What do you know about Spain?

Hello everyone,

When you think of Spain, what comes to mind?

I lived in Andalucia where its hot and the landscape is bare. And as you move south to north, it goes from desert to dense, green forests. To me, Malaga and Sevilla are home. However, I have seen the lush forests in the north. I was browsing on the National Geographic website and stumbled upon beautiful photos of Spain. I just wanted to share them with you. I miss being there so much. But today is Thanksgiving and I am super thankful that I am home for the holidays! Even though Thanksgiving is celebrated in America, everyone should give thanks for what he or she has. Happy Holidays!


Hola a todos,

Quería compartir unas fotos de España.

Vivía en Andalucía, y a mi, Málaga y Sevilla son mis hogares. También vi los bosques en el norte y me pegaron. Estaba navegando por el internet cuando encontré unas fotos tomados en España y son impresionantes. Quería enseñarlas a vosotros. Echo mucho de menos a España. Pero hoy es Thanksgiving y estoy súper agradecido por mi familia y mis amigos que viven en todos partes del mundo. También me hace mucha ilusión de estar en mi casa por los navidades. Ya lo sé que se celebran El Día de Acción de Gracias en EEUU, pero creo que es muy importante dar las gracias por lo que tienes. Ni importa donde vives. Happy Thanksgiving! 

A torrero stands with cape at the ready in a bullfighting ring in Spain. The ancient sport draws crowds across the country, and bullfighters attain celebrity status.

Men meet in a bar in the Triana neighborhood of Sevilla. The capital of Andalusia, Sevilla shines as the stronghold of culture and art in southern Spain.

Headlights blur past the Metropolis Building, a Madrid landmark. The Spanish capital is also its banking and business center.

Children practice the art of flamenco at a fair in Barcelona. Quintessentially Spanish, flamenco echoes the rhythm of medieval ballads sung by Muslim minstrels.

Antoni Gaudí’s Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona is still unfinished more than a century after construction began.

La Mancha’s windmills were famously captured in Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote, when the bumbling knight of the title rushes the windmills, thinking they’re giants.

The Canary Islands lie northwest of Africa and have five distinct environmental zones, ranging from sea level to snowcapped peaks. 

During Seville’s Semana Santa, members of cofradias, or lay religious brotherhoods, walk through the streets in complete silence, wearing voluminous tunics and tall conical hoods that were originally designed to hide the identity of the penitent. 

Toledo’s distinctive twisted streets and covered passageways evoke the city’s golden years as part of the Arab Empire. El Greco, the flamboyant Greek painter, spent years capturing the beauty of the city and its occupants.

Bilbao was just a small industrial town overflowing with immigrants—until it built the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, designed by Frank Gehry. Now it’s a bustling tourism center, an inspiration for mayors around the world hoping for a “Gehry effect.”

A small bridge spans a stream near the village of Rodellar in northern Spain, a region renowned for its climbing. And the canyons of the Sierra de Guara offer superb canyoneering.

Valencia’s arts and science complex is dominated by L'Oceanogràfic, the largest aquarium in Europe, with ten different underwater habitats. The complex also has Europe’s largest planetarium, an IMAX theater, and an opera house.

Customers wait in a busy shop in a market in Palma, Mallorca. The island is one of the four major Balearic Islands—the others are Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera—and it was colonized by the Romans in the second century B.C. 

Calella de Palafrugell is one of several fishing villages turned resort on Catalonia’s Costa Brava, which means “rugged coast.” Many fishing towns became resorts after Generalissimo Francisco Franco began encouraging tourism in the 1950s.

The city of Salamanca is best known for two things: majestic cathedrals and the many students attending one of three universities. The University of Salamanca was founded in 1218, which makes it the third oldest university in Europe, after Bologna and Oxford.

I hope you enjoyed them! Isn't Spain beautiful?

Espero que hayais disfrutado! España es impresionante, no? 

This is the link to the photos:
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/spain-photos/#/spain_6028_600x450.jpg

Disclaimer:
I am not affiliated with these photos.  I did not take them.  I do not own them.


Adios,

Kate   

 

College Apps 101 for Exchange Students

Hello everyone,

You will never believe what I have been doing today.

Filling out and sending in my college applications!  I have been working on them since the start of school and it's a huge relief to have them sent in.  I couldn't have done it without my mother.

I just wanted to say a few things to exchange students who are applying this year or going to apply to college next year.  Firstly,  you stand out among all applicants so it's important to highlight your study abroad experience. Add it to your activities list, add your foreign high school on your application, and I also expanded on the topic in my personal statement.  Secondly, get started on your college apps as soon as you can! Gather up all your activities, awards, service experiences, and honors and put them into a word document as that will save you loads of time.  Lastly, if at all possible, really get involved in the community while studying abroad.  Do service, take a pottery class, piano lessons, run a race, join a sports club, maybe intern somewhere! Anything helps and it looks AWESOME on a college app.  Trust me.

I hope these tips are going to benefit you! If you have any questions please leave me a comment. Have a wonderful week.

Adios!
Kate

Hola todos,

Sabéis lo que estuviera haciendo todo el día?

Rellenando y enviando mis aplicaciones a las universidades! Comencé trabajando en ellas al principio del Senior year y es un tremendo alivio por tener todo acabado. Muchas gracias a mi madre por su ayuda.

Solo quería decir algunas cosas a los estudiantes intercambios quien están aplicando este año o van a aplicar a las universidades el año que viene.  Primero, tu aplicación ya tiene un aspecto interesante porque has estado fuera de tu país estudiando en otro por un año entero.  Es importante acentuar tu experiencia! Hace falta incluir tu experiencia en una lisa de actividades, añade tu instituto extranjero en tu aplicación, y yo hablé sobre mi año en España en mi redacción personal.  Segunda, comienza rellenando tus aplicaciones lo antes posible.  Tercero, si es posible, haz algo en la comunidad mientras tu estancia.  Ayuda los pobres, tomar clases de cerámica, piano, entrena por una competición, escríbete en un club de deportes. ALGO! Cualquier cosa.  Si hagas algo en un país extranjero, es una buenísima cosa tener en tu aplicación. 

Espero que te haya ayudado. Si tienes preguntas, déjame un comentario. Tengas una buena semana!

Adios!

Kate  

  

Two Langauges!

 Hello AFSers, family and international friends,

I have decided, like my friend Mariam does on her fashion blog, to start doing bilingual entries.  Because English is my first language, it will be first; Spanish will be second.  I will also add a tool to translate my text into other various languages such as Russian, French, and German.  I hope you like my new ideas :)

Also, I will be adding more entries concerning my new encounters with international friends.  And about my interests in other countries and cultures.  And perhaps if I travel, I will write about my adventures and include photos.

If you haven't noticed, I changed my blog title to Katie en España y El Mundo.  I thought it sounded better and better suited the content about which I write.  

Thanks for your support! New entries coming soon :)

Adios
-Katie

Hola estudiantes de intercambio, familiares y amigos internacionales,


He decidido, como mi amiga Mariam hace en su blog de moda, empezar escribiendo entradas bilingües en mi blog. Porque inglés es mi lengua natural, sera primero.  Español sera segundo.  También, voy a poner una applicación para traducir mis entradas a otros idiomas incluso Ruso, Francés, y Alemán.  Espero que os guste mi idea :)    

Además, voy a escribir más entradas sobre mis encuentras con amigos internacionales. Y sobre mis intereses en otos países y sus culturas.  Tal vez, si yo haga un viaje a un país o ciudad interesante, os contaré sobre mis adventuras y os enseñaré fotos.  (Como sabéis, viajar es mi pasión.)  

Una cosa más, espero que hayáis notado que he cambiado el título del blog.  Ahora se llama Katie en España y El Mundo.  Creí que era más apropiado.

Gracias por su apoya!  Mas entradas vendrán pronto :)

Adios 

-Katie

ha sido muxo tiempo

"It has been a long time."

Hola a todos,

How are you my international friends? I have been back since July 1.  So roughly around 3 and 1/2 months.  I think about Spain everyday.  It is hard to let go and after much reflection, I love Spanish culture more than American culture.  Sometimes I understand more here in America, speaking my first language; however, I feel like I belong to something greater while in Spain.  I feel more connected to the people.  Maybe because Spain is so much smaller than the USA.  Maybe because it is my passion to learn and grow in another country.

Even though I am not in Spain currently, the flames of passion within my heart have not been extinguished; I will continue to serve and give back to the global community with my talents and education.

And even though I love Spain so much, that doesn't mean I am not patriotic about my home country.  I still love studying American History.  I want very much to study in college in Washington DC.  I am in love with the fact that so many people from so many different countries, races, cultures, sexual orientations, families, etc., are united under one flag.  I still am moved when I sing the national anthem.  I love knowing that I will be protected.  Nothing, no one person or country will ever be perfect, but I am pretty lucky to live in the United States of America.

My first blog entry EVER has come to my attention lately. I couldn't help but smile when I re-read it a few days ago.  I seem so blissfully unaware of what is in store for me.  I could have never imagined the magnitude of impact this experience has had on me, my family, friends, and community.  I encourage everyone to keep an account of their journeys abroad.   

As the weather here in Wisconsin gets colder and greyer, I am reminded of my first orientation with my friends in Andalucia. I love the nostalgic feeling I get when I look back on my pictures.  Moments I never want to forget.  Strolling the streets in Cordoba.  The cold winter air.  The constant feeling of adventure.  My independence in Europe.

And coincidentally as I was typing this entry, my friend from Sevilla just called me on Skype!  It was such a great surprise:)  I have missed all of them so dearly.  I will continue to talk to them.  And when I return, I will give them all a big kiss.

Even though I had this great experience, my life for now is in the USA.  I can't lose sight of what is real and important.  Reality has set in, but I can always escape back to Spain in my dreams, memories, and pictures.

I have a youtube channel with a few videos of Spanish culture.  Some are from Semana Santa, I have a video from a soccer match, and a video at my friend's house in Sevilla.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from Spain:

Noelle and me in Cordoba :)
I just talked to her yesterday. 

Our AFS orientation in Cordoba

Me, Macarena, y Carolina from Sevilla

La Giralda in Sevilla.  My city.   

Strolling through the streets of Sevilla. 

Class trip to Granada. 

Ally, me and Julian by the Bridge of Eiffel. Yes the same architect of the that famous tower.  

The city of Granada. So beautiful.  

I miss my Iberic ham.  This stuff is so good.  

Overall I miss exploring different cities.  I miss meeting new people from all over the world on a regular basis.  I miss my family in Malaga, my friends from Spain, and all over the world.

But I am happy to be with my family.  I want to treasure this last year at home before I really leave the nest.  

I will post soon!

Adios,

Katie

One Year

One year ago today, I began my Spanish life :) I never left it behind. I am counting down the days until I can return to my home away from home and see my beautiful friends once again. Macarena, Alfonso, Sara my host mom, Manolo, Fernando, Laura, Mariam my best friend, Maria, Barbara, Mariely, AFS students, and everyone else who touched my life this past year :) Os quiero ♥ Besos.

I will return soon with another post about school life here and in Spain. About colleges, and other AFS updates. 

Welcome to all students in the USA and good luck to all students departing to various countries! 

I am truly grateful for everything I was blessed with this year. I never took my life in Spain for granted for one moment. 

Adios, Besos,

Kate

Back in the Groove

Hey. It's been quite awhile since I have updated my blog.
Like I said before, even though the actual exchange is over, the experience will last a lifetime.

I am currently working on a volunteer application for AFS. I really want to help with orientations and be there for families and students.

I got home on the 29th of July. So it has been about a month and a half since I landed on US soil. So many things have happened. I am constantly talking with my friends over in Spain. I have told the same stories over and over again to family and friends here. Though I never do quite run out of new things to say.  I have a job now! I am going to save every penny for college and travel money!

I have had a great transition back home. Milwaukee is a great place to live and I have the best support system here. My family and friends have helped me get back into the groove of things.

I feel so much more independent and adventurous.

I can't believe that I am going to take the ACT soon. I am looking into colleges or more accurately, those colleges have been sending me 1,000s of emails each day.

... and can't wait for all my AP classes to start giving me mountains of homework. ahhh.

The new AFS students are here! I know there is a Spanish girl going to my school! And I just can't wait to meet all of them soon.

Again. I will write some more post-return entries for awhile. I know fellow AFSer Mary Beth kept her blog going for a little bit, too. It just helps prolong the exciting feelings. Helps inspire more kids. Gives more feedback and advice about the ENTIRE experience.

Here are a few pictures from Spain to Milwaukee.

My best friend Macarena. I spent my last weekend in Sevilla with my friends. Macarena let me sleepover and was the best Sevillano host-family I could ask for :)

I climbed to the highest point in Sevilla and saw the breath-taking views of the city! 

My best friends in Sevilla :) Jesus, Carolina, and Macarena. 

My host mom in Malaga's cat had kittens!

Euro cup! Spain won against Portugal. Poor Ronaldo :( Spain moved on to the finals to win the Euro Cup! World Champs.

My best friend in Spain. Mariam. She is so kind and sweet. I love her. I admit that we both don't look the greatest in this pic. But visit her blog here. She's quite the fashionista! 

Flying into Switzerland! It is beautiful. 

I went to my Grandma's house in La Crosse for the 4th of July. Mighty Mississippi. The 4th is my dad's b-day! 

Milwaukee during summerfest! I was on the sky-glider. Gotta love this city! 

I took a boat tour on the river which flows into Lake Michigan. I snapped this baby right here. Not many people  who live here even do this. My family and I went with Julian. An AFS friend who went to Spain with me. He lives in San Francisco. But he was in Chicago for a few weeks. 

This is my lake up north! I went to my other Grandma's house up north in Land'O'Lakes. Right by Eagle River in Wisconsin. 

My cute dog Darby. She was so tired our first day up-north. 

This is a picture from my first night here! Had a family dinner! I missed my best friend in the whole-wide world. My little sister is the best.

So that is it for now! School starts the 22nd. I have to get to know the girl from Spain who lives right down the street! I can't wait to meet her. I am busy, but I'm just living one day at a time. 

"Sin Prisas pero sin pausa." Not hurrying. But not pausing. 

Adios, Besos.

Katie 

This is not the end.

Just wanted to send a quick post saying that I am not finished adding entries to my blog. There will be a few more entries to come.

First of all I would just like to say that I am safely back home in Milwaukee.
It has been a crazy nearly 2 first weeks in the States.  I am happy to see my family and friends.
When I saw my sister at the airport I literally got the wind knocked outta my lungs.  Seriously, I started hyperventilating.
I can't believe that my time in Spain ended! I am already thinking about going right back over again.  I am looking for jobs. I am starting a fund! If anyone wants to help out? Haha I am kidding. Mostly...

Anyway, I am keeping up the Spanish. The family I babysit for is from Mexico so today all I did was speak in Spanish. I am watching my favorite TV shows in Spain on youtube.

Being back is strange. It feels like nothing has changed. A few things have. But it's not radically different. I think I might get a bigger shock when I start high school again.  It's been nice to see the huge differences between the two countries I love the most in this world!

I have more stories and pictures.  I just didn't want you guys to be left hanging. Like I said before, I may not be in Spain right now, but the experience isn't over.  There are a few AFS students from Spain who are going to be here right in Milwaukee and the Midwest! Can't wait to meet the girl from Spain who is going to my school this year.

If anyone has questions they would like to ask, please comment below:) I will respond to as many as possible. Which probably will be all if there are any.

Peace. I hope you guys will stick around to read the post-Spain return stories.  And what happened on the journey home.

-adios