Thursday to Friday probably consisted of the best few days I have had since coming to Spain. Thursday morning my U.S History class went to visit the Museo Taurino de la Plaza de toros de Las Ventas. I had been here before prior to our class field trip when I went to see the crazy tradition of bullfighting two Sundays ago. However, during this trip I had the unique chance of exploring the history of this crazy tradition, which dates back at least 100 years. I was kind of upset because the security guard would not let anybody take pictures inside the actual museum. Nonetheless, this was a great start to an eventful eight-hour bus ride to Barcelona. Kidding, but I actually had been looking forward to visiting Barcelona for months. Those who have seen my laptop see the picture of the Westin hotel that looks over the main beaches of Barcelona. I finally had the opportunity to witness and walk near this image that I have fantasized over for the past year! Let me backtrack my weekend. When I arrived late Thursday night in Barcelona my class and I ate at some restaurant connected to a hotel where we had a wide selection of food that consisted of mainly Spanish Tapas. The food was great and then we were brought to the beautiful Hotel Front Maritim. Our room was amazing with a fully decked out glass bathroom, normal sized beds (thank goodness), and a somewhat better form of air conditioning. That night I explored the beach with a bunch of people in my program and prepared for an action packed weekend. Friday we were taken on a city tour of Barcelona where I got to see why people really fall in love with Barca. When the tour ended I unfortunately met my worse enemy... seafood. I tried scallop and a real natural form of shrimp for the first and last time. However, I would not let that ruin my day. Soon after, I had the opportunity to visit the historic and one of my most sought after experiences and that was Camp Nou FC Barcelona's futbol stadium. The tour was everything I dreamed of and then some. Over the past few years some of my best friends from high school as well as family members have really got into soccer. Barcelona is said to have the best soccer team in all of Europe (arguably). At the tour I saw many pictures of the team's history, the Lionel Messi shrine, pictures of past legends, and then finally I got to step on the field and take pictures. This experience is probably something I will never forget. After the tour I purchased my first actual soccer jersey, which was Brazilian sensation Neymar. After being awed all day I finally went back to my hotel and hit the beach up. Here I saw my first topless woman (not the best sight) and started engaging with locals. I played beach volleyball and for those of you who have never played it gets pretty intense. After, I got ready for dinner and headed out to check out the Barcelona night scene. I went to an icebar for the first time, which was really interesting because the concept is what the name implies. Everything in the grill/bar was ice where we were given coats and gloves because temperatures reached about 20 degrees! Finally, my last full day our program as a whole went to visit a winery where we were taught the art of the business and the long history of that specific companies' existence. After the winery we were taken on a mini cruise getting to see multiple views of the beaches in Barcelona. Now let me skip ahead to the craziest part of my weekend. I went parasailing! Stefon had always been joking the whole time about doing something like that, however we never followed through with it. I have to say it was one of the most exciting things I have ever experienced before. This weekend I am visiting the North of Spain so be on the lookout for another blog in the next few days.

This week has flown by. I can't believe I have already been in Madrid for almost two weeks. This week I visited the Museo de Traje, which is a fashion museum, and tomorrow I am visiting Plaza de Toros y Museo Taurino (bull fighting museum). My roommate Connor turned 21 yesterday, which I am very fortunate to have celebrated with him. Birthdays are big for me because it's great to show others that you really do care for them. During the day he wanted to go to the Madrid Zoo. That was probably the second time I have ever been to a zoo. It was a really fun experience because there were a wide variety of animals. After that we went to visit the historical Temple de Debod at night. Temple de Debod had the most amazing view at night and there was a park to walk around near by with a great view of the city of Madrid. My time this week has been catching up with my schoolwork. You would be surprised how easy it is to get distracted. I think that is going to be my biggest struggle over the next month is figuring out how to balance my time. There's so much to do in what I feel is like so little time. This weekend I am taking a weekend trip with my program to the beautiful Barcelona. I have been waiting to visit here ever since I signed up for the Spain trip. I am looking forward to the beautiful beaches and a change of pace. The colegio is nice, however I am ready to stay in a hotel room with decent sized beds and air conditioning. Hopefully I can have something different at breakfast for a change. Literally every morning that I have lived here at the colegio we have had the following (no exaggeration): donuts, bread, fruits, coffee, orange juice, and more bread. I can go for some eggs, bacon, and hash browns right about now. Still, I am very fortunate for this getaway. It's kind of nice not having wifi all the time. I can finally just getaway from everything and be on my own for once. Sometimes it's good to just take a breather a take a step back from everything. I think that is what I have learned most from this trip. Yes, I miss everyone back home, however I am learning to be more independent, which is something I have longed for. I am excited for this upcoming week because I am suppose to meet with some Brothers from Delta Sigma Pi who are also staying in Spain for the next few weeks. It will be a great chance to see how Brothers from other chapters go about their business and of course a great time to create bonds. I am not sure when I will have a chance to post this weekend, however I'll do my best to post this Sunday night. Adios everyone.

It has been a few days since I have had the opportunity to post. I am very blessed to have this once and a lifetime opportunity. It feels like I've lived here for months, however I am only closing in on my first week in Madrid. Since my last post I left off with telling you all that I would be starting my first official week of classes. Every week I have class on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Mondays only I have three classes: Human Sexuality and Religion, U.S History since 1877, and Spanish Culture. So far I love all of my professors. History is my favorite course with Professor Huddle because I have never taken a history course where the Professor makes the classic fun and attentive. This upcoming Monday I have my first quiz of the semester so I will be sure to update you all on that. On Wednesdays I only have two courses, which consists of Human Sexuality and Religion, and U.S History since 1877. Tuesdays and Thursdays I have field trips with my two professors. On Tuesday Professor Lou who is my Human Sexuality and Religion Professor took my class to the Museo de America Museum that consisted of a wide array of art and sculptures. I actually really enjoy looking at paintings because it is great to see people's perspectives on how the artwork speaks to them. A lot of my classmates had personal connections as well as connections I would never have been able to think of making the trip a great experience. Thursday I went with Professor Huddle and my U.S History class to the famous La Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid. This museum consisted of a wide array of abstract are and life like sculptures. Despite of the history involved in this museum I would have to say my trip Tuesday to Museo de America was my favorite trip of the week. After Thursday half of the people here at the Colegio went to the South of Spain trip for the weekend. I stayed and met up with my roommate Connor back home because he is staying in downtown Madrid for the next two weeks to hangout with Stefon and I. Thursday night we took him out to eat and showed him around our side of Madrid, whereas Saturday we met up with Connor and toured all of downtown Madrid. He lives near the Gran Via Metro Station where we went to see the sites all day long and finished our night with some TGI Fridays. I guess you can see I miss American food to a certain extent lol. During the day I even got my own customized Real Madrid jersey in preparation for my tour next week to their stadium. Last night we went to one of the most talked about nightclubs in Madrid called Kapital in downtown Madrid. The Place was crazy with 7 floors of different genres of music. We didn't get home until almost 8 a.m., which is really a night I will never forget. Today and tomorrow I have to catch up on some schoolwork, however I am really excited for next weekend’s excursion to Barcelona! I'll try to keep you all posted as soon as I can. Adios!

My first weekend in Spain was probably one of the best experiences in my life. I am living at a place called Colegio Mayor Padre Poveda which is an all female Catholic University in Madrid, Spain. Here, we have a bunch of rules just like typical dorms back in the States. I share a room with my college roommate here in Madrid, however I think we both kind of regret it. The rooms are just way too small for two people to live together, yet alone just one person. Nonetheless, I wouldn't change a thing about this place. We have one of the best views in the whole Colegio. The day I landed in Madrid we had a mandatory orientation as soon as we arrived, and then were free to explore the city ourselves. That night I was introduced to traditional Spanish Tapas while enjoying some of the World Cup games with locals. The next day we had a mandatory tour with our program directors where they showed us all over Madrid. Being in Madrid sort of reminds me of Chicago. I take a train to most places and walk around everywhere. Later that night our program had our first dinner together and then explored the night life. That night just so happened to be Madrid's Gay Pride Parade. I saw a lot of characters to say the least... Today, we toured the city of Toledo and explored various museums and churches. After a very long day I had the opportunity to witness a live bull fight. This was probably one of the most gruesome events I have ever been too! To top off my action packed weekend I finished the night with some friends I met in my program at a small restaurant a block away from school. I discovered my obsession for Tortilla Española. Tomorrow is the first day of class. I'll keep you posted with how that goes. Buenas noches.