Paris holds the key to my heart!

PARIS WAS INCREDIBLE!

First of all, it was wonderful to see Blake! And I met her friends Jen and Brittany (Spanjer) and I love them too! When I got there on Thurs it was just me Blake and Jen. We went to dinner and I got a pizza that had a sunny side up egg in the middle! SO WEIRD! But delicious! Then we went to Amorino for gelato! YUM! They even shaped my gelato like a rose! So pretty and yummy!

Friday we got up and went to Notre Dame. Jen and I went to the top and pet the gargoyles! Then we headed to the Old Jewish Qtr and walked in a small Sephardic synagogue and got falafel at L’as du Falafel, a restaurant endorsed by Lenny Kravitz so you KNOW it was good! We headed off to the Champs Elysees to shop and eat and see the Arc de Triomphe. We ate at a delicious restaurant! Then b/c Blake felt worse we took her to the doctor off the Champs! SO ODD! But within 30 min she saw the doctor and was walking out of a pharmacy with her meds! I wish America was that efficient! We took a quick pic of the Arc and headed to the Musee d’Orsay. Josh met us there! He looked so French and fabulous! The museum was really cool b/c it was built in what was originally a train station! VERY pretty! Then we went home to wait for Spanjer, and got a crepe on the way. I ordered one w/ “apple compote” thinking it would be sliced warm apples or something and it was applesauce! Haha Still good though. Then the fun really started!

We ate dinner that night at a restaurant called la Refuge de Fondue. Let me tell you, if you are ever in Paris GO EAT THERE! It was HILARIOUS! First of all its fondue (yum) second of all they serve wine in baby bottles!!! It was so wrong to drink alcohol from a baby bottle but it was SO much fun and hilarious! Plus the people sitting next to use were very fun and funny! After we had our fill there, we went to the Moulin Rouge to take that picture, and headed back to the hotel where we got yelled at for having 4 people in a 3 person room. So we had to get another room. OY

Saturday we got up and went straight to the Louvre. Thanks to Josh we knew there was an underground entrance so we walked right in with no wait at all! We went and saw the Venus de Milo and hung out with Mona for a bit (Mona Lisa). Then we headed over to take another pic of the Arc for Spanjer and went up to Sacre Coeur, a church at the highest point in Paris. We sat on the steps in front for a couple of hours listening to a cute Italian play guitar and sing while a psycho lady that must have been on SOMETHING danced like a crazy person! SO FUNNY! Then we went to the artists square and had lunch. Shopped for a bit and went to the big dept store that is the Harrods of Paris for a bit. Then we went back to the hotel to relax before going to the EIFFEL TOWER and having dinner.

The Eiffel Tower was incredible! We went to the top and while we were going up the light show went off. It was like being inside a GIANT disco ball! The view was gorgeous! When we got down we went to dinner at a very French restaurant where they wrote the day’s menu on a chalk board and put it on your table. (The waiter brought us one in English.) I had quail stuffed with foi gras over lentils which was FABULOUS! Then we headed back to take pictures in front of the tower and watch the light show which was nothing less than beautiful. Then we headed home since we had early flights the next day.

I didn't want to leave! I LOVE PARIS!

Intercambio

OY! So I am having the hardest time finding an intercambio! (This is a person I meet with occasionally to practice my spanish and they practice their english.) But at first I had this cute woman named Teresa. She was so sweet! But she was 30, a teacher, married, and so we had not too terribly much in common. Also, since she was a teacher she would talk so much and try to be too teachery about it that I barely could participate. So I am looking for others. There was a whole confusion with them. I was supposed to meet one (maybe 2) yesterday. The first one was a no show but I was not sure if that person was or was not coming or even who it was. It was very weird! So then I went and met the second one. Again, he was a good deal older than me and I couldnt understand him. Even when I told him to slow down he didnt. I just want a university student! I need the practice like WHOA!

On that note, I just got back from watching a play. I understood the basic plot, but not much more than that. Girl loves guy. Guy goes away. They think he is dead. She marries. Guy comes back. They want to be together but cant. Husband kills girl and guy. OY!

BUT TOMORROW I MEET MY BLAKEY IN PARIS! And Dolores was SO CUTE! I have to leave straight from class and cant come home for lunch. So she made me 2 sandwiches, half of a big bag of chips and fruit for lunch tomorrow! She wont let me leave without it tomorrow! SHE IS SO WONDERFUL! haha

BERLIN!!!!

So I just spent the weekend in Berlin with Frede and Ilona and it was FABULOUS!!! Here is the summation of the weekend:

Thurs – Get there!!! YAY! Go find Alli who just HAPPENED to be there the same time I was, and we sat and had some German beer. Then we went to a bar that was retro of what was typical East Berlin style. It was really hippy and weird and I liked it! The best part though was this man who was dressed like an Indian, braids, headband, and all! HE WAS SMOKING A 4FT LONG JOINT! It was the funniest thing I think I have ever seen… you know… weed related! Haha And he walked around offering it to everyone in the bar! When he got to a kid near us he asked to see his passport before he offered it to him b/c he thought he looked too young! Haha

Fri – We walked ALL OVER! First we went to the Alex tower, the central point of what was East Berlin. Then we went to a chocolate place (German choc = YUM!), and the Brandenburger gate, and the Berlin equivalent to the White House, and Checkpoint Charlie (the checkpoint for passage b/w East/West Berlin. Lunch/Dinner at an Indian restaurant where we got yelled at by a big German bald man for being too loud (which we weren’t!) The we took some pics in a photo booth which are SO CUTE!!!!

That night we went to see a movie that was part of the Berlinale (Berlin Intl Film Festival). It was a Japanese movie about gay men in Japan. It was odd… good, but odd w/ WAY to many crotch shots! Haha But the coolest part was that the director, composer, and one of the lead actors were sitting in the row behind us! I got a pic with the actor!

Sat – We were all so tired! So we eventually got up and had “breakfast” at noon. But it was the BEST BREAKFAST I have had so far in Europe. (scrambled eggs, 3 kinds of ham, 3 kinds of cheese, fruit and yogurt, tomato w/ mozzarella, bread, butter, and jam! SO DELICIOUS) The we went to the Jewish Museum which is HUGE and very cool! Someone could spend ALL DAY in there! Then we went back to the house, but first we got some Currywurst for me to try! (Yay for German sausage!) haha

Ilona had to leave so Frede and I relaxed for a bit and then went out for Sushi! YUM! Then we went to another cool local bar where the waiter did NOT like us. But we were so tired we started falling asleep! So we headed back for about half an hour before I had to leave for my 6am flight.

Why I booked that flight I have NO CLUE! SO MUCH FUN! And I cant wait to go visit the rest of the Hassels fam in May!

OH, and it was FREEZING! It had been really warm the weekend before and dropped right before I got there so I was so cold! There were times when we each had on 5+ layers! Such a hassle to get out the door! Haha

...I want a taco...

ok so for those of you who know me.. you know how i love my food! Well today I am craving my mexican food like CRAZY! Its real bad! So I get home for lunch and we are eating something that has been on the stove cooking for 2 days. OH! And the ex husband Miguel is here so I meet him for the first time too! BUT the point of the story is the food. So it looks like meat in red sauce but the meat looks really dark purple and a bit weird. It is called Sangre, which means blood. I figured (hoped) it was called that b/c it was in the red sauce. Needless to say... I was WRONG!

IT WAS BLOOD!!!! chicken blood to be exact. they drain the blood from the chickens when they kill them and then boil the blood. At some point it becomes what look like blocks of sliced meat and then Spaniards feed it to unsuspecting Americans like me! haha OY!

It didnt have much of a taste, but I didnt eat too much of it just because it was weird and airy. So ya, Dolores fed me BLOOD for lunch today!

Like I said... I want a taco...

Lo Mismo (the same)

hey guys!

So lets see what has happened in the last few days. Classes started, and i still have not set my final schedule yet. I am struggling hardcore with the spanish BUT I am working on it. Spain makes men careless and mean! 2 examples:
1) went to a bar with a friend who is spanish. long story short, he gets into a yelling fight with the women who work there (one of which he used to date) and he ends up pushing one woman to the ground! knocked her flat! he didnt punch her or anything.. but push doesnt justify it. OY!
2) at a club that is WAY overcrowded! A guy is dancing and keeps leaning back all over me and my friends. so i put my hand on his back and give him a little nudge to let him know an he turns around, scoffs and shoves me! So my friends pushes him back to which he says, "you have to be a lot hotter to push me like that" SUCH a jerk. He ended up apologizing for saying that! again... OY!

What else...??? I dont have too much more news... this weekend I go to Germany (Berlin to be exact) and im SO excited!!!!! This week is going to fly by! This whole month has blown by like NOBODY'S BUSINESS! I cant believe it!

OH! I am going to sign up for a Sevillanas class this week which is like ballet or something with those finger clacker things! CANT WAIT!

I miss all of you more than you know! LOVE YOU! Call me and write to me and send me messages! haha

mis clases

so i had my first day of classes today... so far nothing too exciting. i dont know that i like my phonetics class, maybe want to switch to a grammar class but if i do that i have to change my spanish cinema class and i dont know if i will like that class yet or not. i do like my flamenco class but it may be a bit tougher than i would like but oh well. have not had my fourth one yet... that is for tomorrow! miss everyone!

quick update

hey! so a quick update. not too much new stuff. went to the museo de bellas artes. some of my friends made friends with this guy valentine. we kept hanging out with him and he was super nice. then last night he got into a fight with some women who worked at a bar and knocked one of them to the floor, so im not hangin out with him anymore. the food has been good. my feet are killing me from all the walking. im super tired haha. i start classes tomorrow and im super nervous. i love the food but miss my mexican food. dolores now lets me do stuff on my own. my spanish still sucks. more later as im super tired.

OH! something funny! i love the hot chocolate here (cant have too much coffee b/c of my stomach) so i asked dolores to buy me some for home. she went to the store one day and told me she bought some but it was the cheaper brand. it was the exact same just cheaper... guess what she got me! NESQUICK! hahah oh man i cracked up!