the time has come

it's here it's here the weekend i planned months ago is finally here! GOING TO OKTOBERFEST TODAY where i will drink beer and find a husband. at least thats the plan. i intend on being a complete photo whore for everyone to stalk and comment. fyi.

i have a million things to do in the next hour and kim won't get out of bed so i need to jump on her. expect tales of my mishaps and makeouts on sunday night. i know it will be hard to wait until then, but surprisingly the tent i'm living in doesn't come with internet access. ugh.

hasta luego.

thirstay thursday

i almost just had a panic attack because i thought i lost my black skirt, aka the only thing i wear out these days cause its still 85 degrees in almost october. not to worry though, marisol assured me that it was in the ironing pile. i be so spoiled.

i haven't blogged in a few days because all i've been doing is going to class, sleeping, and eating croquetas.  what are croquetas you ask? they are essentially deep fried smiles and rainbows. katty betch can testify to that. anywho. i decided that whoever claimed going abroad for the semester would make school a joke clearly pussied out and went to a city like london. granted, having 1-2 page compositions in a few classes isn't killing me, but it takes me twice as long to translate it into spanish. ergo, creating a pain in my a$$. and of course i have three small responses due the monday after i return from munich. assuming i'm not too drunk to make my flight. (joking mom.) i'll try and get at least one composition done before i siesta and go out tonight...but let's be real.

i still can't believe i'm getting on a plane to germany tomorrow. #abroadgirlproblems. #not. the only downside is that i'm missing my program's planned trip to valencia. i'm hoping german beer will quickly convince me that i'm not missing much. the truth is, valencia will be there next weekend, but oktoberfest will not.

studying paintings like this during my art history class make me feel extra tan.

went to see this movie with my film class last night. naturally, it's about antonio banderas kidnapping the man who raped his daughter. and then transforming him into a woman. and then he locks him/her up in his house. for 6 years. while they have sex a lot and fall in love. and then in the end he/she gets revenge and kills the puss in boots. makes sense right?

dueces, gotta go rest up for free beer pong tonight.

today in spain

most exciting moments of today:

• i booked my flight to paris! 
• in class, i watched a movie about nuns that do drugs. 
• a hungover thirteen year old girl vommed next to me on the metro. 
• a fifteen year old boy mooned me in the window of a diner. (i felt violated) 
• i got to eat a grilled cheese. 
• i found a complete outfit for sensation.
• i got to skype for an hour with alyssa in amurica.
• and i successfully got my classes approved. 

just a day in the life. 

clubbing contrecoeur

i. am. exhausted. and i didn't even do anything last night. i guess my late thursday night is finally catching up with me.

we made it out by 1:30 two nights in a row! if that isn't an achievement in madrid i don't know what is.  obviously i had the time of my life at Kapital and i feel like i'd be cheating on it if i ever go out somewhere else. (the constant banging of the garbage cans outside my window right now are making me distracted, my apologies if the rest of this makes no sense.) friday night i told myself i'd come home at a reasonable hour after walking in at 630am that morning, and i guess i was successful if you consider 4:30 a reasonable hour. i'm not sure what it is about the night life here that makes the concept of time disappear. but i don't hate it. after two nights of no sleep and spending money, saturday day/night was my time to relax. i started shopping for my sensation barcelona outfit saturday afternoon which got me even more excited for that weekend. cannot wait to be the birthday betch. and then saturday night i had a hot date with my computer and tv-links.eu.  i'm not sure if you've heard, but i'm in a serious relationship with my american television shows. sins.

it was nice to sleep a solid 9 hours though because this morning i went to el rastro. mol bakes would have died and gone to heaven because this is no ordinary flea market. it goes on for miles and a ton of the stuff is hand made. of course, i had to buy three bracelets and a ring because i have a jewelry addiction problem.  i just finished up the majority bare minimum of my homework for tomorrow and i am legitimately falling asleep on my desk. guess that means it's time to stop typing.

lineup:

oktoberfest: 5 days
birthday: 12 days
sensation: 14 days
#dreamlife

new favorite song:

news

another week in madrid is already over. granted, when the weeks are only four days long, it's bound to go quickly. i took it easy this week because i was starting to feel like poop from never sleeping. and because i'm ballin on a budget, and tapas on tapas on tapas add up. but tonight i'm poppin my Kapital cherry and going to the biggest and bestest club ever. or so i've heard. it's free entrance but drinks are 12 euro, meaning i need to get blackout tipsy before 1:30am.

i started classes this week and surprisingly i don't hate any of them. my spanish language teacher is on crack and is the most rare human i've ever met. so naturally i look forward to that class on a daily basis. my film class is all about this crazy director who makes extremely sexual and twisted movies with antonio banderas and penelope cruz. my lit class is about spanish theatre and is a little boring at times, but my teacher is fat and loud, so he's entertaining. my ceramics class is, well it's ceramics so i obviously have no complaints. and lastly, my art history classes take place in the prado museum, just casually the home of the original Las Meninas painting by Velazquez.  on top of all that, me and shannon have every. single. class. together. i hope she likes me.

some random things i've noticed lately:

• all the light switches here are on the wall outside the room. confusing. 
• the pda here is on another level. i guess when bringing home a boy to your house is not permitted, that means basically having sex in the middle of a park in broad daylight with small children around is okay. i guess i really don't mind it that much. unless neither member of the pair is good looking. in which case, i do not need to watch you swap spit. not sorry about it. 
• every one here wears heels at all times. however, from what i've been seeing, not many people get pedicures. i guess with all the walking it's a waste. but please, at least cover up your toes if they're going to look like a homeless woman's.  
• on a funny note: i've seen a lot of people wearing t-shirts with english words on them. like "your boyfriend gave me this shirt" or "that's what she said." it makes me wonder, do you know what that means? where did you even get that? 

time for a siesta. adios. 

back to school. finally.

the fact that today was my first day of classes is actually a joke. but i'm sure as hell not complaining about having the longest summer ever. today marks the end of my dream, fake, princess life in spain and the beginning of my real, all classes in spanish, hard knock life. (who am i kidding, i'm still in europe...)

however, since i haven't blogged all weekend there are a few things to catch up on.

wednesday night: can you say white-girl-wasted? cause i know i can. granted, if you know me, you know this isn't a new discovery. although, for the 50 people on my trip that don't know me, i'm sure it was a pleasant surprise...right? there was a party thrown by some organization for all american students studying in madrid and everyone took full advantage of the free drinks. or at least i did. and yes, i said free drinks. since i've been living in a city where a drink at a club can cost upwards of 8 euro (11 dollars) i wasn't going to pass up anything for free. especially not real bottled wine. oh, and did i mention it was at THE most expensive club in madrid? #highrollers. thank god i didn't completely black out embarrass myself though. just browned out hard. in front of the entire staff of my program. and all the people on my program. and every american in madrid. yeah. oh, but the bright side: i look somewhat sober in almost all the pictures. which is obviously my top priority.

friday: day trip to segoviaAaAa!! this was my programs first say trip and since i'm missing the next one to valencia because i'll be at oktoberfest (poor me) i was really looking forward to it. my expectations were beyond met because this place was the sh!t. it's so completely different from madrid and it was actually refreshing. all the streets are cobblestone and there are roman aquaducts still in tact. roman. than means freakin ancient. there's no better way to spend a 90 degree friday without classes than in a castle. not kidding. stalk my facebook for pictures. if you're not friends with me on facebook, you should feel creepy for reading this. we're clearly not real friends.

both friday an saturday night consisted of a hard pregame that lasted too long to get into any clubs for free. i never thought getting to a discoteca before 1:30am could be such a struggle. guess we're adapting well. and since covers cost upwards of 15 euro (21 dollars) lord knows i'm not going if it aint free. both nights weren't complete failures though. i still managed to: eat shit and scab my knee over, get some free shots, dance to american music at an irish bar, drink mojitos the size of a small child, eat churros con chocolate, twice, see mr. russell quinones, and spend two gorgeous afternoons laying and playing in parque de retiro.

my life be like oooohh ahhh.

pictures i stole from friends: aka shannon walsh.

wasted wednesday

love?

NOVA TAKES MADRID

best sangria yet. 

fRiDaYyYy

i know i know, i'm due for an update full of stories and laughs. after the amount of alcohol i consumed on wednesday, my trip to segovia today, and a fun night planned tonight, a nice long post should be an achievable goal for tomorrow. just thought i'd let ya'll know i'm still alive and well. very well actually.

some preview photos (album obvi coming soon):

my daily postre. #fatgirlproblems

aquaducts in segovia. there's no cement holding them together...

stream of consciousness: i need to nap but i can't fall back asleep, my feet hurt, its hot as ballz, i hate the euro, it's too expensive, i need nail polish remover so my hands don't look like a 12 year old during their punk stage, i shouldn't be complaining at all, i'm in fucking spain, i'm gonna go read a book i think.  

HUMPDAY (kind of)

so many things to blog about, so little time. well, i guess i have all the time in the world but i obviously need to siesta for two hours.

my newest discovery: spanish. boys. are. creeps. there's just no other way to put it. i feel like the ones ages 21-25 aren't as bad, but boys ages 17-20 need to fuck off. stay away from me. no, i don't want to "ride your pony." (i wish i was kidding.) i never thought i'd say this, but i think i hate spanish boys even more than lax bros.  i'll just be waiting for a spanish prince charming to come along and change my mind.

on another note...

i'm trying this new thing here where i immerse myself in the culture. crazy right? so yesterday i went on a tour of a museum called the reina sofia, (casually saw picasso's Guernica in real life), signed up for a cooking class, and decided to go on a day trip to segovia this friday. sometimes i can't believe that i have all these crazy opportunities.  last night i even tried something new. i did the same old tapas for dinner but instead of going to a discoteca or a hookah bar, i went with some friends to a jazz club. granted it was cla$$y so drinks were more expensive, but i didn't hate it. i'm into musica of all kinds and love singing jazz (it's really the only thing that sounds good with my voice) so i thought it was great. and i was pleasantly surprised when most of the songs were in english. such a rare thing around here.

since i don't have classes on friday, as i am sure to rub in everyone's face mention on a weekly basis, it's officially the middle of the week. meaning i only need to use this much brain power for two more days of class. score.

her voice was flawless

first weekend

it's been quite an eventful past few days.  i'm no longer jet-lagged, i'm getting the hang of the spanish language, and i've gotten real good at making sure i don't get robbed. knock on wood. and while these things are all great and necessary to my survival, some not-so-necessary things have happened too. obvi. what would my life be if not a huge joke?

the first crazy ridiculous out of the ordinary thing to happen is: while walking through la plaza mayor two days ago, i casually spotted my prom date from junior year. not kidding. (tommy urich of you're reading this sorry for creepin.) what kind of person sees their junior year prom date who they're not remotely friends with, in a plaza full of people, in a foreign country? me, that's who.

the second fml moment of the weekend happened on our first big night out. picture this: you pay 12 euro for entrance and two free, strong, drinks. you're in a huge spanish club that plays all american music. you get invited to vip and drink free champagne with sweedish people. you're constantly getting hit on my spanish boys and making friends with american ones. you're on the packed dance floor screaming the words to brittney spears when.....theres blood all over the floor. YUP. that was indeed me who sliced there foot open on a piece of glass. luckily i have the best friends ever and they helped me wipe everything up. (of course this was the night i wore white pants.) i wasn't about to let this ruin my night though. i went back on the dance floor and picked up where i left off until.....oh yeah, it happened again.  i took this as a sign from god that it was time for us to leave. granted, it was already 5am.

as if all this wasn't enough, me and kim were forced to eat duck liver. i don't recommend it.

my computer is overheating. g2g.

day dos

it's finally the freakin weekend! not offering classes on friday is really a custom that the US needs to adopt.  tonight's the first night that a bunch of us are going HAM in terms of drinking, so wish us luck. the fact that i can buy a bottle of vino for 2 euro could be dangerous. also, the discoteca that marisol claims is "the best club in madrid" apparently has no cover charge tonight. #perksofbeingpretty. well, perks of just being a girl. 

i napped for the first time today since being here and i think it could be a life changing ritual. how else am i expected to be able to come home at 5am? thank god it's a holiday in madrid tomorrow and the only plans me and kim have include walking to el parque de retiro and laying out. 

time to figure out where i'm gonna go eat tapas. 

typical slogan for a hotel in the gay district 

i have arrived

i honestly feel like i should be writing this in spanish because i've been surrounded by such minimal english for the past three days. gettin in touch with mah roots. anyway...

I'M FINALLY HERE! the entire reason why this little blog project exists has finally begun. to say it has been a whirlwind of shit since getting off my plane would be an understatement. i still don't know the names of everyone on my program (apparently spanish folk don't believe in icebreakers) nor do i know how to take money out of an atm.  however, i've already gotten semi-used to taking the metro everywhere and my house is in a prime location. living with kim is the greatest thing ever because we can refer to each other when we have no idea what marisol is saying. (her and eduardo are our parents for the next three months. oh, and they don't know a word of english.) i can't wait until i actually know how to get everywhere and have my favorite "go-to" spots. hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later.

unfortunately, i don't have any crazy exciting stories yet, those will hopefully write themselves after this weekend.

things i need to get used to:

• having a flip phone where i need to account for .15 euros per text.
• eating a FEAST in the middle of each day and not eating dinner. ever. 
• having to walk everywhere. 
• bring gawked at for being american. 
• the smell, or should i say stench, of spanish folk. 
• having to rely heavily on my own common sense. 

things i have already gotten used to:

• the greatest coffee on earth. 
• having a senora that waits on your hand and foot. 
• being the legal drinking age. 
• having homework that requires me to go out and drink and then tell the class how i liked it. 
• having a cute boy to stare at in my spanish class five days a week. 
• eating massive amounts of jamon. 

some photos for your enjoyment 

view from my room. casual. 

beddy

hai

more closet space than the quad

tapas y sangria

take off

i am sitting here drinking my last iced coffee for the next four months. to say i'm more emotional than an 8 month pregnant woman would be an understatement.  i need to leave for the airport in approx. 3 minutes and don't even have time to be writing this right now. the next few days are sure to be a whirlwind and i hope i'm prepared to take it on. can't wait to travel for 24 hours! ETA in madrid: 11:00am  tomorrow morning.

why must california be located on its own freakin planet?

BYE AMERICA i know i will miss you, but hopefully not as much as you will miss me.

USA

welp, this is it. my last full day in america. tomorrow evening i'm leaving on a jet plane, and don't know when i'll be back again. (december 17th.) today is my last day to enjoy so many essential parts of my life. for example: iced coffee, a fully functional cell phone, my own bed, surroundings where everyone speaks english, and access to my entire wardrobe. i haven't even placed items in a suitcase yet and i'm already going into a packing induced coma.

last night was my mom's birthday and it was also the last family dinner i'll have in a very long time. believe it or not, i actually enjoy spending time with the parentals and shit-head little brother. it's a mystery of life that might never be solved. you may be wondering, "but andie, you don't leave until tomorrow night, why aren't you having dinner with your family tonight?" well world, i guess when it comes down to having dinner with your sister before she leaves for four months, or getting free box seats to a crucial giants vs diamondbacks game, a brother will always pick the latter. i admit, was pissed for .5 seconds until i realized i would never pass up those seats.

i'm procrastinating currently because i won't get out of bed. i don't want to pack my life up yet. UGH #abroadgirlproblems.

family portraits 

then

and now

gonna miss thanksgiving with this crew

poetic post thursday

i carry your heart with me. (i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it (anywhere you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)
i want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)
                                                             - e.e. cummings

this is my favorite poem. and my husband really should read it to me at my wedding if he wants any hope for a good future. and i want to get a tatt, eventually, that can be a constant reminder of how amazing it is to know what's keeping the stars apart.

this may be a little serious for thursday morning, but i DGAF. i dig poems.