Studying....

I hate to study... I mean, I love school but sometimes the studying just becomes so monotonous that its just boring.. which is why you should create creative ways of studying for your exams. For example, a friend and I went to a local cafe in Carrboro to study for our J-school exam. Its low-lighted so its not a very harsh environment when you walk in. There was a live band playing Christmas and pop ballads which was soothing. And it was just my friend and I at a small table which made it feel low key, and not stressful at all. Finding a fun place to study and fun people to do it with is a good way to de-stress your work environment, making studying way more fun!!

Good luck to all those taking exams in the next week! May you at least pass each one.

Technology, you fail me

So you all know I'm a Journalism major at UNC-CH... meaning I should know about technology programs of all sorts. Well I do know some but not as much as many other gurus who walk the halls of the J-school. So I've been working on a project that consists of me taking footage from mini-DVDs, converting them into M4V files and then converting them again into MOV files. Well this process has required me to download three different programs to do all of this. And each time I've tried to upload the footage I need I have been failed by the technology I'm so dependent upon. My computer is freaking out, going on the blink and I'm frustrated to the point of cursing, crying and cursing some more. I've never been so upset by technological failure.

As of right now, I'm currently downloading the second mini-DVD and hoping that tomorrow morning one of our tech-guys can help me convert all my files so that I can start editing them in FCP (FinalCut Pro) so I can make a killer mini-documentary for my brother's ceremony on Sunday.

Did I also mention that this is a video/audio/photo project? FML.

What's buggin' you??

So I had a conversation with my dad tonight that consisted of a pretty regular question... "Why do you sound so stressed? What's goin' on?" I'm sure many of you have this asked of you at some point in your day, or in your week. We all have things that stress us out. It could be finances, school, work, family... you name it! Me, personally, I hate not having any money. I always feel like I'm down to my last dime. But one way I'm learning how to deal is to not buy frivolously. Spending on a budget is one way to keep the costs down.

So tell me, what bugs you? What stresses you out? And how do you deal with the stress?

En el Futuro

Hey Everyone, so in the near future my blog will become bilingual!!!! How cool is that going to be... so stay tuned for my Spanish/English maybe even Spanglish blogs about anything and everything.

Hope all is well,
Adios

Juliet is an Idiot

So false alarm folks... what I mean by my title is that when you are a girl and something catches you eye, you tend to do one of a few things... freak out! cry. LAUGH or over analyze to the point of exhaustion... I did all of these things today because I couldn't be patient enought to wait things out and I let words via technology let me go crazy and not actually wait to see things out. Therefore I say that Juliet is an idiot. End of story.

Juliet and Boy

How many girls out there believe in love? I mean truly believe that it exists in its purest form, without flaw and without any vice to create blemish. We girls sit in our chairs, curled up and snuggling with a blanket and our Ben & Jerry's pint size, while watching our favorite love stories as they play out again and again. For example, I've sat here for almost half a day watching lovey dovey films on Oxygen. One right after the other, these films teach me what? That love isn't easy. Sure, that's a give-in. It's something you have to work at. But it also sets us up for the idea that happy endings actually occur all the time. This is false. Happy endings are not something that just fall into place. Sometimes you have to create them.

Very rarely does fate step in and say, "Hi, I'm going to introduce you two now." I thought that it happened to me this summer but unfortunately this Romeo is turning out to be just another Boy. He's sweet and good natured, with a smile that can light up any room. And I was starting to feel again. I began to have butterflies, like the ones you hear about in the movies; the kind that make you smile all day long for no reason at all. I'd get excited with every text or meeting. But now, after having a "serious" moment, he's ignoring me. He's losing interest. But what to do now? Do I follow the advice of these films that offer false hope and fairy tale endings? Or do I follow my precedence, where I back off until he either quits talking to me altogether or I just end it before he can decide?

What do you all think? Does fate exist? Can a happy ending occur for normal girls like me? Is a happy ending possible for me?

I done my mama and papa proud!

This quick little blog is a dedication to the hard work of two people: Mr. Leonard and Lana Farrugia, without whom I would not have had the pleasure of making my senora so happy today.

This is Maria and me one morning. I took this picture because I wanted to show my family in Australia that there is Wheetbix here, but today this photo simply serves to show off Maria.

Earlier today, as is custom every day, my senora, Maria, makes us lunch. I must first say that this whole time I've been with Maria I've noticed she is hard book to read. I've never been certain just what she thinks of me and have always been a little shy to talk to her; that and the fact that my Spanish is sometimes hard for her to understand. But today after lunch I felt inclined to dry the dishes. Maria had cleared the dishes to the table while Blair and I cleared away the condiments. As Maria had washed the dishes, she told us she was going to take her siesta. I had somewhat slept through lunch so I was the last one to leave the table. When I saw that Maria had already done the dishes, I thought it would be easier on her if I just washed my two plates and my glass. I figured washing those would be nice on her hands. But then I thought about every time I heard her huffing and puffing in the kitchen, having to reach to put things away and hearing her tired sighs. So I decided to dry all the dishes and put them away, just like I've done many a time at home. It wasn't till later that I would realize the magnitude of simply putting the dishes away.

It was later in the evening, quite a few hours after lunchtime, when Maria came into my room. She popped her red head in and said with a big smile, "Cati, thank you for cleaning the kitchen. Thank you very much." I'd never seen anyone so happy. I didn't really think anything of just putting the dishes away until that sweet little lady smiled at me. But she wasn't done. After dinner tonight, Maria looked at me again and said, "Your mother taught you well how to work in the home. You are very good at being organized. You will marry well." Haha I don't know about the marrying part, but I do agree with the first one. It is definitely my parent's fault for why I felt inclined to put things away today. It's their fault for teaching me decency and hard work. And for that, I thank you both. I'll never forget that smile and how much it warmed my heart. I've never felt more appreciated and cared for by someone I haven't known for very long. So thanks Mom and Dad, love you, Katelyn.

Italica and It's Once Roman Splendor

So I thought I'd catch you up on a trip I went on a few weeks ago. Our group went to a place called Italica, one of the sites of Roman ruins in Spain. Under Roman rule from century III BC to V AD, the territory of Spain was called Hispania. It was a military republic under Emperor Octavius Augustus and was that way for 8 centuries before the Roman empire fell. Italica was founded in the year 206BC by General Publius Cornelius Scipio as a place of settlement for soldiers wounded in the battle of Illipa (info provided by idealspain.com). During that time, the colony of Hispania was helpful in creating commerce of olive oil, apples, wine, cereal, iron, carbon, silver and salt, with salt being one of the richest commodities in that time. But today the ruins at Italica are simply a testament to a once great city of one of the largest and richest empires of all time.


We started our tour by walking through the labyrinth of passages that were once occupied by the gladiators who faught bloodily for the spectators' pleasure. The passages went on for at least a mile it seemed with tiny side alleys for people to prepare themselves or prepare animals for the great event. After leaving the basement of the arena, we finally got to stand outside in the center of the arena and see what the gladiators would've seen as they made their way to be "entertainers."

The arena was huge with a giant hole, so to speak, in the center of the expanse in the shape of strange cross section. If you copy and paste this address into your browser you can see an image of what I mean, http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/302927.jpg. We were told that is where animals were kept and men would fight inside it or die falling into it. I wouldn't want to fall in here, would you?


But it was a sight to behold no matter where you looked. The old ruins, although only appearing as worn rubble, were riddled with the etchings of an ancient past. You felt it in the air, how much history was in this city. We walked next up a long avenue that was once the upper level of what would have been its marketplace and meeting grounds for all the public, which you can see below.


We were taken next to what used to be a family's home. All that is left now is the flooring, most of which is covered in mosaics of what the family might have believed to be their guardian god. For this family (if I remember correctly), they worshipped to the god Neptune, god of the sea. The ruins of the house contain bedrooms and living quarters, bathing areas and what was the kitchen; the garden area was kept intact by the keepers of the Italica ruins. And moreover, the large mosaic that I think was a part of the greeting room, seems to have been cleaned up so that the tiny fragments of stone could be seen once more.


Although I must say that my favorite part of the ruins were the flowers. The roses and other types of flowers were simply gorgeous and smelt so wonderful. I am no botanist myself but I do appreciate a nice smelling flower every once in awhile. And I also enjoying seeing others enjoy themselves, such as my furry friend who just so happened to be soaking up the sun when we arrived. This Roman treasure just sat there and let us pet him; I don't know if he belonged to anyone but he seemed familiar to the old city and lay there as if the proud owner.


But that's about it for my adventure to Italica. It was a beautiful city with history just bursting forth. So if you are ever in Spain and enjoy going to places like this, I whole-heartedly suggest Italica. Until next time, ciao.

It's been a while folks...

So, it has been a little over two weeks since I last talked to you all and I'm am very sorry for that, especially since a lot has occurred since then.

I am going to go through some of these events very slowly starting with my trip to Cadiz, a beach south of Sevilla (at least I think it's south). This is me with Adrian and Matt repping our school to the max!! Holla!


This is me and my new friend, Rikki, standing in front of the port's entrance sign. (The picture is a little crooked, but I asked a boy to do it, so oh well haha.) This little beach town is absolutely amazing!! It reminds me of home so so much its ridiculous. It took about an hour and a half bus ride there but it was totally worth it. Here's what it looks like!!!


Isn't it gorgeous!! And it wasn't crowded whatsoever, which was a blessing. I actually hate crowded beaches.

But Cadiz was a nice refreshing glass of home so I had tons of fun and got to know my new friend Rikki who is practically me but with blonde hair. We took some really fun pictures in the water such as this one:

It was such a great day!!! Love you Cadiz!! and your crazy old men in cafes who helped me get a picture down so I could look at it, although it was completely unnecessary, and he prayed first, haha it was so funny!!

But that was Cadiz.. not too much to say but that it was great!!

Ok.. so I'm gonna go to sleep because I have to finish my homework and I need rest, but I will catch you guys up some more tomorrow, no worries. Take care everyone, ciao!

The Most Green Beans I've Ever Eaten

So if my spelling is a little off it's because I'm dead tired, but this is a tribute to my mother and to my parents' need over the years to make me eat green beans.

Green beans are good for you. Green beans are supposed to give you strength and vitamins and all that health-food jabber... well I say that green beans are a challenge sent by some crazy nutter who thought that people like me should eat them.. well I say sir, that I have taken that challenge, and I think I have nearly beaten you!! And here is my proof:


As you can see to my left, those are the remnents of my dinner that Maria made for me... it was a plate full of green beans in tomato sauce, cooked hot and not too bad if I may say so. We had it with a side of eggs and bread. I had yogurt for dessert and am very pleased to say that the vicious monster known as the green bean is now my friend.

Thank you mom and dad. It has taken me 21 years. And I didn't even need a sweet tea chaser.

Soy una tigre...

Haha ok, so this is a little tidbit I'd like to just throw out there for your amusement...

I wake up this morning and start getting ready for school, when my Senora Maria comes walking down the hallway in her bathing suit... a tiger-striped bathing suit. She starts to tell me about how she is going to go to the beach today with her son and then she says just for our delight that in her bathing suit, "Soy una tigre," which means, "I am a tiger." haha I wanted to roll on the floor laughing it was so funny...

Anyways, thought ya'll would like that and if you don't, I still got a kick out of it.

Ciao.

Marta y La Tortuga

So I still need to go through my photos, all 400 of them, from this past Saturday so I can tell you all about Itálica and Matalascañas (a beach), but that is for tomorrow. Tonight, as I sit in my cozy little bed, procrastinating on homework that will eventually get done, I was thinking I needed to share with you the story of Marta y la tortuga (the turtle). So here we go...

Once upon a time in Sevilla there lived a little girl named Marta. She had short brown hair and soft brown eyes, and lived below Maria and the students. Marta was talkative and loved to talk mostly about her tortuga, or turtle as it is called in English. Marta loved her turtle and considered her as family. But one day, Marta's turtle past away. Marta thought her turtle was sick. She cried and cried until her Papa said, "Don't cry Marta, I will take your turtle to the vet. But it might take awhile."

So Marta was taken upstairs to Maria, who would watch Marta until her father came for her. Her father searched all day long for a turtle that would look just the same as Marta's old turtle. He searched in one part of town to the next, running along the Ramón y Cajal (a main street in Sevilla). But her father finally found a turtle, although it was a smaller than the one before.

Marta's father knew it would hurt Marta's feelings if she didn't have another turtle when he came to collect her, so he decided to create a story that would put a smile on Marta's round, rosy face.

Marta's father said he waited at the veterinarian's office for a long time. He waited and waited until the doctor was done with Marta's turtle. He said, "Your turtle was so sick he needed surgery, that is why she is so small. The doctor needed to cut off some of the shell to heal her."

Marta smiled and looked at her turtle like it was her baby sister coming home to play. And Marta and her turtle, named Gwen, lived happily ever after.

And just to say, that is a true story that happened this afternoon. It has been made ficticious but the facts are true. Marta is real. Her turtle did die. And her father did search all over Sevilla today looking for a new one. Marta really does think that her old turtle was sick and did believe the lie about the vet (she is also 8-years-old). I guess dad's are the same anywhere.

(This is a tribute to my parents.)
Ciao, Cati

Mercado Medieval: A Medieval Market in Sevilla

When Sindy, Elizabeth (Sindy's roommate), Blair and I decided to go out Friday night, we thought we'd be able to find a place to go and hang out, maybe try a Spanish cerveza. Well we got a little diverted from our plans when we look to our left and see a giant fair, or what looked like a fair, going on. We walked in and it seemed the entire park area had been taken back 800 years to some camp along the river. It was incredible!! Apparently, the Mercado Medieval occurs in Sevilla every year and it is a big deal. There is a lot of food and merchandise and everyone is in costume.

I've been to things like this before but this was very different from any other, mainly because it was all in Spanish. I even got to try some Valencian figs which were absolutely to die for!! My dad would've loved them!! There were also other vegetables and nuts, and candy or dulces as they're called in Spain.

Needless to say, it was pretty amazing to see. I loved all of the different characters and the setup was so cute. There were tent after tent of goods. It was simply incredible.



So although our night didn't really turn out the way we thought, it was still a great night in Sevilla!!

Hasta luego!! Cati

A Walk in Sevilla

Okay, so I told you I had a lot to post today, but for right now, I want you to get to know my new city. So here are a few pictures for you to look at.


Orange trees on the sidewalk.


My new school.


Where I want to find my apartment.


Kids in a schoolyard.


Near the bus stop on the street, Marques de Nervion.

And of course, last but not least, ROSAS!!!


Adios amigos!!

Mi Madre en Espana

This is a tribute to my senora. We finally got to meet her on Friday, May 14th. We took a taxi from the hotel to our new "home" which is located on the northern side of town, away from the river, but close to the school.

Her name is Maria and she is simply darling. Absolutely darling. She's maybe five feet tall and reminds me of my Nanna who past away. She's got reddish hair and is so little... you just want to hug her. When we got to the apartment, she opened the door and immediately she hugged us and gave us a kiss on both cheeks. It was so cute!!

Her apartment is so quaint and little. Blair and I are sharing a room that's no bigger than a dorm room in the states.


It has white walls and green closets, with a desk and chair for us to use. Our window shows us the entire city practically which is so cool!! Did I also mention that we were on the 11th floor of our building!! It's crazy! I see so far down!! It was a little scary at first but I kind of like it now.

Did I mention she is also a great cook! So far some Spanish dishes we've had are lentejas (lentils soup), pisto de verduras (a bunch of veggies with eggs), and my favorite thus far, arroz con pollo (rice with chicken). Every time we eat lunch, we watch TV. But if it's dinner we eat in the kitchen. Also, lunch and dinner are served so late. We don't have dinner until 9:30pm. It's strange and a little hard to get used to but I like the food, so that makes up for it.

Everything is so quaint and little, I could totally live here.
Well until next time,
Cati (the nickname my madre gave me... she started with Katelyn, then to Catalina, then to Cati - haha my name is hard to say apparently)

Hotel Alcazar

So this will be the first of many blogs today... I have a little catching up to do. But the first of these is about my first night here in Sevilla. We stayed at the Hotel Alcazar which is river-side and absolutely adorable.


When you first walk in, just like in every store it seems, the floors were made of stone. I don't know if it was marble or granite or something else but I loved it. All the lobbies had cute chairs and decorations that were so antique. It was simply darling. Especially our rooms!! I got to room with Blair, which was nice.

Now, if you read my last blog you'll remember that we (our group of five) came into town late, so we had to rush to our restaurant to be able to eat that night. But I was so happy we got to eat there! It was such a cute little restaurant.

We had a salad, chicken, and french fries for dinner. Our program leader told us she asked the restaurant not to "shock" our systems with any food that will seem too different. But for dessert I got to eat a prized Sevillian orange... talk about juicy and delicious. Although, a little tip, never eat the oranges off the trees that you see on the sidewalks. They are supposed to be very bitter.

After eating our simple dinner we walked back to the hotel to finally get some rest. The only thing that kind of creeped me out was this guy who hung on every floor at the top of the stairs and did nothing but stare at you.



But otherwise, a very good first night in Sevilla.

Hasta luego,
Katelyn

An Airport Fiasco

Okay... so I never want to go through what I went through on my trip here to Spain. Each pitstop had it's own problems and each were things that people with would never happen to them when flying.

First flight - RDU to Newark, NJ - went great. Mike and I were able to sit next to each other and got to take a little nap... it was glorious. But when we got to Newark I had to go to the TAP Portugal ticket counter because I needed my next two boarding passes. I get to the counter and the gentleman looks at my info and says, "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to fix your passport information. The people in Raleigh entered it in wrong." Awesome. Something that should've lasted ten minutes tops, lasted almost a half hour. But in the meantime Mike found Kelly and Sindy, two girls on our trip. After getting my passport info right, I got my two boarding passes and we all went to wait for our flight to Portugal.

Our flight to Lisbon was delayed 2 1/2 hours. :/ But Blair caught up to us after her flight was delayed in Charlotte.

Second flight - NJ to Lisbon, Portugal - long. Flight time 6 hours - real time 12 hours. We got served two meals and I actually got to watch Invictus with Matt Damon which was so so so good!! Amazing movie; totally recommended.

And now the drama begins. First of all, it was confusing in Lisbon because most everything was in PORTUGUESE. How could that be a problem, you ask? Well, when you don't speak it and hardly anything is in English, you HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO GO NEXT. So the five of us now, Mike, Kelly, Sindy, Blair, and me, walked around to where we thought was the right counter to talk to someone because our fight to Sevilla left without us... then again, we were an hour late. First we're told that the next flight to Sevilla is at 11:10am... it was 10:55am. We could either miss it and try to check in our luggage again with a new company or leave it behind and take the flight.

We should've left our luggage.

We all walked (carrying all our luggage we had) back to the TAP Portugal counter to plead for another flight to Sevilla since we had to be at the Hotel Alcazar at 6:00pm that night. They told us the only one that was left for today (May 13th) would be at 6:25pm.

We took it. But now, we had to wait 7 hours till our plane came in. So, what to do? Wait. Eat...

We decided to check in again, but the man we needed wouldn't get there till 12:30pm. So we waited in a lobby near the counter and did crosswords, slept, and waited. Once our man got there, we gave him our passports. Simple task right. Not at all. Mike and Kelly's passports weren't checking out. So what to do. We all sat down on the ground in front of the counter and waited at least 30 minutes. I got yelled at by a Portuguese woman three times because she thought I was waiting in line and I had no idea what to say to her. After the passports finally checked out we could check our bags through security.

But we get to security and the lady guard decides she can't see everything that's in my bag. She emptied out the contents of my duffle and rescanned everything. I just love repacking things.

We got food and then the real wait began. 5 hours of sitting and waiting. But what did I do...



I slept. I was so tired. Waking up at 8:00am and getting little sleep for two days straight is something I should be used to, but this was a different tired. This was frustrated, confused and dazed tired.

But at 6:15pm we were finally boarding for Sevilla. We were ecstatic!!!



Needless to say this flight went off without a hitch. Remember... I said the flight. We get to Sevilla's airport, go to get our bags, and they aren't there. Somehow in our search to find a new flight earlier that morning, the bags ended up delayed. We have no idea where. But we didn't have them. We filed complaints and left. It was ridiculous. But all the airport drama was over. We simply had to wait now for our bags to show up or not. Our taxi driver to the Hotel Alcazar thought he was Mario Andretti, but we made it safely to the Hotel, just in time for dinner.

Dinner was great. But then again, I was starving, so cardboard would've tasted amazing. The best part though was my delayed realization that I was in Spain. I felt elated at once and had a new spring to my step.

Conclusion: when you fly, and something goes wrong... get food vouchers. Make foreign friends along the way (I met the sweetest old Italian men). And learn lots of languages. Or at least find someone who speaks English.

Pues, adios!! Por un otra vez,
Katelyn

Adventure Time

Hello Readers!! Sorry it has taken me so long to do another blog but packing and preparing has been horrendous! But right now I'm in the car with my parents on the way to the airport. As far as I know the Portuguese airports are still on cancellation mode. So I'm not sure how I'm getting to Spain now but as Cara Jean put it, its going to be an adventure!! But I will let you all know as soon as I can what I'm doing and where I'm at. I might be taking a bus... I might be taking a train... Either way, it will definitely be an adventure.

Love ya'll,
Katelyn

Corrections

So as of right now, I am slaving away in the J-school (Carroll Hall - Home of the Journalism and Mass Communication school at UNC) working on a final project that is going to drive me insane until I finish it. But I'm taking this break to update a few of the traveling details I mentioned in my first blog.

The part about me going all the way up the entire eastern seaboard lends the idea that I haven't been to any other side of the U.S. Wrong. I have been to the west coast as well, including Nevada, Cali, Arizona and Utah. I would love to go back and have thought about living/working in San Francisco simply because I fell in love with the city! But that is a decision I don't have to make today.

Second, I probably made it sound like I travel every second of my life. When I said that traveling is what I do, I didn't mean it in a literal sense entirely. Traveling is what I love to do and will always love it. No, I don't do it all the time, but I do count driving home from UNC as traveling, and I have been to many places in the past 6 years that I think it is fair to call me a "traveler."

Now that I have clarified those things, I want to say thanks to all those that are reading and I'll talk to you soon.

Back to being a slave,
Katelyn

A Constant Traveller

So I'd like to dedicate this first blog posting to my parents, and really in a way, to their parents, who got them started with travelling from young ages just like they did with me.

Travelling is just something I do. I love going on trips and vacations and field studies. I travel every chance I get. My first airplane excursion was at the age of 10. I was flying back home for my first day of fifth grade. I was scared beyond belief.

Since then I've been on 17 different flights, and at the end of this summer, when I fly from Detroit to Raleigh, I will have marked my 30th flight. Aside from jet-setting the globe, I've been up and down the east coast, visiting Maine to Florida and back home to North Carolina. I've spent time in over 26 states, visiting multiple times to New York City and Washington, D.C. My first time spent out of the country was to New Zealand and Australia, where I was a Student Ambassador for People to People. I spent three weeks there, going to places and doing things I never thought I'd do.

It was also a true test of my character. I didn't know if I could handle being away from my home for that long. But it was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had.

But a brief summary for this summer: I will start in Sevilla, Spain, for a study abroad program with UNC. In that time, I will be visiting Cordoba, Granada and Italica, which are three glorious cities in Spain. I will be blogging everything, from new sights and smells, to new people. You'll hear all about my difficulties speaking Spanish with an American accent. Anything interesting that happens, you'll be the ones to know. After Spain, I come home for three weeks to NC where I will refresh, and then I'm off again to Malta for a family trip I'm sure to never forget.

I can't wait to share this experience with all of you and I hope you all like what I have to say.

Ciao,
Katelyn