Pictures and Processions

 On Sunday we went to Zaragoza, but Santi and I went a little further, Teruel to be specific. There were motorcycle races at the track there, and I figured, why not?

 It was actually pretty cool, and a little different from watching race cars.

Yesterday, Grace's and my host families took us to Jaca to see the procesion there. That was an amazing cultural experience. Though I found the masks to be a bit intimidating, it was nothing compared to the noise. The sounds of the drums were deafening!

 If you look carefully, you can see all of the people playing drums. Even those kids are part of the procession; playing drums, too.

 I cannot tell you how amazing these floats are, and they are all carried by people. The ones in Jaca are small compared to the ones in larger cities, and each one of these "small" floats takes 24 people to lift!

 The previous float was of Jesus carrying his cross. This one is of the Virgin Mary.

Just to demonstrate how heavy these floats actually are, here's a little video...

Another great thing about this time of year is the candy shops! This carousel is absolutely amazing, and entirely chocolate!!!

I even got to try one of the chocolate eggs! Totally worth the exchange weight.

Easter Updates

Dear Readers,

Yes, I haven't made a post in a while, I am well aware. Truthfully, I cannot blame my laziness on any particular thing, but on many little (or big) things that have kept distracting me from writing. For the moment, let's just call this conglomeration of things "Life".

Fortunately, now that it's Semana Santa and I am officially on vacation until the 23rd, I figured there was no better time to catch you all back up.

First of all, I have gotten extremely lazy when it comes to taking pictures, so I'm working on fixing that habit. Sorry guys, distance has made me forget how much you all love seeing pictures about my life, even the things that have become every day for me.

I will have many opportunities to take some hopefully amazing pictures this weekend. Santi is taking me to see a motor bike race in Zaragoza on Sunday. Also, one of the biggest of the processiones is in Zaragoza, so I'm hoping to get to see that, too. The processions are those things like parades, but with large floats telling the story of the Crucifixion. Some of you know what I'm talking about, but I'll just have to post some pictures for the rest of you.

I'm not sure if we have any other plans for vacation. More news to come as the story develops.

Yesterday was fun because everyone at school was in a fantastic mood since it was the last day of class before break. Santi also took us to see an ice hockey game. The second division final match between Spain and New Zealand. Originally, Santi had bought tickets for himself and the three of us exchange students, but Alex had other plans. Her actual mom came to see for break, so by the time I had woken up yesterday, Alex was already on a bus to Barcelona. If I'm not mistaken, they are currently in Mallorca. Anyways, since Alex was busy, I invited Maria. Remember Maria? She's my neighbor who is in theater group with me. We all went to see Paranormal Activity way back when. I invited her, which was cool because she had never been to see an ice hockey game before. It was even better that Spain crushed New Zealand 6-2! "Campeones!!!" ...(champions)....

Not to be a downer, but there are some rather big things that I have to announce about my future. As some of you may remember, I had planned to double major in Music Theater and Spanish in college. In order to study Music Theater I had to audition to get into the music program. Well...I wasn't accepted. I suppose that's the root of my late depression. I don't mean it like how you think. I've accepted the fact that I didn't get in, but the hardest part is trying to rebuild my future plans. It wasn't until I found out this news that I realized that all of my future career plans had been counting on me getting into this program. To top it off, it also hit me the other day that after Semana Santa I have a month more of school (I get out early because of the University placement exams). After that I have Eurotour, and then about a week to pack before I leave. Honestly, I really don't want to leave.

To sum it all up, I don't want to leave Spain, and I am now only majoring in Spainsh, and I'm still figuring out what I want to do with that. I've ruled out being a teacher, for the most part. Not that I don't think teaching is a great career, it's that I've tried it. I taught Sunday School at my church for three years, and an hour and a half once a week was often too much for me. Babysitting is different from teaching. That's a whole other breed of child care. Still, if I can barely stand reading aloud a bible lesson and trying to stop six screaming kids from throwing crayons for an hour, I have no idea how kindergarten teachers can do that for seven hours five days a week with even more kids. As much as I don't want to be just like my mom, I don't think she realizes how much I actually admire her, especially for her patience. I honestly don't know how she does it.

Speaking of my mom, we had the most wonderful conversation the other day. For the first time since we found out the news about the music program, we talked about everything but my majors. After we were done talking, my mom passed me on to Ana, the exchange student living in my place. Ana's wonderful, and we have a special understanding of each other. I think it has to do with the fact that we are both exchange students. All of the things that my mom doesn't understand (like how much money we spend on food) are never lost on Ana. It's the sort of relationship that's like, "You're an exchange student. I'm an exchange student. I get you!" Other than that, Ana is naturally nice and funny and understanding.

Back on topic, my mom handed me over to Ana and made us have a conversation in Spanish. She's tried to get me to speak Spanish to her, but I find that difficult because my mom speaks absolutely no Spanish. Even if I start speaking, the conversation never lasts long because she can't understand a word of what I'm saying, let alone reply. I guess that's the point of her getting Ana to speak to me in Spanish; to actually hear me speak it, even thought my mom doesn't understand a word. Anyways, Ana and I talked about school, food, friends, and the fact that neither one of us want to go back to our own countries. I'd be really cool with her living in my room for another year if I could figure out a way to stay here.

After our talk, my non-Spanish speaking sisters stepped in. We mostly talked about television shows. They are both really into Supernatural, which I am in the slow process of actually watching. I've only seen a few episodes, and I genuinely like it, a lot, but I have nine seasons to catch up on, and no netflix to help me.

I should also mention my cousin, Xia. She, like many people, lives just down the street from me. She likes to come over a lot and play. I love having an overly energetic, cartoon addict, 10 year old to do crazy things with, like talk in weird voices, or dance around the kitchen. She's a lot of fun, but it's a good thing I have a lot of energy, too. I received a package in the mail recently from my parents full of my favorite Easter candies! I'm definitely planning on sharing some with her, just not too much.

On a slightly duller note, the weather has been absolutely perfect and Spring-like for the past week. I hope it stays that way for break. I need to invest in some sunscreen soon, or the skin might slowly burn off my face. I love the sun...but my skin doesn't!