is definitely up at the top of the list (mostly because I got to climb around and be outside hiking up a mountain).

Seana came back to Madrid with us. It was so nice to see her. For those of you who do not know Seane, we use to work together at Texas Roadhouse and now we are both in Europe doing our thing. We ran into a large group of drunken english men on Wednesday here in Madrid. It was Tottenham's first time to be this far in the Champions league, so they uhh...were quite roudy.

Now to the fun stuff....
As all, or most, of you know... My little brother's wedding was coming up. So I made the journey home for the weekend.
Friday morning at 7 am Spain time, I left Madrid.

Made it to London...no problem.

London to Chicago...let the fun begin.

By the time I made it to Chicago I had been in route to America for about 12 hours. I was exhausted, but amped on adrenaline because I was almost home. This is where I messed up. Getting excited about anything usually means something is going to go wrong.

Land in Chicago and check-in for my next boarding pass to OKC.

We're sorry ma'am it's been cancelled due to weather. (cancelation number one)

WHAT? Uh. I couldn't tell if I was nauseous from the long flight, airplane food, or because I was so close to home I could almost smell the sweet aroma of wheat fields mixed with cow pies and good ole red clay. HOME is where the heart is.

Luckly she found a seat on a flight that had been delayed earlier.

YAY! I'm going to make it, and sooner than my original fight time.

So I hurried through security and ran down to the gate to find that it had been delayed a little longer. Ok, ok I'll take it. I'm almost home. As I waited I made friends with two lawyers, Jim and Joy, headed to OKC for a conference. They were really nice and pretty funny. We all sat and waited in anticipation for this plane. A few hours went by and finally it arrived! YAY!

We all boarded the plane. Smiles were across the whole cabin because some had been waiting since 2:30 for it's original flight time. I think the happy emotions must of smothered the pilot or something because right as we were at our peak of blissfulness, we were shot down.

The pilot announced, "Excuse me ladies and gentlemen we are sorry for the inconvience, but we need to make a repair to our windsheild. If you will kindly unboard we will patch it up and get you in the air shortly."

They lied. Flight was cancelled. (cancelation number two)

Jim, Joy, and I took off running to get a seat for the 9:45 flight. Jim and Joy got the last two tickets. UHHH! I was first on stand-by but there was no guarantee that I would have a seat for that flight.

I lost it. I couldn't hold back the tears. I was so close to home, but so far away. In a frantic frenzy I started checking out my options. I called home and they were trying their best to help too. They found a flight with 6 seats available on another airline. I found a counter to try and exchange my flight, but she was too busy. Doing what? I don't know. Looked like to me she was just standing there.

Ran to another counter and finally made it to the front of the line and that flight was booked. But she assured me that since I was first on stand-by that I would be on that 9:45 flight.

I wasn't convinced.

After numerous calls back an forth to home, I decided to call in the friend cards. I was calling anyone that lived in a surrounding state or town to OKC. Luckly I have some pretty amazing friends and everyone was willing to help. So at this point I thought it would be wise to reserve a seat to Fort Worth, Dallas. The issue was OKC was scheduled for 9:45 and DFW at 10:15...and of course they had to be in seperate terminals.

Now it was time to wait.

I grabbed two venti lattes, yes I was double fisting, from Starbucks to keep my spirit alive. In the mean time I also clocked how long it took to get from terminal G to terminal K (just to be on the safe side). I had now obtained a couple more friends on the OKC flight. Jacob happened to be on stand-by too. He ran up to the counter and the lady gave him a boarding pass. (I thought) "Sweet! They're handing out boarding passes to the stand-by!"  Eager to get home, I ran up there to get mine too. "Ma'am you'll have to be patient. Your name will be called 15 minutes before boarding if there is room."

WHAT THE FRECK.

I started to panic again and Jim could tell. He went up to the counter to talk to them. Apparently the girl at the counter messed up. (I think she liked Jacob.) But they reassured Jim I would be on this flight. I called home to give them the update. I told them, "I'm still on stand-by for this flight or I could go ahead and take the DFW flight. It leaves at 10:15..."My family, just as eager as I was to get home, was screaming in the background "take the sure thing! Take the DFW!!!" But I was stubborn and secretly hoping I could fly directly into OKC. Oh, but that would make my life too easy and less exciting.

Right as I got off the phone at 9:40 I heard, "We're sorry but flight 6208 to Oklahoma City has been cancelled." (cancelation number three)

I booked it! I was weaving in and out of people, pullin along my bag as quick as I possibly could. I got a few whistles from some young adolescent teenage boys who thought they were "oh so cooool", dirty looks from slow walkers that I passed, and a security guard screaming to slow down. Did any of that slow me down. Nope. I was determined to make this flight! No way was I going to miss this wedding. Especially not after I had made it all this way.

Made it to the terminal and ran up to the desk. I started spouting off my story and asking for a boarding pass all at the same time. (Perhaps two venti lattes wasn't a good idea). Nevertheless, the gentleman who happened to be behind the desk was a pilot and not a fligh agent. So I had to wait for one after I made myself look like a complete fool by not noticing that this man was clearly wearing his pilot costume and not a flight attendant outfit. Finally an agent showed up and I recieved a boarding pass to DFW! I was so happy.

Called home to tell them I was flying to Dallas and to sort out how I was getting to OKC from there. Luckly for me I have some amazing friends who were more then willing to help AND my brothers new soon to be grandparent-in-laws ALSO lived in dallas! Lucky me!

Alright it's all arranged. The soon to be grandparents were going to pick me up at 1 am in Dallas and then the following morning I was going to ride up to OKC with them for the wedding. Awesome! Looks like everything was panning out nicely.

Ha ha.

DFW flight finally boards and my heart is a peace. I battled through the Chicago airport and managed to triumph! Yeeeaaaah put that in your juice box and suck it Chicago O'hare Airport!!!

But then just as I was at peace with the madness, I heard...

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are sorry to inform you that the left engine will not accelerate. Sorry for the inconvience but you will have to unboard at this time. We are looking for another plane and will inform you shortly with new details" (cancelation number four)

Seriously, I wish I was making this up. At this point I was too exhausted to be upset and was preparing my "you will pay for this trip if I miss this wedding" speech for American Airlines.

Fortunately for American Airlines and the Chicago O'hare Aiport they did, in fact, find a new plane. I arrived in DFW a little before 3 AM to be greeted by the nicest people I had never met.

Made it to the wedding the next morning. It was absolutley lovely. I got to see my family and my best friends and my goddaughter. Even though it was a long and stressful struggle to get to home, it was more then worth it because I got to see the faces of everyone I love. I wish I could of spent more time with my brother, but Chicago O'Hare and American airlines thought it was more important to toy with my heart for 12 hours.

So what have we learned today...1. My life is never dull. 2. Do not double fist two venti lattes and 3. If at all costs avoid flying through Chicago O'hare and/or flying with American Airlines (they'll have a missing flight attendant, cracked windshield, or a faulty left engine).

Still fighting off jet lag,

Kimee Paige

P.S. This week is Semana Santa. The roommate and I are headed off to Turkey! YAY! I know you're looking forward to reading about it.

"Calling O'Hare an airport is like calling the Queen Elizabeth II a boat"

-Andrew H. Malcolm

WHAT!?

Adele concert next weekend!!!

Don't know who she is? See link below.

Mick Boogie & Adele

Thanks to the very talented Jordan Winn for this link on his site. Check it out, "Hook Up Your Music". This site is dedicated to getting new artists or songs noticed.

Let's talk about these tickets for a little shall we...

We missed the UPS man both times he visited our piso. So I contacted the appropriate people to figure out where the office was. (Look at me being all responsible). Find out the office is an HOUR metro ride to the other side of town into zone B1. What's zone B1... no mans land, that's what it is!

Attempt number one: We made it out there and started walking towards the office (well, what we thought was the right direction). We needed to go north, but we were headed south. Once we figured it out we turned around. I swear we walked into the next town, it was such a long friggin walk.

Finally made it to the biggest UPS warehouse ever! We weren't sure how to get in or where the office was exactly because there was 30+ truck stalls for loading and unloading the packages. Luckly, we found it. We have found the office, Yes! All I can think about is getting these tickets and going home. Once we have them, all we will have to do is wait for the concert.

Oh but that would be too easy.

We're in the office and the gentleman sitting behind the desk (who happened to be wearing a liverpool jersey. My first clue he was bad news bears), told me the tickets were signed off by a John Reyes. WHAT?! My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. I had no idea what to say back to this man in spanish (I had another one of those brain blackouts where I can't think straight in spanish and get really flustered). Meredith took over, thank God for her. She asked him what this meant we were suppose to do because neither one of us is John nor was a John authorized to sign off for them. He ran to the back to talk to his manager...so we sat and waited.

Wating, waiting, waiting, uhh... I felt sick. Finally the guy comes back and tells us the address they were sent to. Turns out John Reyes is the secretary of Seatwave, the company we bought our tickets from.

After a four hour trip to no mans land, we made it home empty handed.

Attempt number two: I contacted Seatwave and explained to them that our tickets were sent to their office branch in Madrid. I kindly asked if it would be easier to pick them up there instead of messing with UPS again.

No reply. Hmm... I'll wait until tomorrow to see what they say...

Next Day: Nothing. Maybe I'll give them one more day.

Next Day: Nothing.

Alright, time to do work.

Gathered all my information that I needed and went to the site I purcased the tickets.

Huh, there is an instant messanger help link. BAM! Clicked it and started typing. Stan, the seatwave helper on the messanger, informed me to remain calm and he would find where the tickets were. My reply: I am calm, I just want my money back if I don't recieve these tickets in time for the concert. Stan: Contact UPS, they have them. Me: WRONG! Already tried that Stan. They were sent to back to a seatwave branch in Madrid. I want to pick them up there if that's okay?

Stan gave me the address and their hours. He said he contacted them and told them we were on our way. NICE! Finally, get the tickets and be done with it! Geez...

Oh but that would be too easy.

Attempt number three: Started on our journey to the Seatwave office. We successfully found the address Stan gave us, but...

It was an apartment building.

We thought maybe Seatwave was inside? But how do we get into the building. We didn't know which room to buzz to let us. So like a couple of creepers, we waited until someone exited the building and snuck in before the door shut.

Ok, we're in. Now what? Lets look at the mailboxes for John Reyes or Seatwaves name. This building was eleven floors, so we had a lot of mailbox names to go through. Finally we found John Reyes mailbox, but it didn't have a floor number or anything on it. Where is this invisible room?! Ok time to use process of elimination. Meredith took one half, I took the other and we started counting the mailboxes. There were 4 rooms on every floor. We found a mailbox for every room on every floor but not one belonged to John Reyes. His mailbox was roomless. JOHN REYES were are you?! We were very frustrated at this time. Okkkkay, let's ask the next person that walks in for help. A man walks in, "Disculpe, ¿puedes ayudarme?" Nope, shot down. He walked quickly to the elevator and starred at us awkwardly until it arrived. The next lady was much more willing to help. She told us she thought that mailbox belonged to room 2 on floor 10, even though there was already a seperate mailbox labled floor 10 room 2. We buzzed it and no one answered.

Feeling very defeated and crunched for time, Meredith thought maybe we should e-mail seatwave after class and get better directions. I'm much to stubborn to quit though. For whatever reason Sherlock Holmes popped into my head. What would he have noticed and concluded from everything we saw. Time to think like Mr. Holmes. While we were inside we did, in fact, find a mailbox for John Reyes, which means this is where he picks up his mail. There was a white door by the mailboxes. Every mailbox was accounted for except for J.R. Perhaps that door led to Seatwave?! We went to the room attached to building 4 next door. Guess what...SEATWAVE! YES!!!! That white door led into the back of there office. I don't know why the address didn't say building 4 1/2, I would of known to look next door the first time.

Victory, we finally have our tickets.

You think it'd get better from here. But oh no no no, that would be too easy.

As you all know, I am always flustered about doing well in class and making sure I will pass. Well, thursday March 24th did not help my case.

Thursday March 24th, 2011 at approximately 1:10 Spain time: My professor informed the class that we will have our midterm Saturday April 2nd. Yes, you read it correctly. We were given a week and a couple days notice that we have an exam, a very important exam, on a SATURDAY. Just happens to be the SAME saturday of the Adele concert in Barcelona. I didn't know whether I should laugh, cry, or ignore it. For a split second I even talked myself into thinking maybe April Fool's Day is on the 2nd in Spain and this was just a joke. Sadly, it wasn't.

We went through sooooo much work to hunt down those tickets and for WHAT?! To not go because we have an exam. Who does that anyway? An exam on a Saturday...that's just silly!

But God is always smiling down on us.

Friday March 25h, 2011 at 1:05: Our teacher told us for the first time in a long time that the Falculty will be closed Saturday. No exam!!! Ha ha ha yeah buddy. Thank you baby Jesus! I know that had your name written all over it. The first saturday in forever that the school hasn't been open, and it just so happens to be the same saturday we were suppose to have an exam. Truly amazing.

Needless to say this concert better be good!

Excited for next weekend,

Kimee Paige

P.S. We also went to Toledo yesterday. It was so cool. I'll write about it another day since this post is already long enough. If you're anything like me, you won't even attempt reading something if it looks too long haha. So I'll save Toledo for another day.

"Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat" -Malcolm S. Forbes

Corrida de toros. Bullfight!

BULLFIGHT!!!

Bullfights have been a huge part of spanish culture since about 1726. There is a huge festival in Madrid for bullfighting. It lasts two weeks and there are daily bullfights. We were invited to go see a bullfight with some of the guys. It was....interesting.

I honestly thought I would be absolutely disgusted and terrified. Oddly enough I wasn't. Don't get me wrong, I did feel bad for the bulls.

There were three matadores and two rounds, which means there were six bulls killed. Sounds terrible, right?

The bull comes charging out immediately pissed. Before his release into the ring they already have him punctured in the neck. This is to keep him lifting his head to high and to piss him off. This, now very pissed off, bull is surrounded by four to five men with pink and gold muletas (fancy capes). These guys run the bull around to wear him out and piss him off more. Their job is also to try and direct the bull towards the area for the next step. Once they get the angry bull in position, a man on a horse ,the picadore, stabs the bull with a huge lance sword thingy. Don't worry there are two picadores in the ring, somone is going to stab him. Unfair advantage for the bull, yup. I felt bad for the horses too. They were blind folded so they would not get spooked and run away from the bull. They were also protected with armour, so that they would not be stabbed by the horns of the toro. I'm still not sold on them being fully protected though. I mean a huge bull with sharp pointy horns is CHARGING at full speed towards this poor blind folded horse.

Now the bull is really pissed and very wounded. At this point two more men in fancy pants and socks enter the ring, they're called banderilleros. They attempt to plant two banderillas, sharp barbed sticks into the bull's shoulders. You have to be very skilled for this job. The men with fancy capes have to keep the bulls attention long enough for these guys to run up and stab the bull on the back of his neck. You have to react quickly because this thing is already angry. Stabbing him with more sharp objects only pisses him off more, and you only have X amount of time to run away from the bull.

At this point el toro has now lost a lot of blood, but still very angry and willing to put up a fight. Here the matador enters the ring and approaches the bull. You know this guy is important because his cape is red, not frilly pink and gold.

Ok, so the matador now has to perform a "dance" with the bull. This is called faena. The point of this stage is to show his control and domination over the angry beast. It's also to wear out the bull. Once the matador decides to rid of the poor bloody worn out bull, he positions himself directly in front of the bull. They are face to face, eye to eye. Matador has his sword raised and pointing at the animal. They're both still, wating for someone to make a move. Why doesn't the bull charge the matador? Well el toro is tired, lost a tremendous amount of blood, and the cape isn't moving around to piss him off. The matador runs towards him and aims between the shoulder blades for the bulls heart. If it's a good strike it will kill the bull instantly. If not, then the matador tries again until the bull is D-E-A-D.

We watched this happen SIX times. By the sixth bull, I felt like it was watching nascar. Bored and waiting for an accident to happen. That's why people watch nascar, right? To watch the wrecks or finder binders. Yup, I was rooting for the bull at this point. I know the bull doesn't stand a chance, but for him to give the matador a good scare would of been nice. To sum it up we didn't want to see a human die. Like my favorite elf says, "Dobby never meant to kill! Dobby only meant to maim, or seriously injure!"

 Bledi the bull , one of the bulls I named, gave us a show. He rocked one of the matadores hard. Put him on the ground and rolled him in the dirt. I honestly thought the guy needed to be taken out on a stretcher. He got up though, limped away, got a new sword, and went back for more! Ah! It was intense. Bledi the bull died along with the rest of them, but he did it with spunk and style.

Supposedly, after a bullfight you can go to the market and purchase the remains of the fighting bulls. The most prized items to purchase from the bulls body is the tail and tongue. SICK! I don't think I'll be joining in on that part of the experience.

Like I said earlier, it was gross, it was not pretty, but I wasn't completely disgusted. Will I go to more bullfights? More then likely I will go to just one more. Only because I told my friend I'd take her when she comes to visit.

Enough bull talk,
Kimee Paige

“Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death.” - Ernest Hemingway

Can you feel the love tonight...

First of all, I am sorry it's taken this long to write. I wasn't aware that people were tuning in regularly and upset that I haven't posted. I'll try not to be such a slacker  =)

A lot has happened since the last post. I don't even know where to begin...

 oooooo Let's talk about love....... it's all we're
needin'!!! (Sorry Celine Dion moment.)

But seriously, Love has been very present this last week. (And I'm not talking about the PDA level in Spain. That's everyday). We went Sunday to the Prado Museum with some friends and then walked around for awhile. We walked to Plaza Mayor, a place we have visted many times before, but this was the first time I noticed the "love locks".

Surrounding the King Philips III statue were these love locks. Every lock had hearts, dates, names, etc. professing their love. Usually I would wrinkle my nose and snub this ridiculousness. However I really liked these locks (weird I know). Maybe it's because I'm in Spain, but I really like the symbolism behind the padlock and that love can be real.

Monday I decided to shave my legs. I only tell you this because everytime I shave something exciting comes in the mail. Monday I got this...

I looked like a kid on christmas morning. Peanut butter (Crunchy and Creamy), Cheetos, girl scout cookies, reeses, sour patch kids, butterfingers, snickers, twix, crunch, milkyway, M&Ms, Airheads, AHH!! (And I thought the nutella was going to make me gain weight...ptshh.) You girls really know how to pull at my heart strings.

Had to hurry and finish getting ready because Meredith had some friends coming to Madrid. We had a lot of errands to get done before we picked them up. So I ran up stairs and the phone rings, again. Ran downstairs and there is another package for me! Say what?!

Not only do I love singing/talking cards, but I LOVE HUGE singing/talking cards with pictures of my best friends hidden inside.

Who knew a monday could be such a great day. I have been a little stressed out lately or "in the middle of a big stress sandwich", but receiving all of this from the people I love back home felt really good. I also have received numerous messages on facebook, emails, and texts that make my heart smile. God has blessed me with his love and some pretty amazing people. My amazing roommate being one of those people. (Who knew you had to go to Spain to find such a great person) Whatever is headed my way God has a plan and I can't wait. It may not be in graduate school immediately when I return. I might have to wait a little longer but that's ok.

After my Christmas in March we ran some our errands and picked up Merediths friend and his sister. What a great time. I hope they had as much fun as we did. "oh yeah, Madrid, oh yeeeeeahh!", seemed to be the quote for the past few days. I really wish we could of toured the Santiago bernabeu Stadium, but there was a game wednesday. I think Sr. Plemons would of liked it. Meredith has some of the coolest friends. Most of her friendships started in the sixth grade! I think that's so awesome. Listening to all of their stories made me want to contact all of my old friends. Sadly, most of my middle school friendships dissolved after I transferred high schools. But I can't complain, I've got a pretty good wolf pack now. I miss my bii-ahhs and the crew daily.

Upcoming events and things you can look forward to reading about...

• Bullfights
• Toledo
• Barcelona
• Adele Concert
• Brother's wedding
• Peanut butter cookies
• No-bake cookies
• More traveling
• More recipes with peanut butter
• Increase of weight gain
• Roller skating in Retiro
• More Museums
• Istanbul Turkey

So many things coming up. It's going to be good.

Shout out to Bailey, Jordi, Rachel, Paisley, & Danielle! You are all so awesome. Thank you so much. Love you all.

Feeling God's love,

Kimee Paige

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

Lately...

Here's the skinny on my weekend.

Friday: I was very discouraged, yes.

I'm taking a new direction on life, but I'm still unsure which direction that is. You see, I recieved my first rejection e-mail from one of the Graduate schools that I applied to. This sucks. I already had to postpone graduate school by a year; due to the fact that one class was not available last spring. However not graduating on time gave me the oppotunity to study abroad this semester. Part of God's plan, I think so.

BUT now... I finished my hours in december, applied to graduate school and was shut down by one already. What if all three turn me down?! Another part of God's plan, I think so. Exactly where is he trying to take me? I don't know. Maybe I'll join operation smile, stay here in Spain and teach english, become the 30 year old that lives at home with mom & dad...who knows!? The possibilities are endless. One thing is for certain, I will not be returning to my old job. Recent advise from family members is to "let God guide my feet." But you "can't ask God to guide your footsteps, if your not willing to move your feet." So which way do you I move my feet?

Saturday: The sun was shining and it was a new day.

There is no time to be upset in Spain when there is so much to do, especially on sun days like this. The weather forecast said it was going to snow, but it didn't.

Reminds me of the weathermen  back home. Always wrong but oddly enough you knew how to interpret their forecasts. Slight snow means a blizzard, partly cloudy means recorder breaking heat with not a cloud in the sky. Ahhh, home. <3

We jumped at the weatherman's mistake and went to the Grand Parade with some other students studying abroad in Spain. The parade was fun, but short. It is not a typical parade like back home. With pretty floats and people throwing candy. However there was alot of different and interesting things.

Here's a little video of what I saw.

After the parade we all went out for dinner and a couple of drinks.

Sunday: Woke up and headed to Segovia.

It was B-E-A-utiful! I haven't not painted in a long, long, long time, but looking at the scenery in this town made me want to paint again.

This is my favorite picture from Sunday. Doesn't it look like it belongs on a puzzle or something?

I don't know why, but I like this one too.

The main attractions of Segovia are...

Roman Aqueduct in Segovia.

The Segovia Cathedral was the last Gothic Cathedral built in Spain. It is also known as "The Lady of Cathedrals".

The Alcázar palace.

Segovia trip:

I can't wait for more trips like Segovia! There is so much to do in Spain, it's insanely awesome.

Monday was back to the books. I'm enjoying my grammar short course. Its the only class I feel like I can understand the teacher and follow along.

I know some of you are concerned because an American boy recently went missing in Madrid. I just want you to know I am aware and being very safe. Only travel in packs, never alone.

My prayers go out to his family and for his safe return.

Well I think that's enough for today.

Inspired to paint again,

Kimee paige

"Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength."

 - Unknown