the after 30 part...

Hi!! How was everyone's Thanksgiving? I went out to this really nice restaraunt, that used to be an old mansion. Inside the house, each room was made into a dining room. We sat in the "blue room". Patrick had read about this restaraunt in his guide book and what a place. The servers were so funny and just very professional. It was actually quite brilliant (I'm speaking Oxford english now because of my German friends and how they speak english!) Anyway.. I had salmon and veggies... salad and flan for dessert. yummy!! I missed home though.. thanks for all the nice texts. Here is a picture of us at the table. I'm not sure how to spell her name, but it sounds like "Guy-a"  It is Latin, but she is Italian.. Then beside me is Patrick from Germany and Masimo from Italy.  Gauya and Masimo have been together since they were 14. Another Susie and Luke fairy tale.... so so sososo cute!!!  Love them! During the day we went to the Gardents and A...

I am in Seville, Spain unsure if where I might find a table of americans, giving grace (or fighting like any normal family), roasted turkey, yams (my style please!), mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberries and pumkpin pie... anyone?! Yeah, didn't think so. So since I am missing out on Thanksgiving and all the wonderful traditions that come with it, I decided I could at least partake in one tradition. Before dinner, I always like it when everyone says something we are thankful for... for example, the one time at Rosie's sisters house, a guy down the table said he was thankful for my yams! That was nice. :) I am going to write a few things I am thankful for... and I hope you enjoy reading. This is in no particular order... they are just coming out of my head as I go. I am thankful for my Mom. I am thankful that when I was younger she said No to going to places she might have thought were dangerous, or where I would have pressured to do bad things. I am thankful she ...

Hello my very missed and loved friends, Seville is great. I absolutely love the school. I am learning a lot in this one... more than I did in Cadiz for sure... and Malaga! I have two teachers. The first is a nice lady (don't ask me names, I forget), and she is very pleasant... just easy to listen to and talk to. The second is this man who has massive attitude and is a no bull shit kind of guy, harsh, demanding, rolls his eyes a lot. 2nd day of class he was grading my paper, and I just flat out said "you better be nice to me, or I'll leave". Ever since that comment, he checks in with me "cole, you okay, you understand?" Yes, Mr, thank you! I think I am the teachers pet. :) and I'll say it loud and proud. I haven't been playing tourist as much as I did in the other cities, because honestly, I am tired of walking... and I live so far away. Yesterday I was super indecisive.. I would walk five minutes in one direction and then change my mind. I then r...

Sorry it's been so long!!! I am now in Seville. It's nice here. It's a big city like Malaga, but it has a lot more character than Malaga. Cadiz is still my favorite place. Lets go back to last Friday night where I left off. Friday night, Thomas, Jana, Marcos and I all went out to have drinks and go dancing. Marcos is the boy in the middle of the picture in my last blog ("new friends") from the bar where we practice spanish. He lives in Cadiz.  Thomas and Jana are from Germany who were studying at the same school as me (in Cadiz). We met in the new part of Cadiz (the part that is outside the walls of the old historical Cadiz). We started at about 11pm. Maybe three or four people were in the bar. By the time 1 am came around, it still wasn't packed, but Marcos said it would be and sure enough by the time we left it was. Note: Do not order a Mijito in Spain, it just has sugar dumped in it and tastes like sugarry liquor.. bleck! After our drinks we headed out ...

Ok.... predicament!!! Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are filming their new movie here, RIGHT OUTSIDE MY HOUSE!! Not kidding. They start filming on Monday though and I leave tomorrow. I could stay and watch an amazing bull running scene where Tom and Cameron are racing away on a motor cycle probably to go off and make fake love... or I could suck it up and go to Seville tomorrow.   The movie is called Witchita, or Night and Day.  I talked to some Hollywood dude and he said they might change the name. grrr... such is life. I will get on the train tomorow and go to Seville.  "waaaaa..... waaaaa" They are setting up for filming right now. It's neat to see how they do things. They have a zip line all the way down the street... and that is where the camera will be from up above (I'm sure there will be more). They have put up Spanish red flags on all the houses to show Spain Spirit... Did I mention BULLS?!?! Man, what bad luck. Oh well, I'm excited for Seville anyway. h...

It seems every other day is a good day in class. Tuesday I wanted to die, then Wednesday I felt like a Spanish Goddess on top of a high mountain reigning over my people... but then Thursday, (today), I felt like crawling into a hole. After class I had to talk to the director about my hours in class. I was only getting 15 lessons, but I am paying for 20, etc.... after ten minutes of her speaking super fast in Spanish, I finally got a word in saying.. "I don't understand much of what you are saying"... and then I broke down. She must have thought I was crazy. My brain is just so exhausted concentrating on every word that every person is saying, and I just start to feel so dumb not understanding. She apologized and thought I was in the advanced class.. and asked if I needed anything, water, a beer? haha. I love her. I do think my Spanish is getting better though as I am able to tell people more things, and feeling more comfortable. I am just going to blame me not understandi...

Hey friends, Just a small blog before I zonk out. I am finding Spanish incredibly difficult to understand here in Cadiz. Maybe those Americans were right after all. The teacher talks and talks but I am not understanding anything he is saying. Yet, the German girl next to me, is getting it. . . so um, maybe my brain just isn't cut out for learning another language?!?! *sigh After school today I crashed for two hours. Boooorrring, I know, but everyday I am just go go go here. My brain is exhausted trying to concentrate on every word my teacher says, and then after school walking for hours to see the city...my body just shut down. After my amazingly nice nap, I met up with some students and we went site seeing. :) There is this tower called Torre Tavira, was the official watch tower in 1778 as it's the highest lookout point in Cadiz. Cadiz has 23 watch towers. The entire city itself once had a wall around it to protect them from pirates or wars. For it being so small, Cadiz su...

First day of Cadiz school was great!  Carlos is my teacher and he is AWESOME.  He was telling us (in spanish) his interests.  He told us he loved music "me encanta musica", but that the kinds of music he liked, no one here knew about.  I asked him, like what?  and he says "Regina Spektor".  I screamed!  I not only just saw her in concert, but I was wearing her t-shirt under my cardigan as well!  He was floored when he saw it... we're now best friends!  There is only one student in my class.  Jana... like Anna, but Juanna sounding.  She's german, lots and lots of Germans studying Spanish here. Class was actually pretty easy.  I was afraid of this.  Going to a new city to study each week, I have this feeling I will be learning the same things over and over again, but at least I am getting a good review!!!  After school, I finally found a bank to change my travelers checks.  They charged me my first child, bu...

I arrived last night via train, then via taxi... driving to my homestay, I got chills.  Cadiz is amazing.  I got so excited, the taxi driver probably thought I was nuts. Cadiz is.... how can I say it in words, magical, mysterious, old, rustic, quaint (you can get anywhere by foot), comfy, romantic, so so romantic, and tons of character!  The parks along the coast line are something out of a story book.  Gorgeous fountains, bridges, caves, water falls running into ponds, floral archways, private gardens, white benches, tiny dogs and their masters, and kids running all around you.  The city/shopping area is screaming purple.  It's Cadiz's color (in my opinion).  They use purple paint on the street for car, all the shopping stores have purple shirts and jackets and jewlery in the windows, purple, purple, purple, no wonder I love it here! Cobble stone walk ways and streets, old historical buildings, tiny cafe's serving coffee, tea and a million pasterie...

Yesterday was a great day.  I had to say goodbye to my new friends and teachers, but after school I had a great time.  Here are some pictures first before I tell about my afternoon. Matt Meredith, I mean, Basta from Norway, and Leon from Germany. Two boys in my class.  Leon was my savior, always helping me, as where Basta, we just laughed a lot together. Basta is just like Matt.. strawberry blond hair, long hair (longer than Matt's), skater gear, aviator glasses, same expressions.  I swear Basta is like our third cousin or something from Norway! haha! This was my morning teacher.  She was super compassionate, but also talked a mile a minute, which was so hard for me to understand.  We sang a lot in class together... she was quite the entertainer! Ok, so after school, I went to find some good Spanish food for lunch.  I ended up having a Chicken wrap.  hhaha!  All the spanish dishes were so expensive and I just didn't want to spend $2...

Some of you are having problems either NOT seeing my pictures in your email, or seeing them with writing over them or under them.  My suggestion is when you get my email, you know I have blogged, so just go directly to the blog itself online.  The address is:  http://www.globalcole.blogspot.com/ :) and at last my trip has begun..... No more auntie in town and my tears have dried up.  Thursday night, Matiz and I, (german boy who speaks good english), went into the city to enjoy a Spanish Flamenco.  The theather was small, smaller than your living room mom, with passion red walls, tiny tables and chairs, and a small stage.  The atmosphere was dark, hot and personal.  I was squished up to Matiz (who totally smelled like the Matiz in CR Rosie, remember?!?!?), sipping red wine and sangria's, and eating Spanish tapas.  I have to admit the meat here in Spain is amazing.  I usually hate red meat, but I'm eating it like it's water here.  yum ...