Place to visit....

If Prague is not on your list of places to go in your life... change your list. After a great week in Athens it was amazing to see a city that was so different, with such a different history.

I got to spend some time doing more touristy stuff, which made me quite happy. I traveled up to the Old Prague Castle, and got to walk on the Charles Bridge (a 650 yr old stone bridge that connects the two halves of the city). It was an amazing week. Take a look at the pictures located on Flickr... the link is in the right hand column. Cheers! Jill

An international dinner party....

I had my first dinner party last night with 4 women I met in my Spanish class. We had 3 generations sitting around the table from 3 different countries. It was a pretty amazing experience. Attending were: Lucy, 22 years old from Ireland. She is in Girona teaching English and has been here since last fall. Anna who is also 22 years old, is and o'pair living just outside Girona I am not sure how long she has been here. Elizabeth, 72 from Chicago, Illinois. Her daughter lives here and so Elizabeth moved here as well. She has been here since last fall as well. The menu was fresh salmon, cous cous, and fresh sauteed veges... for dessert we sat around the table and devoured a pint of Haagen Daaz.

We spoke mostly in English with a few Spanish words thrown in for good measure. It was really neat to hear about everyones experiences in life. We talked about the time the 3 have spent living in other countries; Lucy has lived in South Africa, Anna spent a year in Australia, and Elizabeth told a great story about being an o'pair in Jamaica. We also talked about our Spanish class, traveling around in Spain and lots of other stuff. I realized how much I miss my friends and family and how grateful I am to have met some people here. It has been a while since I have entertained and I forgot how much I love it. It was a wonderful night.
Thanks Ladies for helping me make yet anothe great memory in Girona!!!

Are you a Traveler or Vacationer?

Over a glass of wine last night my friend Elizabeth and I had a discussion about this topic. She told me she thought there were 2 types of people in the world.... vacationers and travelers. She said travelers were people that go places to see the people and the culture, they study guide books, and immerse themselves in the experience. Vacationers go somewhere to relax to get away from their life.
Now I would have to say I have been a vacationer most of my life. Most of my vacations have been based around relaxation, not getting into the culture, people, or the experience of the country or place. I think that is now changing after living in Europe for a little while. I am now more likely to pick up a guide book or study a destination prior to going. It is an interesting topic to discuss.... so what are you? Traveler? Vacationer? Both? Would love to hear what you all think on the topic.....

Archaeological Garbage

Can you find me in this picture? I am that small dot on the far left, in the corner ...... yeah, look a little harder ... yeah over there, left side.


What? You can't find me? Really?


Look again ...


Still can't find me? Are you blind? Nah, you're not ..... cause I am not there.

While in Athens this week I tried desperately to see the Acropolis. The first time I went I got a little lost and ended up being about 3 blocks away from it and not knowing it. So I tried a second time. That didn't go so well either. On the way home from teaching my wallet got stolen on the subway and instead of going up to the Acropolis I spent a few hours canceling my credit cards. (do you think someone was trying to tell me to clean out my wallet?:) Well, I didn't let that get me down and planned for one more shot yesterday.

I convinced my colleague Oliver to come with me even though he had seen the monument several times. I was happy he agreed to come as I was still a little gun-shy from my last wonderful experience on the subway. So the rush was on .... we got out of class, got a taxi, changed, got on the subway, and practically ran to the front gate of monument ....... it's 6:40 by now and just as we come up to the gate we see the sign. CLOSED! It closed at 6:00. I was crushed.




After I stomped around like a 2 year old for a few minutes .... I made the best of it. Oliver took a shot of me in front of the gate to the Acropolis to show just how close I was and although these pictures are not closeups, I think they are pretty great, even from behind the fence. And look there, I am even smiling.....










Since we got denied seeing the Acropolis and such... we walked around the big hill that it sits on. Almost everywhere on the hill there are fragments of old buildings, statues, columns and more. I started clicking pictures of all this stuff and Oliver just kinda laughed at me. He asked why I was taking pictures of all the Archaeological Garbage. Garbage? What? This was great stuff! I have to admit I was as happy as a clam. I didn't really know the difference and plus I was close enough to be able to touch it. Oooh, really old stuff, and I can touch it! COOOL!
Take a peek.....




I have to admit it did kinda seem like this stuff was discarded, just littered on the hill. It was weird. I kept thinking... shouldn't this stuff be in a museum? Could I take it home with me? What is stopping someone from selling this on Ebay? Maybe it is just laying around cause they have so much of it.... who knows but I'm telling ya... the next time you are in Athens do 2 things.... find out what time the Acropolis closes and get there before that time and check out the garbage.... it's definitely worth your time!

It's Greek to me!

I went out on a hike yesterday in Girona with a friend and we were talking about Greece. She told me she had visited once here for about 6 weeks when she was about 18 (which was only like 6 years ago for her...) anyway she said she didn't learn a bit of Greek cause she spent the 6 weeks trying to figure out the letters. I have to admit I was a little skeptic, really how hard could it be? She was right.... It really doesn't make any sense. I did some research to find out who was the first person to say "It's Greek to Me!" .....turns out it is derived from a Medieval Latin proverb "Graecum est; non potest legi" (It is Greek; it cannot be read). Anyway, they were right. Greek letters don't really seem to have a rhyme or reason.

I got to Athens late this afternoon and went exploring to find the Acropolis. I found a few other places and was within spitting distance to the monument but missed it altogether. I was on a time clock so I busted back to the hotel to meet my colleague and will have to try later this week to get there. ARGH! Anyway, I found a ton of cool things along the way .... lots of old stuff! Stay tuned for more news from Greece!

Nothing is ever what it seems.....

My Spanish Teacher Elena is wonderful, I really enjoy her and when I first started going to school the one thing I told Jonathan after my first couple of classes was that I wanted to buy Elena a new pair of glasses. Why? well it seemed like she was always getting really close to words on a page or on the computer screen, like she needed bi-focals or something like that... and I thought that maybe because she was a teacher maybe she couldn't afford new glasses.

Today during an exercise we did in class, which was to have the class interview Elena, I learned that she has some type of "eye sickness". That is how Elena put it. That she will loose her sight at some point in the near future. I am sure there is something more descriptive she would have told us but with a classroom only speaking at level one in Spanish I think she was telling us what we could understand. I was devastated. It really hit me hard. You could tell she is devastated about it too. It was sad, enlightening and frustrating all at the same time. It explained her squinting and I felt ashamed that I thought she couldn't afford new glasses. I also felt confined that I wasn't able to offer any empathy about the situation due to my lack of Spanish skills. All I could do was listen.

Now that I think about it, maybe only being able to listen was a blessing, it may have pained her more to talk about it if we had been able to express our surprise and sadness. What gets me is how I fall into this trap regularly, I swear this is like the easiest "life rule" to remember..... and yet every time I think I understand a situation something shows up to tell me something different. It is humbling and a wonderful reminder that the stories we make up in our heads about the world around us are just that.... stories.

Temps de Flors

Welcome to one of the most beautiful weeks in Girona: The Temps de Flors
This is when artists decorate the city in flowers as a competition. Check out the website here: The Temps de Flors
I spent part of my Saturday wandering around and re-discovering Girona in all its' glory. I was a tourist again and it was wonderful! Guiding myself around by a map, clicking pictures and seeing the city in a whole different light. I had to stop myself a few times and just soak it all in because I found myself so focused on taking pictures that i wasn't standing around long enough to just enjoy the art of it, the beauty. This reminds me to take time out of each day to stop, breathe and take something or someone in.... it's that whole being present thing again. I noticed myself being so focused on getting the good picture, the artistic picture that I know I missed the entire meaning on a couple of the exhibits. I am planning to spend a little time each day the rest of the week just trying to soak it in rather than rushing through it. I am thinking I shouldn't even take my camera next time. I think there is a song about this concept.... by John Mayer.... it is called 3x5.

Here are the lyrics:
I'm writing you to catch you up on places I've been
And you have this letter you probably got excited, but there's nothing else inside it
didn't have a camera by my side this time
hoping I would see the world through both my eyes
maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm in the mood to lose my way with words
TODAY skies are painted colors of a cowboy cliche'
And its strange how clouds that look like mountains in the sky
are next to mountains anyway
Didn't have a camera by my side this time
Hoping I would see the world through both my eyes
Maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm
in the mood to lose my way
but let me say
You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes
it brought me back to life
You'll be with me next time I go outside
NO more 3x5's
I Guess you had to be there
I Guess you had to be with me
Today I finally overcame
tryin' to fit the world inside a picture frame
Maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm in the mood to
lose my way but let me say
You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes
it brought me back to life
You'll be with me next time I go outside
no more 3x5's
just no more 3x5's

So here I go... I will continue to write about our experiences over here in beautiful Spain so maybe you can imagine yourself along side of us taking it all in......

Check out more pictures of the day in the link on the right hand column titled Temps de Flors.

The Giro d'Italia

Jonathan is spending the month at the Giro and after the big Slipstream TTT win yesterady news from the front lines was that there was a big celebration last night! FANTASTIC! I was able to watch the race with a couple of riders here in Girona. Jonathan has been sending snap shots from his phone of epic moments.... ironing on the Slipstream logo to the pink jersey.... a champagne toast.... I am sure there will be many more!
Today I am glued to my computer watching as the team is now at the head of the peloton with only about 10km left of the race. It is amazing to see Christian wearing the pink jersey as the teams heads towards the end of the 2nd stage of the race in Sicily.
GO SLIPSTREAM!!!!!!

Back in the Saddle

Welcome (back) to Spain!
Wow, after a month back in the states it seems like forever since I added to the blog or spoke Spanish. I was at home for the month of April living a very different life than we do in Spain. Holy cow we have a lot of conveniences in the states.....
So a regular question I got while in CO was ..... What did I miss the most while away?

My answer:
Soy Lattes at my local coffee shop.... (I think I just heard my European friends sigh) I know... How American of me, huh? Well, it's the truth. You really can't get a soy latte in Girona, Starbucks hasn't invaded yet.... :) Friends and Family: I was so great to see everyone and be on the same time zone as most of the people in our lives. We have such amazing friends and family.

Then I asked myself.....What did I miss about Spain?
Well quite a few things....
Walking! It is amazing what a stress reliever walking is. When I am in Spain I walk everywhere. It is amazing how when I go out to the grocery store or anything in Spain I don't miss driving because I don't really have a choice. In the states? Drove my car like it was going out of style.... oh how the pardigm shifts when your options change. Quite crazy.
Fresh Bread! There are bakeries everywhere near our house and we definitely have become bread snobs..... day old bread just doesn't cut it anymore.
Speaking Spanish! It pains me to say this..... really it does, but I was really getting it down prior to going to the states. When I picked up my Spanish book when I got back it really looked foreign. I am sure just a few days back in the saddle and I will remember more.

What a great experience we are getting.... we get to miss stuff in 2 countries.
You really can't beat that.

The first Visitors!

Well, we had our first visitors this past week!
My sister Julie, her son (Jim) and his girlfriend (Jessica) came out for Spring Break. It was a wonderful visit! We got to spend a few days together and they got to explore Girona, Figueres and Barcelona.
They got into Barcelona about 6pm on Saturday and I met them at the airport. (where I proceeded to cry at the moment I saw them, I think I was just so happy to see a friendly face) The best part is that I was able to dish up an adventure in the first 2 hrs of them being here! We took the regional train instead of the express train and we got to see every city between here and Barcelona.... and I really mean every city. It was about a 2 hr train ride (instead of 1 hr and 10 min)...... Each time the train would stop I would say what city are we in and Julie would say Salida! After about 3 times she figured it out that salida means exit and we really had no idea what city we were in. Oh and I almost forgot the electricity went out on the train like 4 times during the ride which was absolutely hysterical. Finally we arrived in Girona, and even after a 17 hour trip and a 2 hour train ride our tired weary travelers were still able to bounce back and head out to a local tapas bar to have some great Spanish wine and food.

Day 1 in Girona we spent on the old wall in the city. The crew is standing on it in the picture above. Girona was a walled city a long time ago and there is a large part of it still open and available for tourists to walk on in the "Barri Vel" which is the oldest part of the city. We also got to see the Cathedral, and spend some time just walking around the city. We ended the night all huddled in the kitchen (if you haven't seen how small the kitchen is just take a look at the pictures from my last blog entry) cooking risotto, chicken, and salmon. It was great to see how many people we could fit into the kitchen, turns out my thought that we could only fit one comfortable was wrong.... you can fit 2. :)
Monday we took a hike up to the Sant Miguel where we almost got blown off the tower. I will have to ask Julie for the picture because it was really crazy. The wind was blowing probably about 50 miles an hour.

It was quite a rush and really cold. However, it was amazingly clear that day and we were able to see the Pyrennes Mountains clearly along with several other cities that surround Girona. Everyone also got a good scare as I alerted them to the wild boar in the area. We made the trip safe and sound. However Jim did happen to bring a knife on the hike "just in case" anything happened. :) I worked the rest of the day until we went out for dinner (10pm) at one of our favorite restaurants Draps.
Tuesday the crew headed up to Figueres to see the Dali Museum for the day and I headed to school then to work. We were able to spend some more time together that evening before I had to bid them farewell the next day. A big thanks to Julie, Jim and Jessica for coming out. It was wonderful to have you here and so great to see some more friendly faces. So who's next? We will just have to wait and see!

Home at Last!

I don't really think I understood the power of having your own space until this week.
Since arriving in Girona Jonathan and I have been living in a communal apartment owned by the team. The apartment has an amazing history from people living in it probably during World War II to it being home to many professional cyclists over the years, including Lance Armstrong. It was a great place to stay, it had heat, a kitchen, a bedroom for us. and it was wonderful of the team to allow us to stay there until we found a place.... but it just wasn't home.
This past Monday we (rather I, Jonathan is on a 2 race trips currently) got to move in. Luckily we got to move about 80% of all of our stuff last week prior to the "official" move (thank goodness) because without a car I think I probably would have made 1o or so trips across the city to move all of our stuff. :) The apartment has 2 floors (see the last picture on the right) , 2 bedrooms (one double and one single) and 2 baths and a tiny galley kitchen that is designed perfectly.




We are feeling much more at home and both of our stress levels have dropped at least 10 notches cause now we just have space to "hang out'.
It has been a couple of weeks since I started this blog.
We are definitely settled in and enjoying European living and trying out hand at being minimalists. Cooking is definitely an adventure as you can see the kitchen only fits 1 person comfortably.... :) let's hope we don't have any big parties soon cause everyone won't be able to fit into the kitchen.
So now it's time for you all to come visit!
Hope to see you soon!

Get this wine!

GET THIS WINE!
Wow, just had this wine tonight.
AMAZING!
Unfortunately Jonathan was not here to enjoy it with me.....
Winery: Rhodes
Name: Mas Llunes (which translates to many moons)
Type: Crianza
Year: 2003
Where to find it: The Baccus Store
This store is actually here in Girona.
That is where Jonathan bought it.
I can't seem to find it anywhere in the states. Here is another link for purchase. Vinissimus
If you would like I bottle.... I am taking orders.....

Dummmmmmm - barton

I had an experience about 7 months ago, that was absolutely baffling and completely comical. Many of you may have heard it by now, so enjoy it again with me....... I flew into San Francisco for a business meeting. It was late at night and instead of getting a rental car I had decided to take a cab to the hotel since many of my colleagues had a car and we were all in the city for the same meeting. This particular hotel was one I had never been to, it was in the East Bay. I got off the plane and out to the taxi line to catch a ride and what happened next went something like this.


I hopped into the taxi and told the driver, "The "W" hotel."
His response "The W? Where is it?"
My reply: "In Newark." (my only directions at the time :) "Do you know where that is?".......
Long pause.......
Cab Driver: "yes.....................yes I do."

Not the most reassuring response but I was willing to roll with it. I hadn't done my homework on where the hotel was as I thought it would be an easy one to find since my colleagues were all staying there, and heck it is a "W".... those are usually pretty swanky hotels..... taxi drivers usually know their way around the city. The 1 thing I did know about getting to the hotel was that we had to cross the Dumbarton Bridge. So as we leave the airport this is what I tell the cab driver.

Me: "We need to cross the Dumbarton Bridge".
Cab Driver response: "Dummmmmbarton, Dummmmmmbarton, how do you spell that?"
Me: D U M B A R T O N.
Cab Driver: "Dummmmbarton, D U M B A R T O N, Dummmmmbarton"
I start to giggle under my breath.
He continues: "Dummmmmbarton, Dummmmmbarton"
Me: "Yes, the Dumbarton Bridge"
Cab Driver: "Dummmmmbarton, Dummmbarton"

At this point, I start to lose my patience somewhat. I am thinking what the heck is wrong with this guy? Why does he keep saying Dumbarton? I decide to take some action (imagine that, me taking action) I pull out my phone and get on the internet so I can get some better directions, I find some and continue to guide him.

Me: "We need to take the Marsh Road Exit"
Cab Driver: "Marshhhhhhh", "Marshhhhhhhh", how do you spell that?
Me: "M A R S H"
Cab Driver: "Marshhhhhhh, M A R S H, Marshhhhhh, Marshhhhhhh Road"
Me: "Yes, yes that is correct."

We ride in silence for a little while and then I see the sign for Marsh Road.
I tell him the exit number, and we take it.

Me: "Now we need to get to the bridge."
Cab Driver: " Dummmmmbarton, Dummmmmbarton"
Me: "Yes, the Dumbarton Bridge"

We find the bridge and start to cross over, all the while the cab driver repeating Dummmmmbarton. I am about to pull my hair out while I am laughing hysterically inside. I am pretty much thinking at this point that this guy is a whack and that I would really like to get to the hotel. He continues....."Dummmmmmbarton." We did find the hotel and now you are probably asking what the H - E - double hockey sticks does this have to do with Spain?

Well, I have become the cab driver. Today as I am talking to a friend of mine (who is also studying Spanish) and she gives me a vocabulary word that I don't know..... I repeat the word a couple of times..... I ask her to spell it..... and she does and I repeat the word a couple more times outloud and it hits me. I am the Cab Driver. The whole Dumbarton story floods back into my head. The cab driver was learning English. He wasn't a whack, just a student.

Gosh, I know people are always using the phrase walk in my shoes for a day... boy I am living it today. Thank goodness for 20/ 20 hind sight. I don't know if I would learn anything without it.

Superman is alive and well and living in Girona

I know you are going to think that I am crazy but if you are wondering where all the Super Heroes and Disney princesses are .... they are here in Girona. I haven't been able to figure out why they are all here, but I do know their schedule. Saturday's. Saturday's they come out in full force. Showing their razzle dazzle threads and might I say they look fantastic.

Take the picture to the left. Superman. Doesn't he look fantastic? So young! and that Hair! Beautiful. Yet he didn't want to show his face..... so mysterious. His Mom was so sweet in trying to help me get a picture of him from the front. She was coaxing him and just kept saying SuperMan, SuperMan, but he wouldn't have anything to do with it. Personally? I was happy just to get a shot of his back.

I get such a kick out the next statement I am about to make. Costumes on kids is a common thing here in Girona. Isn't that great? They don't get one day a year to dress up... they get like 50! Kids in costumes are everywhere. Not a bad gig if you are a kid. How much did you love dressing up when you were young? Dragging that costume out whenever you could so you could be someone else for the day. I have to admit, I am quite jealous. Imagine, Sleeping Beauty one day, Spiderman the next. If I put this into action for myself it could do quite a bit for my ego.







Here's a fun fact. These pictures were taken on one Saturday afternoon and if the camera hadn't conked out on me I would have had atleast 5 more pictures of other costumes. It was such a kick to watch these kids parading around just like it was any other day. I am going to try to get a real picture with one of them soon, and maybe an autograph or 2. My lesson for the day?
Pretend like you are someone else..... and have a lot of fun doing it!

What you can find from a mistake

While Jonathan was out of town last week I did a lot of exploring and learning the city. I kinda think of it like a playing a little game with myself and the map.... I try to figure out where I am, (street signs and addresses are not Europe's strong point) where I want to go and see what I find along the way. There are always lots of surprises and today was not any different.

This particular outing had a purpose attached to it, I was scouting a gym that I was going to meet a friend at the following day to swim. The gym is quite a ways from where were are staying so I thought I would go and find it the day before and figure out 2 things.... how long will it take me to get there and where is it? So the game began....

On the way I found a lot of great things to amuse myself with..... shopping, a candy store that actually had my favorite jelly bellys (cherry, watermelon and green apple) and a store that rivals Target called the Corte de Ingles. They have everything from Leather jackets to groceries.
Except that it isn't as inexpensive.

About an hour or so in I think I find the gym. I am outside a building that has in big black letters GEIG (the gyms name) so I walk in to check it out. Instead of finding weights and a swimming pool and I find a dancing roller skating team. Yes, I said roller skating not roller blading team. It's like I turned back the clock like 3o years! I stopped dead in my tracks and just stood there.

Here is a group of about 25 women and 1 man (he was the most dramatic of the bunch) skating around a wooden roller rink, DANCING! They had the old 4 wheel side by side roller skates on and you would have never been able to tell cause by the way they were dancing you would have thought they were on ice skates. They all had these cute short skirts on, with leg warmers and the skates all had a 2 inch heel on them with nude spandex covers on them so they wouldn't stand out.

The group was like a cross between ballerinas and a marching band. They had grace and elegance while crossing paths, skating backwards, creating these complex formations and changing direction at the drop of a hat. I was so astounded I sat down in the theatre style seating just to take it all in. I got to see the entire routine. There was drama, clapping and grunting they were giving it their all for their coach sitting in the stands. The routine lasted about 10 minutes. It was amazing. I have never seen anything like it in my life.

By now I am thinking that I made a mistake and was possibly in the wrong building. :) It was true, the gym was one building over. But somehow when I look at these pictures again...I just don't think it was a mistake.

La Sagrada Familia

We went to Barcelona this weekend as a day trip

Amazement!
Originally uploaded by jmtayl.

We spent most of the day like this... heads tilted back, mouths open, and we just kept saying to each other... oh my gosh... look at that... isn't it amazing?









La Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family) is a church currently under construction, and has been under construction for the past 110 years!
Antoni Gaudi is the architect who designed the church. Check out the website: LaSagrada Familia. They expect it to be finished sometime in 2025...... To check out all the photo's Jonathan took, click on the Barcelona Pictures link under: Links to Pictures and Stuff.

The art of being present.....

Here is your pre-warning... this blog is about reflection. :)

In a world where we have too much to do and too little time, where we have tons of information flying at us from all different directions: cell phones, tv, the internet, email. We often don't give anything our full attention....why? it's HARD, and simply, it takes a lot of energy.

I have now been in my Spanish class 2 weeks and the other day was talking with Jonathan and his friend about how present I have to be, how much attention I have to pay in my class.

To paint a picture, my class is completely taught in Spanish, if I miss a word or talk to my neighbor I can get completely lost. I hang on every word (whether I understand it or not) my teacher speaks. Paying this much attention makes a huge difference for me in my class. I know what is going on, I think I am learning faster, and it really makes the time fly by..... but what this reflection does is it makes me realize how I don't always do this in so many other places in my life. So today, I am taking the lesson the experience is giving me......and I am going to work at giving my full attention to other things and see if they turn out as well as my class.

What did we do before cell phones?

Admit it... you ask yourself this question atleast once a week. "What did we do before cell phones?" "How boring was my drive to work?"
"How did I meet up with people?" "How did I know someone was running late?"

Well, I now know the answer to all of these questions..... You planned, you listened to the radio, you committed to being somewhere and apologized if you were late.....

It isn't easy living without a cellphone, they do make our lives much easier, more convenient and our drives less boring. I had to live without a cell phone for the first 3 weeks in Girona. This was torturous and wonderful all at the same time.
Torturous.... when I needed to talk to someone or if someone had to get a hold of me it was near to impossible. I would have to give out Jonathan's number for people to find me.... this became quite hilarious as Jonathan then had to field Spanish phone calls from my school, the apartment agency etc.
Wonderful..... It was actually nice not to be tied to a crackberry (Blackberry) or a phone and I was addicted to mine....so I felt a little lighter..... not worrying about missing calls or running my minutes up ...... or what time of the day was it to make a call.

I am happy to say you can live without a cell phone. I recommend trying for a day or so.... it may be hard at first but you may find yourself planning more, being present with people instead of texting during a conversation... and maybe just enjoying the ride to work.

P.S. I did finally get a cell phone....

Interaction Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

So, if you don't know the line from the movie Ferris Bueller's day off I am sorry.... but I am not going to try to explain it in this blog. :) For those of you that know what I am talking about .... listen up.

Ok, so people... a blog is something that could be interactive (should be interactive)
It is as easy as this...

We write a page... you comment
We make you laugh.... you tell us we made you laugh in a comment
You have an opinion on something we said?...... you leave us a comment
You buy a wine we recommend and hate it?..... keep it to yourself :)

In all seriousness, we would love to hear from you.... it's really easy!
At the bottom of each blog there is a COMMENT link, just click on it and tell us what you think. We are waiting to hear from you!

Habla Espanol?

A new pencil, a new notebook, my book bag, an orange and a bottle of water. All things I took with me on my first day of Spanish School here in Girona. Man, I wish I had that Peanuts lunch box still.........

Well, I am back at school. Quite a humbling experience learning Spanish for a 2nd time. I sure hope it sticks this time. :)
I am taking Spanish classes at the public school 4 days a week, 2 hrs a day. It is absolutely wonderful and challenging all at the same time.
The teacher, Elena, only speaks to us in Spanish.
She also only allows us to speak in Spanish at class. This gets a little difficult sometimes but I am so grateful for the 2 hours of just trying to listen and understand someone speaking a foreign language to me. There all lots of different people in my class, old and young, Asian, Dutch, Irish, Russian, French, boys and girls. I have already made a new friend. Her name is Elizabeth. She is from Chicago and she has become my information button. She loves to help me find new things, like where to eat, where to go swimming. She tells me there is a big Ex-Pat community here. She is quite sweet and we walk to school together for the time being as she lives right near the apartment we are staying at in the Barri Vel (old town Girona). So, I have 3 classes under my belt and it is great. I hope that after a month or so things start to click. As of today I still have to use the dictionary most of the time to understand the homework, our books or Elena.
I have to admit I keep thinking that this should be easy, and then my friend Yvette said to me "I would be offended if it was so easy to learn a language, then all my hard work would just be for nothing. (she speaks 5 languages) Jill it just takes time." She's right.... it is just going to take some time.