Step On Me

bday..more pictures to come later

2009-05-04T17:57:00.000-04:00

Taking the Stage

2009-05-02T11:54:00.002-04:00

My newest obsession. Heres one of my favorite performances.

Update

2009-04-25T04:30:00.002-04:00

It seems like my life has been living in fast forward since mid february. I dont have much time to sit down and blog a little. my mom and aunt came to visit last week and left a few days ago. We went to 3 different cities (not including malaga) and saw a lot.
I've had a weird cold that wont go away.
My computer was broken.
I've gotten a tan from being outside...Its sunny everyday now.
The date for me to leave is nearer and I'm starting to get sad about it all. Just last night a friend of mine was trying to convince me to change my ticket again...I had a lot of ups and downs here but I'm going to miss this place so much.

More Lunes Santo

2009-04-08T06:32:00.003-04:00

Lunes Santo

2009-04-07T21:17:00.003-04:00

Holy Monday

Domingo De Ramos

2009-04-06T19:57:00.007-04:00

Palm Sunday
setting up

Here we go...
Kids taking a break

Ouf of your comfort zone

2009-04-05T08:43:00.003-04:00

An american girl moves to southern Spain for about 8 months to teach at an elementary school. Sounds kind of weird right? When i put it that way I can hardly believe it myself. At first it seemed as if it would be easy, however as soon as I arrived I realized I was about to start an 8 month life experience that I know would be anything but easy.
No matter how much I tried to blend in, it just never seemed to work. first task while in spain, get in a cab and get to my hotel. Easy enough right? Too bad I had been pronouncing the name of the street wrong...right off the bat I stuck out.
Learning that my school just so happened to be located in the mountains a mere hour and a half away from the city, oh and by the way, NO public transportation goes there regularly, made me a bit anxious. I started to have second thoughts about being there. But then, as usual, God came through and suddenly I had a place to live (with good roommates), and a ride to work.
There are so many other obstacles I would encounter from that moment until now and there are many more obstacles Im sure are around the corner. But am I happy that I came here? NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

Semana Santa

2009-04-04T17:20:00.002-04:00

Holy Week is upon us! Tomorrow starts the offical beginning of Holy Week. If there is any country that knows how to celebrate this week its Spain. All over town people have been preparing for this holiday and Im excited to see how Malaga does it. Two years ago I experienced my first Semana Santa in the Semana Santa capital of the world, Sevilla. People say that After Sevilla, Malaga is the best. Time will tell.

Antonio Banderas is in town for it, as he participates every year. My one and only goal is to take a picture with him or Melanie....everyone knows exactly where to go to see them but getting close enough to get a picture with them is not going to be easy.

Friends Friends and More Friends

2009-03-30T17:21:00.003-04:00

This month has been filled with visits from some of my very good friends of whom i've missed very much. Having them come to Malaga and give them a taste of life here has been so refreshing and overall great. Their visits have helped me realize all the wonderful things that Malaga and the rest of Spain has to offer...things that I had forgotten after being here for so long. Heres a little list of the things I did with my friends:

- visited Sevilla

- visited Gibraltar

- tapas, tapas, tapas

- Flamenco

- Sevillanas

- Beach

- Sightseeing in Malaga

Typical Words from Work

2009-03-16T11:41:00.002-04:00

Things I hear on a everyday basis:

Caroline : the name of the girl that was in my position last year. Ive been there for about 6 months now...and they STILL call me Caroline from time to time!

Sin querer: the excuse all the kids use when they do something bad (literally means "without wanting to")
* a boy comes up to me with a black eye saying his classmate hit him
classmate1: "lo he hecho sin querer!" I did it without wanting to!
* a girl gets caught cheating on a test
cheater girl: "fue sin querer"

Madrid and Barcelona

2009-03-14T08:34:00.003-04:00

I haven't blogged in a while because these past few weeks have been really busy for me. I went to Madrid and Barcelona the last week of February and then a week later two friends came to visit me. I took alot of pictures during my short vacation but ill just post a few of my favorites.

barcelona: sagrada familia

Madrid: plaza mayor

Madrid : palacio real

madrid: puerta del sol

Random pictures of my friends.

2009-02-16T17:01:00.005-05:00

Carnaval in Malaga

2009-02-16T13:51:00.005-05:00

Starting the parade off right...with a creepy child

Ecuadorians representin

The confetti throwers were being really agressive.

Singers of carnaval....there were so many of these groups doing comedic song routines.

Lazy Sunday

2009-02-08T14:01:00.004-05:00

Facts of steph

2009-02-07T20:48:00.003-05:00

Most people do not know this about me but when i find something new that im interested in, it becomes my new obsession. For example, I read Harry Potter, loved it, and instantly had to read more. I see a movie I like, so i look it up on imdb.com, and then i start looking at the actors profiles, and learning about them. I heard a song from the musical rent, and all of a sudden, I was reading about the writer and learning about his life. I went to one white sox game, and suddenly I started to care about Jermaine Dye. Well anyway my newest obsession is with the movie Slumdog Millionaire. It was such a good movie. I started to learn about the actors, the director and am currently looking for a copy of the book the movie was based on. Seriously if you haven't seen the movie, GO SEE IT!

World Peace Day

2009-02-01T08:37:00.003-05:00

Celebrating world peace day at school

The school sponsers 3 children from 3rd world countries...they collected money and were putting it in the little house.

The 4th graders with their hands of peace. Every class had a different word relating to peace like :tolerance, respect, love...etc.

4 year olds.
The 4th graders thought it would be funny to trample me.....

Part of growing up means....learning how to cook

2009-01-27T16:26:00.004-05:00

I've been here for almost 5 months and I decided that I should probably start cooking for myself. Usually what I do is buy food and then asist my roommate as she cooks it for me. However last week while at the grocery store, I decided to make this meat stew my mom always makes....so I did it, and it tasted sooo good.

Then yesterday I came down with a cold so I decided to make myself come chicken soup. from scratch! I'll admit it didn't taste as good as it could have but at least I didn't get food poisoning from it! I think next time I'll add more salt. Anyway here's a picture of my soup. I'm finally starting to grow up.

The Office: Jim misses Dwight

2009-01-26T16:26:00.000-05:00

Hiking turned into something different.

2009-01-25T17:05:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I was supposed to go hiking with a group of people from Malaga. We were all ready to go except we did not figure in the group of wild boar hunters that would be occupying the mountain that day. So instead we went into town, Benalmadena and enjoyed the pretty sights.

Living in a town

2009-01-21T14:33:00.002-05:00

I never thought i'd like living in a place where everyone knew your name. It just never seemed appealing to me....I'm a city girl through and through. But i can't help but admit that I like being able to say that i have a Fruit man, that is I go to a specific place to get my fruits and veggies. He's right around the corner from me and he's always there. whenever I walk in he greets me with a "hola vecina, que tal?" (hello neighbor, how are you today?). I even have the same bus driver. Although I don't know his name it's pretty nice...because I feel like Im apart of the community and everyone has their own role in it.

I go to one place for fruits and veggies, another for my bread (always fresh of course) and a certain nearby supermarket for the rest. Even at the bank I always see the same team of tellers...my roommate and I jokingly talk about them as if we were all friends.... ("say hi to Pedro for me!". Its nice.

This Weekend...

2009-01-19T18:51:00.002-05:00

I was able to see my friend perform with the orquestra sinfonica de Malaga. It's theme was the Generacion del 27. So different composers used poems from famous poets like Federico Garcia Lorca to create beautiful pieces. It was so cool. Then at the end the orchestra played a Duke Ellington medley. very nice indeed. I wish could have taken pictures from the event.

US Airways Plane Crash

2009-01-15T16:16:00.001-05:00

A US Airways plane has crashed into the Hudson River in New York. Scary stuff, for more information go here.

Office Clips

2009-01-12T19:03:00.002-05:00

Dwight and Andy

Andy singing.

It's January In Spain

2009-01-12T12:23:00.002-05:00

Temperature in the morning in Alcaucin, Malaga: 35 degrees.
Temperature in the afternoon in Malaga, Malaga: 60 degrees.

Temperature inside the school building all day long (without central heating): 30 degrees.

Everyday is another day closer to the end of February...I can't wait.

The Office

2009-01-08T19:39:00.002-05:00

Because I love this show so much I decided to every now and then show you exactly why. Todays clip is of Dwight describing his "perfect crime".

One Month Later....

2009-01-08T19:00:00.003-05:00

Its been a month since my last post. Things have been pretty amazing since then. I was able to go home for christmas which was really great. I spent time with my family and friends and had a great new years with my friends from childhood.

Now Im back to my life in Malaga. I have a long list of goals for this year. On the top of my list is to take my job more seriously and work harder at it. I want to leave a mark on my school and I want to be a necessity and not someone that just comes and goes 3 days a week.

I also want to do more exploring of my city. Its taken some time but I really feel good here. I just have to make it my own.

I will start looking for a job so I can move back home and start my real life there.

I will buy a car.

I will join the gym thats across the street from my apartment

I will be happy and take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself.

Happy New Year!

Christmas List

2008-12-09T18:27:00.004-05:00

In no particular order:

Bare minerals makeup
Need I say more???

My dearly beloved ipod recently died....Ipod touch.

I just think this is pretty cute. Never can go wrong here
This would be a good game to use for my class

My Current Obsession

2008-12-09T13:53:00.000-05:00

Christmas Time In Malaga

2008-12-08T07:10:00.004-05:00

Thanks to the wonderful weather this weekend I was able to go out and take some pictures of Malaga at christmas. There are so many more of these to come but these are just a few day time pics. By the way, yes I AM only wearing a thin sweater in December.
you can buy all the pieces to complete your perfect nativity scene

Christmas Market
more christmas market

A Closer Look at Alcaucin, Malaga

2008-12-08T07:02:00.002-05:00

Alcaucin is the town where I teach. This past friday During recess I decided to venture outside of the school walls and go to the bank to cash a check. haha Here's some pictures that I took.

Thanksgiving Spain Style

2008-11-30T17:44:00.005-05:00

Because I had to work all day on actual thanksgiving, I celebrated it one day later. Two Americans hosted Thanksgiving for their 13 European friends. It took us about 12 hours to prepare everything but It turned out amazingly. It was our friends first thanksgiving and it was my first time hosting one. I printed out turkeys for my 1st graders to color and then used them to decorate all over the apartment!

Roommate picture

Some of the food.

Everyone writing what they are thankful for

The whole group
The Italians making appertizers...bruscetta!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-27T02:00:00.002-05:00

I'll be working until about 9pm tonight. It sucks not being in the U.S. for thanksgiving!

Edinburgh

2008-11-23T17:10:00.005-05:00

The Castle

Eating some roasted chesnuts

Beautiful streets of Edinburgh

As soon as i saw this in the window i knew i needed to have some....
And so I did. It wasn't as good as my moms lechon, but it was DEEELICIOUS

The hostal room. there were 16 beds.
Haggis, neeps, and tatties. traditional scottish meal made from the lungs, heart, and liver of a sheep, chopped with onions, seasonings, suet, and oatmeal, and then broiled in a bag made from the sheep's stomach. tasty no? it kind of was actually.

I don't know why it came out sideways...

Might have been the best part of the trip

He was playing the bagpipes!

All in all a very successful weekend

On Being a Teacher

2008-11-18T08:30:00.004-05:00

Learning to teach has definetly turned out to be an interesting and challenging experience. The kids are really excited and they like me alot which is good. However, coming up with new and interesting ways to teach science words for the 4th graders is getting pretty difficult.

I've been teaching the 1st graders the Hokey Pokey...they seem like love that song and its a lot of fun teaching it. I think I'm finally starting to get into a good groove with the teachers I work with...we finally have a good system going.

The 4year olds crack me up...there's this little boy named ismael and he's so funny. the other day he got angry because another kid called him "cochino". pretty hilarious.

I mostly love their little accents. To me, they speak like 40 year olds and its hilarious because they are only 3,4,and 5.

Being a teacher requires you to stay on top of your game at all time...just yesterday a 3rd grader asked me to define isthmus and i couldn't! so I did what anyone in my position would do, say I couldn't explain it in spanish and sent her to the teacher. Oh, I should mention that this particular 3rd grader is British and we had this conversation in English. HAHA.

Also, apparently there are only 6 continents....I had no idea! All this time I thought there were 7! In Europe, they don't split up North and South America like we do, they are simply "The Americas"

My Students

2008-11-11T16:45:00.005-05:00

First grade boys
2nd graders

I teach 3,4,5 year olds and 1st-4th grade. I took pictures of my second graders and 1st graders the day before halloween. The 2nd graders were sooo excited when I took out the camera.

The boys singing a song "in my school bag"

the girls turn at "in my school bag"

Friday night Dinner

2008-11-09T11:58:00.003-05:00

An American in Spain

2008-11-08T20:37:00.004-05:00

Tonight I had a conversation with a group of people all from different countries: romania, chile, and spain and they all had many questions ready for me once I introduced myself as an American. First things first: Mccain or Obama: answer-obama, of course, Second question: what were you guys thinking with Bush? answer- I swear I didnt vote for him.

I have yet to meet a European who is not happy with the new president elect. I keep getting congratulated. However it was during a discussion about america tonight that i was asked the question: Do you like being an American?

Before I get to my answer I should probably explain what we had been talking about. Since i had already explained that my parents were immigrants and that I have grown up in a home that had a mixture of american/latino culture, they had asked me if I had ever felt discriminated against in the U.S.

Of course! was my answer to them. This surprised them a bit. I explained to them that as a 2nd generation american you are kind of in a tough position because to the general public you are not a real american even though you were born and raised in the U.S.

If you speak another language nativly or have certain physical traits there will be moments when you can face some level of discrimination. However this does not mean that it will always happen. They were both surprised and disgusted. Is it tough sometimes, sure it is but when the going gets tough, you get up and on.

So then came the question: Do you like being an American?

My answer: of course! Not only is it my home but its the only country where you can actually start from no where and through hardwork,you can reach your full potential. Its remarkable all the opportunity that Americans are given. I would never trade my nationality for anything. Sure as a mexican-puertorican american I do face some adversity but then again, who doesn't? and honestly its these experiences that have made me the person that I am today. In Europe I feel more American than ever.

Many people have some horrible things to say about Americans and the U.S. and at times I agree with their opinions, but I am still Proud to be American, proud to be from the land of opportunity.

"I like the shores of America, comfort is yours in America"

MY STATE WENT BLUE!

2008-11-05T10:29:00.001-05:00

I think I might be seeing things....I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE THAT MY STATE WENT BLUE! Finally, my vote has mattered.

Today has been a good day, Obama won the election, I was congratulated all day by my co-workers because of it, and i got paid! woohoo times they are a changin.

Sevilla 2007 (the good 'ol days)

2008-11-04T16:55:00.003-05:00

My roommate in Sevilla, Maya, made a video with some of her pictures from our semester abroad. She posted it on youtube. The video is mostly of her and her 4 closest friends but my friends and I are in part II a bit. I'm really glad she made these videos because they brought me back to some great moments.

watch if you'd like!

USA is A-OK

2008-11-04T14:27:00.003-05:00

Very very very excited to see who wins!

Even though I've been in Spain Ive been hearing all about the election from pretty much every person I've been in contact with. Heres hoping for some change. I know all of Europe is ready.

Election Time

2008-11-01T10:31:00.002-04:00

Everyone knows that one of my favorite pasttimes is getting free stuff. And of course because of the elections, Ben & Jerry's , Krispy Kreme, Starbucks, etc are offering Free stuff to push people to vote.

I'm annoyed because although Malaga has its very own Ben & Jerry's, Im pretty sure I won't be getting a free scoop on Nov. 4th. Maybe if i show them my passport....hmmm

For the rest of you in the U.S. take advantage of the freebies!

Sevilla Maravilla

2008-10-27T15:12:00.005-04:00

Hanging out with one of my roommates friends

My host brother

Some of us "Malagueñas"

Like i said in my last post I went to sevilla this weekend with my roommates and other friends. I was a little worried about seeing my host family again and going back to my old hangouts since this time i was only 1/4th of the foursome that was coming back. But I ended up having a great time. It felt as though I just picked up where I left off. Seeing my host family was so refreshing. I had the best meal I've had since my mom left, and I got to see my old room and I even got to sleep there one more night, as my host mom invited me to stay with them.

It was just what I needed. Malaga is so different from Sevilla. although im having a good time, its nothing like sevilla...sevilla has an obvious beauty to it whereas Malaga is a little rough around the edges. But this weekend away made me realize that Malaga has more to offer and I should do some more exploring in order to find it.

One sad realization: I am losing my spanish because I speak so much english here. My spaniard friends kept asking me what was wrong with me, if i had forgotten how to speak. So, Ill have to meet more spaniards so that i can speak spanish with them!

Just your normal October in Andalucia

2008-10-26T12:05:00.003-04:00

Weather report for Sevilla this weekend (went on a small excursion to my fav place outside of chicago):
between 80-84 degrees Fahrenheit.

I got a tan.
It's almost November.

Feria in Fuengirola

2008-10-18T12:46:00.004-04:00

A bit out of order.

My Apartment

2008-10-12T12:12:00.005-04:00

This is my room. Its pretty small (especially compared to the other bedrooms) but after a lot of hardwork, Ive been able to make it my cozy space.

The hallway (I live with three other girls)
Another side of my room
Living room

Our little balcony
View
My room as seen from the window of the balcony
Our kitchen
My roommates (and me of course)

My School

2008-10-09T05:25:00.007-04:00

Since I haven't posted anything in a while (Ive been really busy getting settled in) Im going to do a few posts at once. Here are a few pictures of the commute to work. My school is located about an hour away from Malaga city and about an hour and a half from the city centro (where I live).
Luckily one of the teachers, (who also happens to be the English director of the school) lives in Malaga, gives me rides on the days that I work (mondays, wednesdays, and thursdays).

The school is in Alcaucin, Malaga and its pretty much on a mountain top. The views on the way to school are so amazing. you can see the mountains and the ocean every morning.

An interesting fact about Alcaucin is that they have a strong British population, which means there are a good number of british students in my school. So in all the classes are very different levels of English known.

Mostly I work with 1st and 3rd graders because they are the bilingual classes. But I also work with 3,4,and 5 year olds and spend some time with 4th graders. The rest of the time in between I tutor teachers who are taking outside english classes but want practice time or extra help.

The kids are so cute and kind. They ask me the most random questions anything from "what is there in America" to "are you buying or renting?" - asked by a british student. Yesterday a 4 year old asked me how do you say Mickey Mouse in english, while another 4-year-old asked how do you say "chorizo" and "morcilla" in english....haha i guess he was hungry.

Another student (british) told her teacher that I didn't speak English, I spoke American. I think the contrasting accents can be a bit challenging for them.

Of course because of my dark features and my latin roots I confuse a lot of kids. They have a hard time understanding that Im not Spanish and Im not English. To them American means having blonde hair. Its ok, they will learn!

The teachers are all very nice and were so welcoming. Some teachers are more eager to learn English than others, but everyone is so happy to have me there which is nice.

Sevilla with my Mom

2008-10-09T05:12:00.004-04:00

Plaza Nueva (they always have fun art exhibits)
Puente de Triana (my old bridge!)
Plaza de Espana

La Giralda....we went up the 34 flights!

Once we reached the top
Streets of Sevilla. the white things in the middle of the streets are to protect people from the sun
Siesta time
The Alcazar

My First days in Malaga

2008-10-01T18:09:00.009-04:00

A nice fountain. Palm Trees!!!!

It says "malagueta"

Plaza de Toros

View from the Castle

My mom

A taste of London

2008-10-01T17:29:00.007-04:00

How perfect was this? Westminster Abbey and a Priest Westminster Abbey

In case you get confused on the street corners.

I was soooo tired.

Gotta love the phonebooth.

Double Decker.

Don't Vote Ad

2008-10-01T17:27:00.001-04:00

Love this. watch it. I especially love the parts where that guy from Superbad talks....he cracks me up.
http://perezhilton.com/tv/index.php?ptvid=7756ee5463c41

It rains in Spain

2008-09-29T18:06:00.006-04:00

Hello one and all...I'm back to my old ways, yup im blogging from Spain (click here for my old blog). I arrived in Malaga Friday (September 26th) night. I can hardly believe it myself. Life for me has been pretty hectic and a little weird since my mom is with me and we are both living out of our suitcases in a hotel here in the center of malaga.

Ive been pretty much trying to figure out the city and find an apartment and figure out a way to work. Thanks to Spain being hard-core believers in "keeping Sunday holy" I was finally given regular internet access today (had to buy an adapter for the laptop).

On my way to Malaga i had an 8 hour layover allowing me to discover a little bit of London. that was way fun. Ill post pictures when Im unpacked because I really dont know where the cords are right now.

Anywho Im glad to be back here but I also miss my friends and family terribly...

My Favorite person in the Bible

2008-09-24T01:23:00.004-04:00

Many of you may already know this because I like to talk about him especially when the situation may call for it. Job to me was the coolest guy ever. He withstood SO much. He dealt with the worst most painful events and through it all, he thanked GOD.

What faith. What courage. I like to think about Job whenever Im going though something particularly rough. It helps me put everything into perspective. I remember that if he could do it, so can I. Job remained faithful to God and he was rewarded double the amount that had been taken from him.

Gripe Fest

2008-09-16T22:53:00.002-04:00

So Because I'm Leaving to Spain for 9 months I'll be missing out on Rockband2. This really bothers me because I have been playing a lot this summer and I got really good at it and now that I'll be gone, I will lose all my talent. That really gets under my skin. I'm going to have to start from square one when I come back.

Things I'll Be Missing Out On In the Next 9 Months

2008-09-11T00:16:00.002-04:00

-Halloween (ok not a big deal)
- Thanksgiving.
- The Presidential Election (although Im sure ill be hearing about it everyday in Spain)
- Friends Birthdays
- Christmas in Chicago (and all the hooplah surrounding the holiday)
- Daniel's first steps
- Tacos and other delicious food
- My sisters 32nd birthday (and my 23)
- My cousin's Wedding Extravaganza in Mexico
- The Madonna Concert
- Milk
- Lost
- One Tree Hill
- Harry Potter (I'll have to watch it in Spanish)
- College Reunion weekend
- Central Air

16 days and counting...

2008-09-09T23:06:00.002-04:00

I've been slacking on the Spain stuff. I haven't the slightest idea why...ok that wasn't true...it's because this trip is going to be very hard and I think that's why I've been so detached from the idea of my leaving. A strong part of me doesn't want to leave and yet I know that this is the best thing for me.
I just pray that my trip is successful and that I get something out of it.

16 days to go and I'm really not very excited about it. Maybe this is how emily felt when she moved to Vegas. I've never picked up and moved to a new city for an extended period of time (where I wasn't able to call when i wanted or go home when i wanted) and so I hope my feelings are all part of the process.

Spain Spain Spain

2008-09-04T23:56:00.002-04:00

Facts about Malaga:

-Sunny Days a Year: 310 days.

-Rainy Days a Year: Less than 40 days a year.

-Malaga is home of the Picasso Museum which houses his paintings, scultpures, drawings, and engravings.

-Known as the gateway to the Costa Del Sol

-Birthplace of Picasso

-Birthplace of Antonio Banderas

Let the Countdown Begin

2008-09-02T01:15:00.003-04:00

I have officially booked my flight to Malaga, Spain. I Leave in 24 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How Trendy

2008-09-02T01:10:00.002-04:00

So you look through the magazines and you see tons of pictures of celebs and advertisments of designer purses and other accessories and you ask yourself "when will i be able to get something like that?" well the answer is simple www.howtrendy.com This is my friends website where you can find all the hot looks for a lot less. check it out. IF YOU DARE!

I Can't Believe I'm Not Going Back

2008-08-27T16:50:00.004-04:00

It's the end of August and it's so hard to believe that I'm not on my way back to good ol' Bloomington, Indiana. I remember thinking this time last year that I couldn't wait to not have to make the grueling 3 1/2 hour trek through the cornfields to school. Finally my wish has been granted and now as I walk through Target and pass all the "Going back to college" products, I can't help but be sad that another chapter of my life has officially been finished.

No more T.I.S. (college bookstore), no more naps in the union, no more staying up late with the roommates going on random midnight drive thru runs, no more classes, no more skipping classes, no more crazy professors, no more walks through the basement of the library, no more hippie co-workers. And possibly the saddest of them all, no more living in the same city with some pretty amazing people that I've laughed with, cried with, yelled at/with, and pulled some crazy and yet harmless stunts with.

College was an amazing experience. I dealt with some great, terrible, hilarious moments and I've learned from it all.

And now after an interesting summer break, I'm finally ready to give a preview of the next chapter of my life. I'm going back to Spain as a part of the Auxiliares de Conversacion program with the Spanish Consulate. Basically I'll be a teachers assistant in English. I'll be Leaving for Malaga, Spain in exactly one month. Crazy but true.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuits.

2008-08-26T22:56:00.002-04:00

Hillary's speech at the Democratic National Convention. Her speech was so captivating. I don't know what it is about her but she gets me all worked up when she speaks. Hillary's speeches make me want to join go out and fight for what I believe in. I have to admit, I have not been very excited about the thought of supporting Obama but after hearing her speech, I am all about supporting him... because HILLARY told me to.

She's just so good it kills me that she was not chosen as the candidate. "we don't need four more years of the last eight years". Shes so awesome. I can't help it.

If only my life were as real.

2008-08-19T01:05:00.003-04:00

The Hills premiered tonight! It was a good episode. Lauren went on a date with a guy named Doug, Audrina had a birthday, Lo was a Beeotch to Audrina at the bday party, and Spencer was rude to Heidi's sister. I'm eagerly anticipating the next episode....

Love to Hate...

2008-08-18T01:00:00.002-04:00

Honey Buns. Ive never actually tasted one, but im sure i wouldn't like it. A friend of mine used to ALWAYS offer me a bite of his when we were younger just because he knew it would annoy me.

My Love Hate Relationship

2008-08-16T02:00:00.002-04:00

So there are lots of things that i love but hate...and love to hate. Of this list, Avril Lavigne is almost at the top. I have to admit that her persona pretty much rubs me the wrong way. Of course I'm only going off of her attitude in interviews and what not.

However, I realized that I am a fan of her music. I haven't heard all of her stuff but I realized that I like more than just a couple. So how is it that i can be so annoyed by her and yet really like her music at the same time?? Crazyness is what it is.
some of my fav avril songs:
-Complicated
- Fall to Pieces
- I miss you
- Don't Tell me
- Slipped Away
- Skater Boy
- Nobody's home

Summer = Weddings?

2008-08-10T16:05:00.003-04:00

Three months of summer and Three Weddings. WOW. This has been the weirdest summer since I dont know when. I'm not working a 9-5 (which is what I've been doing every summer since highschool), I'm not sure what country I'll be in next month, and I don't really know anything about my future beyond tomorrow.

Whomever said life would be perfect after college was seriously misinformed. Whoever I've also had some really fun summer moments with my friends. Like last week when I went back to Bloomington for a few days for a....what? can you guess??? WEDDING.

News

2008-07-28T00:58:00.002-04:00

This is a little disturbing...apparently ETA, a Terrorist group from the Basque country in Spain who have been fighting for independence from the country, were planning on attacking bomb attacks in the region of Andalucia. Curious about ETA? click here to learn more.

The Dark Knight

2008-07-21T00:45:00.003-04:00

Ive seen it twice already. love it. I was blown away by Heath Ledgers performance. He really had natural talent. He frightened me. The movie was so real that in the middle of it, i felt as though I was living in Gotham city and alls i wanted to do was hide out in Bruce Wayne's house.

Maybe it was because it was filmed in Chicago, my stomping grounds. Maybe it was because the actors really committed to their roles. Or it could have been the Imax screen. I think it was all of the above.

If you haven't seen the movie, go see it.

Pray for me today

2008-07-18T11:04:00.002-04:00

Hey all,
So im making a decision today that will effect the next 10 months of my life. I want to make sure that im picking the right choice so if you are reading this, please pray for guidance, that I am able to pick the route Im supposed to go down.

Thanks so much,
Stephanie

Ten Of My Favorite Seinfeld Episodes

2008-07-14T21:44:00.004-04:00

I Love seinfeld that is no secret. Heres a few of my Favorite Episodes.
1. The Boyfriend (Parts I and II)
- Jerry meets Mets baseball player Keith Hernandez. George tries to avoid having to find a job by lieing to the unemployment officer, Kramer and Newman rehash some bad memories of Keith. Elaine and Keith start dating.

2. The Trip (Parts I and II)
- Jerry and George go to California and make a surprise visit to Kramer. Kramer has been accused of being the Smog Strangler.

3. The Opera
-Crazy Joe Davola is in this one...i love this guy

4. The Airport
-When their flight home gets canceled, Jerry & Elaine gets on another flight, the latter gets cramped into coach and Jerry parties in 1st class with a model. George and Kramer go between JFK and La Guardia to pick them up. When they settle on an airport George meets a convict and Kramer sees a man who owes him $240 from years ago.

5. The Dinner Party
-The gang struggles to find gifts for a dinner party. Jerry and Elaine stop at a bakery to get a cake, but they forget to take a number and lose the chocolate pastry and the one they get has a hair on it. Kramer and George try to get the wine but must get change for a $100 dollar bill and wait for a double-parker to return to his car.

6. The Race
-Through his current girlfriend, Lois, Jerry meets an old rival, who suspects that he cheated in a high school race and he wants a rematch with Jerry to prove he was faster. Elaine is put on a "blacklist" for Chinese food delivery and finds out her boyfriend is a Communist. George responds to a personal ad in a Communist newspaper while at work, when Steinbrenner hears about it, he wants to see George in his office. Through his friend Mickey, Kramer becomes a department store Santa, who later spouts out Communist propaganda.

7. The Muffin Tops
-Upon learning that his stories were used in the Peterman autobiography, Kramer declares himself the "Real Peterman" and begins his own reality bus tour. When George is asked to watch a suitcase for a tourist that never claims it, George begins wearing his clothes, and starts up a relationship with a tourism director. Mr Lippman steals Elaine's idea for a business selling muffin tops, and brings her into the business for her muffin expertise. A shaving mishap leads Jerry to shave his chest.

8. The Reverse Peephole
-Puddy is wearing what can only be described as a "man fur." Jerry and Elaine leave it to George to sniff them out a deal on a massage chair, for an apartment warming gift for their friend Joe Mayo. Elaine doesn't like Joe's parties, because he always gives his guests an assignment. Kramer and Newman are going to reverse the peepholes on their doors. The landlord wants to evict Newman, because he is an agitator. Jerry decides to go wallet-less. George is opposed to the idea; he keeps everything in his wallet. Jerry, George, Elaine and "man furred" Puddy go to the party and get their assignments. Elaine, who is in charge of the coats, decides to throw "Dr. Zaius" (Puddy's coat) out the window.

9. The Barber
-George is uncertain about whether his job interview was successful or not, so he decides to go into the office and act like an employee while the boss is on vacation. Jerry is reluctant to dump his old barber even when he is given a real bad haircut. Kramer arranges to get him a clandestine haircut at the apartment of his barber. Newman is charged by Jerry's barber to get a sample of Jerry's hair when he suspects foul play.

10. The Subway
-Everyone has an uncommon experience while going their separate ways on the subway. George meets a beautiful woman who distracts him from his intended destination, a job interview. Jerry falls asleep and then wakes up across from a fat naked man and winds up discussing with him, the New York Mets & Coney Island. Elaine's train stops in the middle of a tunnel on her way to be best man at a lesbian wedding. Kramer overhears a hot tip on a horse on his way to pay $600 in traffic violations.

10a. The Wizard
-Elaine is unsure whether the guys shes dating is black. Jerry buys his dad a Wizard. Kramer announces his retirement and talks about his idea of a coffee table book about coffee tables.

-some of these descriptions were taken from http://epguides.com/Seinfeld/

So Much To Say and yet so little.

2008-07-14T01:14:00.002-04:00

Its been a while since my last post. I've been pretty busy lately. The 4th of July was a lot of fun. I was able to go to my church's camp grounds which is something i look forward to every year.
This past week was Vacation Bible School (VBS). My friend and I were co-teachers for 4th and 5th graders. It was a lot of fun but oh so tiring.
This week is going to be pretty interesting too. I dont want to reveal too many details about it because Im just not quite sure that im ready.
I saw the movie Wall e tonight...it was sooo cute! it was a child version of An Inconvenient Truth.

Yes we can? WE ALREADY DID, IN THE 70s!.

2008-06-30T01:55:00.005-04:00

The Obama Slogan "Yes we can" translates to "Si se Puede" in spanish. This slogan was the motto of the United Farm Workers in 1972. The motto was created by Cesar Chavez and the UFW's co-founder Dolores Huerta.

Flash ahead to the 2006 immigration reform protests and the chant of "si se puede" was heard among the crowds.

Jump to Present day where "yes we can" is being used for the Obama Campaign. ANNOYING.

Aeromexico, an airline had filed a motto application with the US Trademark office and were denied this due to the decision that the motto was the intelectual property of the UFA.

wanna learn more about Si se puede? Wikipedia's a good start.

Rockband...the coolest game on earth

2008-06-22T19:11:00.003-04:00

If you haven't played yet, you should quickly become friends with someone who does. This game is amazing! Not only is it super cool because you work as a team (4 players) to create an amazing show, but you get to rock out while you do it! I must say i play a mean bass and I'm pretty great at the vocals too...Nirvana, weezer, rolling stones, bon jovi, etc. AMAZING! I think i played for about 3 hours straight..and it was my first time! I decided that this game and i are a match made in heaven.

Boston

2008-06-22T18:16:00.009-04:00

Last weekend 4 girls with 4 very different personalities, from 4 very different families met in Boston for their first annual Sevilla (study abroad) reunion! It was a great time and it was so fun to be able to see each other again and catch up on a years worth of info as well as a bit of reminicing. Like i said before, we all met in Spain....its really cool that we have made the effort to stay friends and have decided to reunite yearly! Heres some pictures from the weekend:

Has it really been 4 years?

2008-06-11T14:33:00.003-04:00

This week the IU campus has been inundated with new college students. Its orientation time! When i saw a group of students I was immediately brought back to my orientation just four years ago. My sister took me, and I remember thinking, "man, i'll never figure out my way around this place". And yet somehow I did.

I remember we had two days filled with scheduled events including tours of the many different departments. At the end of day one, the last event for the day was a little tour and show of the theater department. It started to rain and it just didn't seem to end. Many kids chose to not go to the last event because of the down pour but I decided to keep on going...after all it was only a little rain right?

well we were given a brief overview of the theater department and the woman mentioned the fact that there were so few left out of our group. she mentioned how the kids who ended up dropping out due to the rain were most likely to drop out of school, as they gave up when something challenging presented itself. Then she mentioned how already those of us who stayed had an advantage over those kids. I must say that I didnt agree with her then. I had some serious doubts about whether I would make it out.

And yet somehow, that woman was speaking some truth.
what can we get out of this illustration? Stick things out to the end because you never know who will be giving an inspirational lecture about those who did "keep on truckin"

I Love Chicago

2008-06-04T23:06:00.002-04:00

Love this video... brings back memories of my childhood taking the train with my sisters into downtown and summers watching the fireworks.

Movies I need to See

2008-05-27T23:53:00.007-04:00

There are just some movies I feel everyone needs to see. Heres a few movies I still need to see:

Top Chef Made A Terrible Mistake

2008-05-22T15:48:00.003-04:00

Lets talk about Top Chef Chicago. Last nights episode (restaurant wars) was so disturbing for so many reasons:
1. Dale is clearly one of the best chefs left and he was stuck with the two chefs who are CLEARLY not up to par.
2. Ok, so their team didn't do so great and for the first time Dale was not on his "A" game.
3. Lisa decides to blame everyone else for her shortcomings and complains about everything
4. Although Spike is a funny guy he in no way a top chef because he put himself in a position to not be able to get eliminated. He played it safe.

* i decided Dale was my favorite way back in the First episode. Hes so talented and is not given the credit he deserves. Antonia is a great chef too but I think its shady that shes always saying that dale only cooks asian. He does not! Stop Hating!

* anyway, Im so sad to see my Dale go but i know that he is on to Bigger and Better things

I Really Really Want To Go To This

2008-05-18T22:36:00.001-04:00

If anyone knows how I can get my hands on some tickets PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

Its come to this...

2008-05-17T18:23:00.002-04:00

oh Lord help us all.

"Its fun to do bad things", spoken by the youth of america.

Hunger

2008-05-16T20:58:00.003-04:00

This movie which had its debut at the Cannes Film Festival tells the story of Bobby Sands, an Irish republican who went on a six- week hunger strike which led to his death at the age of 27.

Its a great story, I encourage you to look it up and read a little bit about the IRA and Bobby Sands. Im excited about seeing the movie!

Here's a picture of one of the many murals in nothern Ireland, This one dedicated to Bobby Sands.

click here to find out about the movie.

Ten Places I'd Love To Travel To (that you haven't already been to)

2008-05-16T18:04:00.002-04:00

In no particular order:

10. Prague
9. Holland
8. Greece
7. Switzerland
6. London
5. Ireland
4. Japan
3. Argentina
2. Vancouver
1. Seattle

Summer Goodness

2008-05-13T18:50:00.001-04:00

One of the best parts of summer. Elote stands everywhere!

Summertime means...

2008-05-12T17:32:00.003-04:00

* Time to continue the job search...full time.
* Catch up with old friends
* Learn to cook (a little)
* Do fun summer things

The perils of a young voter

2008-05-06T20:32:00.002-04:00

Today i tried to vote. not once, not twice, but three times! I was sent to three different voting locations today!!!! Apparently there was some drama with my information...i was registered to vote in two cities, so because of this i was forced to do a provisional ballot (i think that's what its called), i had to vote on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. Hopefully my vote counts. Time will tell.

I DID IT!

2008-05-05T12:37:00.002-04:00

I finally graduated! I can't believe it, I'm just beginning my life. Its scary and exciting.

Pictures from graduation will be posted as soon as i can get my hands on them.

Learning

2008-05-02T11:11:00.005-04:00

Last week I had to write a final paper for one of my classes. I chose to write about cultural nationalism in Puerto Rico. I chose because I have always wondered how the people of one very small island could have more outspoken pride and more love for their culture than any others. You can see this in Humboldt park. what is the first thing you see besides many many many small puerto rican flags? the GIGANTIC FLAGS welcoming you to the neighborhood. Its enough to make you wonder if you are still in Chicago.

Anyway...getting back to my paper, i learned how the rise of the cultural nationalist movement occurred in the 50s with help of Puerto Rico's first governor, Luis Munoz Marin. This period was also the time when thousands of Puerto Ricans were migrating to New York to work. Many puerto ricans feared that with U.S. influence of puerto ricans on and off the island, puerto rico would lose its cultural identity and through time become just another English speaking, little American island. However puerto rican artists, anthropologists, writers, and other politicians all joined in promoting puerto rican culture and tied puerto rican identity to the Spanish language. This way, the Spanish language would not die in puerto rico.

The puerto Rican flag also became a key symbol in Puerto rican identity. don't believe me? look up the Puerto Rican Day parade in NYC or Chicago. Even stores like Old Navy started making t-shirts with the flag on it. It was really cool learning about the history behind the pride and how this movement has resonated within the people for so long.

It's Finally Over

2008-05-01T12:17:00.001-04:00

Almost time to Graduate!!!!!!!

Now....to becoming an adult. SCARY.

2008-04-28T21:03:00.001-04:00

My Birthday and my sisters birthday is tomorrow!
Jaime from one tree hills birthday was tonight.....what a copy cat.

The Jersey Boys

2008-04-25T16:37:00.003-04:00

I have wanted to see the Jersey Boys ever since I saw them on the Today Show, performing for Katie Couric's last day. I can't wait until I have the opportunity to go see them!

A WEIGHT HAS BEEN LIFTED...

2008-04-25T16:13:00.003-04:00

I have survived my capstone class! My paper has been officially turned in. Now all I have to wait for is the grade!!!!
This past week has been very stressful..so many final papers all due in the same week! but now all that is left is one more paper and two finals. Not too shabby!

Anywho, With all this extra time on my hands I decided to blog a little.

Ive been completely obsessed with Bravo's "The real housewives of NYC". Im sad to see it end! The show is about 5 women and their very high profile lives...it follows them everywhere. If i could pick to be one person it would be the countess...shes awesome. Coming in at a close second would be Jill...she's got it together.

Headlines

2008-04-18T13:27:00.004-04:00

Today there was an article in the The New York Times on the Pope's visit to the U.S. The article centered around the meeting he called with the numerous victims who encountered sexual abuse from their priests. I read this and was very impressed by the attempt that was made to heal deep wounds. Although some criticized him for only meeting with the victims for a mere 30 minutes, i felt as though these 30 minutes were a step in the right direction.
I was very impressed that the Leader of the Catholic Church would spend time speaking with regular people. I find that to be Very admirable.

Born Into Brothels

2008-04-17T23:20:00.005-04:00

Wednesday nights for me means film screenings for my class: Global media perspectives on children in the media.
This wednesday we watched Born Into Brothels, a documentary about the children of prostitutes living in the red light district in Calcutta.

I thought the film was very interesting. however some questions did emerge after watching the movie. I encourage you to watch it and let me know what you think.

To find out more about the movie and charity organization "kids with cameras", click here.

I saw this on Shan's Blog and I had to post it...

2008-04-17T00:33:00.005-04:00

HI-larious. Im sure yoli will appreciate this.
I also thought it was kinda funny that that tickets were given away at the EXACT time of bill's speech.
ok so for some reason the videos not coming up on my post so just go here to see it!

My niece and Nephew

2008-04-11T14:01:00.003-04:00

I love them.

DMX Causes Riots!

2008-04-10T21:00:00.001-04:00

I heard about this today....crazy.

Keeping things into perspective

2008-04-07T10:59:00.003-04:00

Graduation approaches. Im really scared about finishing up this class that is really stressing me out. I think its time to talk about what I've successfully accomplished so that i can feel better about the fact that i still dont know what im doing with my life.
* I passed finite
* I moved to europe for almost 6 months and came back in one piece. (it just sounds so much cooler than studying overseas)
* I'm getting an "A" in two of my classes this semester
* I haven't dropped out of school

Asics

2008-04-05T20:56:00.003-04:00

I want these. Found on shoemall.com

I Can't Breathe! I Can't Breathe!

2008-04-05T01:02:00.003-04:00

Watch and listen.

Where Have I Been?!!!!

2008-04-04T13:41:00.003-04:00

I like to think That i keep myself informed on the important news happening in Bloomington. I should admit that i have been slacking recently since i've been so busy with my school work. Well i sincerely regret not being in the know this week because not only did i miss out on BILL CLINTON, but i also missed out on FREE TICKETS TO SEE DAVE MATTHEWS AND TIM REYNOLDS THIS SUNDAY to endorse Obama. Im not a big Dave Matthews fan...i am however a BIG fan of famous people and free stuff.

Not only did i miss out on that goodness...but apparently JEREMY PIVEN (you may remember him as dean pritchard from old school or from that short lived tv show "cupid" as well as the guy in entourage and of course, buddy israel from Smokin' aces) gave a talk (to endorse Obama) this week too!

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?!?!

IF ANY OF YOU HEAR ABOUT ANY OTHER COOL STUFF/FAMOUS PEOPLE COMING TO BLOOMINGTON PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

Big names come to IU

2008-04-02T00:54:00.000-04:00

Later on today (Wednesday) Bill Clinton will be in Bloomington campaigning for his wifey. I really wish i didn't have class because i would LOVE to go see him. I mean, It's BILL CLINTON! Shannon, Tell me how it went!

What I've been doing to avoid what i should be doing

2008-03-31T15:20:00.000-04:00

Today i organized my bookcase as well as a part of my closet. I've still got a lot more to go but I have to get to some homework done. Maybe a clean room will motivate me to get my never- ending work done.