Where has the time gone? Where will it go????

OMG.

What a teenage thing to say.
But I looked at the date....and WHOA!

It's August 27.
Ok this post was written in the EARLY hours of the morning because I couldn't really sleep.  But now I am going to be EXHAUSTED later today.  hahaha that's a silly thing to say.

I leave with my friend Erika on Wednesday morning to New York.  Hopefully this hurricane problem will fizz out and not interfere with my travel plans.

I have been making lists and writing thank you cards non stop!

I even bought my luggage on Wednesday :)  It's a maroon color.  Big suitcase,  lots of room.  But still, it needs to be under 44lbs.  Well maybe I can get by with 45! I mean come on! Hey, I'll just say the scale was off.  When I weighed it, it only said 44 ;)

I have been saying that I am going to spend my year in Spain.  Everyday now, it seems to get more real.  I am not implying that I didn't grasp the whole idea of my not being in America for 10 months.  However, it seems like it is actually going to happen.  I keep saying Spain Spain Spain.  But it will be different when I actually leave on a plane.  I will be like,    SWEET BABY JESUS, I AM THE CRAZIEST 16 YEAR OLD GIRL IN THE WORLD.  ok. ok. ok.  Probs not the craziest.  Let us thank God for that one.

I would like to take this paragraph to thank my parents for supporting me not only financially, but emotionally and spiritually.  I truly am blessed with you two.  I couldn't be where I am today without your care, support and tough but wonderful love.  Thick and thin, I really, truly, and honestly love you.  Ok mom,  please stop  tearing up :)

I want to make many memories.  I will be missing opportunities here.  But HELLO!  I'll make up for that one.

I don't know what else to write, but I just want to document everything I feel and think and experience.

I'm not the type of person who sits down with a pen and a journal and starts to write.  I am way to lazy for that.  I mean I might be able to, but It will just fizz out within a month.  Things like that don't hold my attention for long.

I like the computer, so I will just write my thoughts here.  Where I will always have this to show my future friends and family.  What if this is being read like 6 years from now? HI FUTURE ME! HOW WAS SPAIN!!  :) ok ok ok That was a little spazz attack.  But I mean, come on.  This will last forever, as long as the internet is in existence.

Well,  Here's to my last weekend in America for awhile...........
I am going to go to bed.

-Adios

SORPRESAA :)

Monica and me walking in.  I WAS SO SURPRISED! Ithought we were just going in to say hi to her parents.  But no,  We got all dressed up to go to an Italian resturant, but THAT WAS THE DECOY PLAN :)
Still wanting that pasta, MONICA!!!

My lovely family and friends.

My cousinss :)

amigas

Taylor Monica and Lucas 

Hola Aileen :)

Darian :)  

Momma and Reilly

Mi hermanita

Me Monica Lucas and Taylor 

Yesenia Maggie me monica lucas and taylor

WOW!!  What a surprise party.
I walked in and WOAH.  Hi everyone.  It was soo special.

A very special thing for my sister to do.  Muchas Gracias.  I love you so much.

All my friends came and I appreciate that.

Thank you everybody.  You will be dearly missed.

Well I am off to Sevilla next Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!!  I can't wait to officially meet my host-family.

There it is :)  Everyone asks me where it is.  This is my new Home.

I went to school registration because I had to get my picture taken.  And I am glad I did because I saw all my wonderful teachers that I won't see for a while.  And my classmates too.

Should any one want to send me a letter or anything, I will talk to my host family if they would be okay with my putting their address on my blog.

Thanks for everyone who is following me.  I appreciate all of you.

Here are the bigger cities in relation to Sevilla

Here is some architecture from around the city: 

alcazar

Cathedral 

The Puente Romano spans the Rio Guadalquivir and leads to the Mezquita in the city of Cordoba.

The Ruins of Medina Azahara is levels of ancient architecture in the Province of Cordoba.

My family will be visiting their parents so I will spend my first night in Malaga, Spain. 

IT IS BEAUTIFUL. Right on the Beach, Hopefully we will go there very often :) 

I need to pack.  But I will dedicate Sunday to that.  AUGUST 31st is coming quickly.  

I got my visa.  It's all set.  

Yes I am excited and nervous.  

Can't wait to see what's in store for me. 

-Adios  

The Time is Coming

Well, I am sorry that I haven't written an entry in a while.   I have been super busy just chillin with my family and friends.  But I need to do some research on Sevilla.  I would like to know all the history.  I am such a history nut.

Another thing.  I have to learn to see temperatures in Farenheit and Celsius.  I could memorize the thermometer:
http://www.mathsisfun.com/measure/thermometer.html

Do math in my head:    C to F:  Multiply by 9, Divide by 5,  Add 32
                                      F to C:  Subtract 32, Multiply 5, Divide 9 


HAHAHAHA yea right.

So I found this cute little rhyme.  I bet a lot of people know it, but I still find it helpful.

Thirty's hot,
Twenty's nice,
Ten's cold,
Zero's ice. 

C to F
30 = 86
20 = 70
10 = 50
0 = 32

Well that's not really a big deal.

What I am most concerned about is the language barrier.  I forget all my Spanish when I am using it to communicate with someone in the real world.  I think it is my fear of making a mistake.  But I will make LOTS of mistakes.  So I need to get over that. 

Funny fact:
I was watching The movie Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.  It's an action movie and they have to run all over the world. One of the places in the movie is..................... wait for it................... Sevilla, Spain.  I said it's so beautiful there, wouldn't it be funny if I get placed there?  What!!!!!!? I actually did get placed there???  What a silly ironic thing.


Fun Facts about my host city:   
- Seville enjoys a pleasant Mediterranean climate
- It is one of the warmest cities in Europe
- Average temperature throughout the year of 18ºC (65F)
-  January is the coldest month
- Summers are quite hot in Seville, especially during July and August when temperatures reach 37ºC (98F), and even 40ºC  (100F) on certain days
- December is likely to be the month with more rain
- Seville is the capital city of Andalusia
-  Located in the South of Spain, Seville, or Sevilla in Spanish, is one of the largest Spanish cities with over 700,000 inhabitants (Now 700,001)   :)
- Seville occupies the valley of the Guadalquivir river
- This is the birthplace of Flamenco
- The city is where the most amazing Easter processions take place
- The Legends tell that Seville was founded by Hercules
- Julius Caesar gave Seville the status of colony in 45 BC. The surprising fact is that, nowadays, there is little rest of this flourishing roman period.
- In 1248, Ferdinand III The Saint conquested Seville for Christianity. Muslims were forced to leave whereas Mudejars and Hebrews stayed
- A lot of churches were built to replace the mosques
-  Seville became the headquarters of the Inquisition
- The Reales Alcázares is an amazing royal palace built by the Christian kings of Castile. This is the oldest occupied royal palace in Europe, meaning that the king and queen of Spain still stay here when they visit Seville (Spain is a constitutional Monarchy, like England)
-  It is not only a palace but several palaces together
- Seville’s Plaza de España is undoubtedly one of the city’s top attractions. This huge and beautiful square was built for the Ibero-American exhibition of 1929
- The Roman ruins of Itálica are one of the places you must go to when visiting Seville. 10 kilometres north from Seville, this city was founded by the Romans in the year 206 BC and was the birthplace of the famous Roman Emperor Trajan
- The historic town of Carmona, 30 kilometres (18Miles) from Seville, is perfect for a day trip. Both the Romans and the Moors have left their imprint in this picturesque town.
- I got most of the facts from this site http://www.tourspain.org/sevilla/photos.asp and if you also click here, there a lot of photos to see. 
- Maybeyou willplan a trip here!





	I am going to pick up my visa in Chicago.  IT'S READYYYYYY! I need to get a few more things. And I need to pack soon. Oh well.  It will get done. I will write before I leave.                                  ADIOSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! 

El Primero Hola

I sent my family my first hello! I was so excited/nervous when I pressed send!!!!

¡Hola mi nuevo familia!

Estoy muy emocionado para nuestro año juntos.  Yo quise decir ¡hola y muchas gracias para me escogiendo!  Estoy escribiendo una nota mas detallado.  Yo enviaré el e-mail mañana.

Tambien, ustedes quieren que yo llame ustedes señor y señora? Maite y Jesús? O madre y padre?

-Katie 


Hello my new family,
I am very excited for our year together.  I wanted to say hi and thank you for choosing me.  I am writing a more detailed note.  I will send ti tomorrow.  


Also, do you want me to call you señor and señora? Maite and Jesús? Or mom and dad?

I have a longer note I am translating.  It's fun.  I really, really need to practice my Spanish!!!!!!!!! 


- adiossss

Host Family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOLA!

I have FINALLY gotten my host family information :)

My "new home" is in Sevilla.

I have a father named Jesús, a mother Maite, a younger brother Javi (15), and a little sister Marta (12). Also a little pet Yorkie name Panki.
I am so relieved! This is such a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.  I can finally plan accordingly.
The weather, at the coolest, is in the 50s in the early months of the year.  Other than that, it is fair.  Mostly in the 70s and 80s during Spring. But it gets into the 90s  in Summer.  It will be very hot sometimes!

This is their first time hosting so I have to make a great impression.  I represent my family, my parents, my community, my school, my state, my country, and AFS.

They sound a lot like my family.  I already feel comfortable.  (Well as comfortable as I can for now)   They are active, and like to do things with friends. Since my family seems to do a lot, I will get a lot more out of my stay with all the things they do. I will be able to find more opportunities to fit in.

I will go to school by bus.  This is be an adventure. (As will everything be)
I can bring my laptop! So I'll try to update weekly.

They love to travel I guess. And they sound like a lovely family.  I can't wait to be a part.  It will not be a slice of cake,  but with time I hope I will learn and grow to feel just like a family member.

Well that is it for now.  I wanted all of you to know.
Now comes the studying and learning all there is to know about Sevilla :)

Hasta luego

-adios-
<3

The Spanish Have My Passport!

We took the train.  Milwaukee to Chicago? Not bad at all. 

Downpour? No problem.  There's a Starbucks on every corner.

The great city

Rick Bayless' restaurant.  Some of the best Mexican food I have ever eaten.

Well here are some pictures of our family trip to Chicago for my visa.  

Thank GOD that is done.  All we need to do is go back down and pick my passport up.  It will already have the visa inside.  Is it like a stamp? Or a card?  A piece of paper?  Who cares.  It's pretty much over.  Plus I love being in a big city.  

- We got up really early.  I had to be ready by 7:00.  I would like to say that I was ready but I'd be lying.  I really tried,  still that's no excuse.

- The train left Milwaukee around 8ish.  We were in Chicago by 9:30ish?  I didn't spend too much time looking at the clock.  

- We started making our way to the consulate (which by the way, is only a small room.  I want to say half a pool length? there are a few chairs.  You are called up to the window and go you through the process.)  

But it started to POUR! Our little umbrella couldn't take it. We were all getting soaked.  So we stopped at Starbucks.  And naturally used their bathroom without buying anything.  But about 5 minutes later I got a smoothie.  One of the baristas come out with little cups of coffee for all those who were stranded outside too.  It was nice.  Mom, Dad, Maggs, and I were there for about 20-25ish minutes.  

- When the rain let up we ran to the Walgreens around the corner to get a few more umbrellas. (Of course when we got them we didn't need them after my appointment.) gosh.  byebye!! $30

- The consulate was just a few blocks down.  Like I said before,  its just the first room on the left when you exit the elevator on the 15th floor.  There also was another boy there who I caught saying was going with AFS to Spain.  I will probably meet him soon.  Maybe at orientation?  

* also, when you go to your consulate appointment, have everything in order, every document you need WITH A COPY OF EVERYTHING.  Right next to me there was a lady who didn't have her passport! * 

The man behind the glass (bulletproof) got really aggravated at this lady who didn't have her passport.  It was "stolen" but even then, how did you loose your PASSPORT??  Fake ID is like step two on a murderer's "Get out of America with a different identity" list.  Step one is probably to have a really good alibi so the cops skip you in the early part of the investigation.  

After that, we went to lunch at La Frontera.  A beautiful Mexican restaurant owned by famous chef Rick Bayless.  It's expensive, but totally worth it!!
http://www.fronterakitchens.com/restaurants/restaurants.html

And of course,  it's Chicago, so we went SHOPPING :)  

We have to go back down in 4-5 weeks to pick up my passport with my visa.  And that will be another story.  

ps.  My mother spotted a famous person.  He's from Law and Order... Old, gray hair,  detective? Well if you didn't guess she spotted DENNIS FARINA.   

http://www.tv.com/dennis-farina/person/61425/summary.html

I'll write with anything major, like a host family.  (Still nothing.) Still don't know where I am going either.  

Hope you're having a great summer :)

-adios       

Hi.

Just about a month and 14 days.
I still haven't heard of a host family! aaarrrrgggg >:[
But I'm waiting as patiently as I can.
Now, whenever I think of what's coming, I get this awful quiziness inside the pit of my stomach.
It's just a mix of nerves and excitement.

I have to get my drivers license before I leave.  This will be fun.  I HATE HATE HATE driving. I detest it.
And I am not the world's best driver, as many teens are not.  But I just don't like operating automobiles.
I just get one try at this test because I won't be here long enough to be able to take it again.
Oh well.  Let's get this over with. I just need this extra form of identification.

I've been away for awhile.  Just nothing to write about.  I'm not just blogging this for my family, and friends, and for the other future AFS students, I want to have this all written down to show my children, and for my future friends and family.  Yes. And most importantly, me.  I'll probably forget lots of things when I get older and I'll want to accurately re-call these lovely moments before, during, and after mis adventuras.

Well I had to go get a few passport/Visa pictures taken today.  On Friday, I'm taking the train from Milwaukee to Chicago.  One of my favorite things to do is take the train. But back to the matter.
I have an appointment at the Spanish Consulate for my visa.  This process is like nails on a chalkboard, and I hear that most countries' visa processes are not as complicated, but it will all be worth it.

Luckily my parents have gone through many processes like this before.  So they are not completely foreign to this.  It's a little more tedious, but not impossible.   Just aggravating.
To any people thinking of going to Spain with AFS!! -----> KEEP EVERYTHING ORGANIZED! EVERYTHING IN A NICE ORGANIZED FOLDER.  Keep every little email regarding the Visa application.  Read everything.  If you're not sure about somthing, ask! ASK! Email AFS, or email me.  I'll be happy to answer questions.  One little mix-up, no matter how trivial in the beginning, can blow up in your face later on.  That would stink.

Anywhoo I hope summer is a happy time for everyone right now. Stay cool. Ill talk to you sometime after Friday :)

-adios