Ups and Downs of Spain

Hello again! This is pretty cool...it looks like I'll be able to update this at the end of each country. This is my last day in Barcelona, and last day in Spain ... ever. Maybe. We have a train from here to Milan, then Milan to Venice over the span of about 17 hours? Thats ridiculous now that I think about it, but the first train is an overnight one.

Just to interject, I've found that train travel might be my favorite form of transportation...as long as you're passing interesting, beautiful areas. We took a train from Paris to Madrid, and that was 12 hours, but I loved every minute of it! It was so nice to get out of the city and pass by all these small towns and farms. Of course, it's also extremely sad that there's a train track there to begin with, but it's there and we may as well use it I suppose. We stopped at a station called Irun (it's right along the border between Paris and Spain), and I think it was right before and after there that we finally saw the ocean! It was pretty nice, and the cute little towns around that area are just so charming.

Oh! Before I forget...and it's related...
God has been watching over us like crazy. Both of us pray very often, especially for and on this trip, and I know we both have many people back home praying for us...and it's been paying off. So our train to Madrid was scheduled to leave at 10:05am, and we got there about an hour early just to be safe (and also to book the rest of our tickets). We bought some water, waited around, then thought, maybe we should check to see if it says which platform our train is on (since it doesn't show on the screen until 20 minutes before departure). So we go that area finally, sit down, then Chrystalle suggests that we get up and check better, just to be safe....turns out my watch that we were relying on the whole trip was about 20 minutes late...and instead of it being 9:30 like we thought, it was 9:50, and the train leaves at exactly 10:05...so we waited in line to validate our ticket (which took awhile cause a group of schoolkids were in front), ran into the first train that was 2nd class to find that we actually do have assigned seating (for some reason, we didn't know that before). So anyway, we had to run with our luggage from Car 5 to Car 20!! The very last car! I think I stowed my bag away and sat down at like 10:03. It was a seriously long run to the last car. We were on one of those French TGV bullet trains, so I guess they're longer than most other trains. But anyway, when we finally sat down and caught our breath, I had to take out my phone to listen to some music, and started journaling and thanking God for looking out for us. I'm not sure how much extra that would have cost to have to catch the next train, but we would have gotten there much later and would have to pay for our first night in Madrid anyway. I listened to Hillsong's "From the Inside Out" and just let my music go through various songs. That was one of the most spiritual times/highs with God in a long while. I felt so connected to Him and felt His overwhelming presence. And it was nice being able to see all the countryside without having to move :) Our feet and legs were always so tired from all the walking in Paris (plus, I'm out of shape).
So even though train travel is often less convenient and more expensive, I would recommend it, at least in Europe.

Okay, so back on track...Madrid really was a fun city, even though we were only there for two full days. To be honest, I thought it was a good amount of time. We went to two of the main museums (Museo del Prado, Museo...Reina Sofia -- a famous museum of Contemporary Art, like Picasso and Miro) after 6 or 7pm when admission was free. We ate at some good tapa bars / cafes. And God again blessed us with surprises. We were hoping originally to get a train ticket from Madrid to Barcelona for an overnight train...but we didn't realize how close those cities are by train (like, two hours), so we had to find a place for our last night in Madrid. Luckily our hostel (which was...alright...the worst one by far, but with really friendly staff) had a sister hostel which was close. And guess what? It was one euro cheaper per person, for a private room. So it was only 16euro per person per night, and we had our own bathroom, and we didn't have to share with anyone. We were like..why didn't we go here first? I guess those small, family-run places can be extremely difficult to find out about, unless recommended. And also, the previous night we were scrambling for our first place to stay in Barcelona (cause we had to cancel our first hostel and...it's complicated). I was checking all over online, and most were already full. I finally found one that we had looked up months ago, called Barcelona Dream hostel, and they had enough space for us, so I booked it. When we got there, we got to stay in a 6-bed dorm with no one else there with us. This is also where I met up with Louise (from Sweden) and Chrystalle's friend Rachel, who's currently studying abroad in the UK. So anyway, God blessed us with more privacy, and the hostel was really organized and pretty clean....

Although one thing I will mention about Spain in general is that they are full of smokers. Pretty much every restaurant allows smoking indoors. They may have some sort of ventilation system, but it still lingers in the air and gets in your lungs and all over our clothes and bags. I cannot stand to be around smoke! That's my biggest issue with Spain.

Oh, and when we switched hostels in Madrid, we were located in a different part of Chueca (the district we were staying in). We stumbled upon a chocolateria that won some awards, and we tried the famous Spanish churros y chocolate. The churros aren't that sugary, and you dip it in the Spanish chocolate drink-like thing. It's like a hot chocolate pudding, and this stuff is seriously delicious. And the restaurant owner was so nice. He was trying to ask us where we are from in Spanish, but we couldn't understand...so this guy near us translated, so I said "Ha-wa-ee" and they were like, ?? I think they thought i was just making weird noises. So we were like "ha-waii" and they were like "oohh, hawaii! obama!" haha. It's hard to explain by writing...you kind of either have to be there or i have to just say it verbally...but it was a cute moment. Spanish people are a lot livelier and friendlier than Parisiens. And a lot of them have cute dogs that they walk all over the place.

Barcelona....barcelona...where to start. I started to get homesick around the first two nights of Madrid, and again in Barcelona. My french sim card ran out of money, and i couldnt figure out how to add money online (cause the company wanted a copy of my credit card, which i didnt want to do, nor had the time or place to do it). So I couldn't talk to Mike...this was a part of the trip that I had a feeling would be inevitable, but I hate the idea of someone not enjoying themselves in an area when their not with their lover. You know? Like, they should stand on their feet, lean on God, and not stop living because their not with their boyfriend. So we've been messaging each other on Facebook and stuff, so that's still great! But...not the same. I got really homesick about the beaches and the way our city is. Small, yet big. Nature-y, with a dose of city. Chrystalle suggested that I buy another sim card (since we saw one advertised for 5euro..and i could just add enough money to last till the end of the trip). I'm going to check up on sim cards in Italy. A lot of times they're sold at the train/metro station, so hopefully it won't be too out of the way.

I know a big goal of mine for this trip was to draw closer to God, and I know that's also happening. He has a plan for me, and if I wasn't supposed to be here, I wouldn't be. I can already feel God and His work in my life here on this trip, so I think that's reason enough. It can be very difficult getting back in a good, tight place with God when you're not doing anything to change your life pattern. It can be hard especially when you're dating someone, as can be observed by many couples (we all know of some person or another who has a hard time growing or changing while in a relationship). I'm probably one of those people, who may have gotten (or at least felt) stagnant in different ways. There was a time back in December, where I felt like I was too dependent on other people (not enough on God though). It has a lot to do with the fact that I usually get rides from others (family, Mike) and ... I don't know, I'm still so immature and reliant on others when I'm at home. I'm pretty good about paying for most of my stuff though (except dinner at home, rent, bills). Actually, I will be paying for my phone bill now, so even though that's not something to get excited about, it still means I'm growing up :) ha.
This trip has also made me feel more driven to cook different things. This year, in 2010, when I'm also 20 years old, was the first year where I actually cooked something other than breakfast food. I cooked things like omelettes and pancakes before. I made spaghetti one time with people at Christyn T's house. And...yeah, I baked things before (not just from the box, I used to make lemon bars from scratch, thankyouverymuch). But I never made a full meal --- that is, until February 17th, on my mother's birthday. I made her steak with goat cheese and roasted potatoes and asparagus and warm spinach salad (and maybe something else that I can't remember). And then I copied Mike's family's cooking, and made some kalbi wraps for my family a month after that. And for my Dad's early birthday, my siblings and I made a gourmet BBQ dinner. Kebabs with mushrooms, pineapples, shrimp, steak, bell peppers, and hamburgers with provolone cheese, pineapples, avocadoes, cabbage (cause I accidentally bought that instead of lettuce), and tomatoes. That was a good night. Lots of family bonding.

Anyway, as you can tell, I'm getting off subject and babbling too much. I suppose that's the point of blogging - to write and see if anyone has the attention span to read. :)
I already have a list on my phone (Blackberry Curve :D ) of things I want to do, make, see when I go back home. And of course people to hang out with as well (although not a list, just an idea). In Barcelona, there's Catalunian or Catalonian style bread, which is pretty much toasted French bread with some butter and mashed tomatoes. It's quite refreshing. Umm....okay, I don't have any other things I want to make that I can think of (wow, that was a sadly short list), but just in general, I loved the sandwiches in France -- on those thin, long baguettes with some meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato. It just seems very simple, healthy, fresh. I hate my stupid sandwiches I usually make for lunch at UH. They're so boring. And I hate spending money to buy lunch, although I always do. When I get back, I want to cook and create more simple, healthy meals. I want to be more creative and take inspiration from these countries :) I hope I still have that same energy to do so when I return!

Yesterday was perhaps my favorite day (or maybe second to the Eiffel Tower day). The four of us got along really well. We had a two hour lunch, eating paella, rabbit, drinking Fanta Limón, and discussing things like Malaysia (where the two girls are from), Sweden, Hawaii...talking about pidgins and accents...about the cultures of where we're from...sociology and demographics of these locations. It was a really stimulating conversation, in my opinion. I love those conversations. It's funny cause when the four of us walk around, we really don't match. Everyone stares at Louise cause she's blond and beautiful. (She really makes heads turn). Chrystalle and Rachel speak in Chinese (code) to each other often while Louise and I talk. I'm pretty sure most people think I'm Spanish. At least in Madrid they did. Barcelona is more mixed and cosmopolitan.
But we went up on this lift to Montjuic and we walked around to these outrageously beautiful gardens. There were two gentlemen practicing their singing and Spanish guitar. I felt like I was at a palace or something. The roses in the garden were pink and white and looked like they were painted, so they reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. We were also there at the perfect time. The lighting was so beautiful. We walked up to the Olympic stadium ('92 Olympics? I think), walked down to this museum nearby...it was before sunset, and everything was golden and beautiful. I took hundereds (literally) of pictures. Anyway, I prayed hard to get rid of my homesickness, and yesterday, it went away. I prayed for the same excitement for these next places that I had before I left. God granted me with that. God is the ultimate caretaker. He's been so so good to us. He's kept us safe, kept our stuff safe, and blessed us with good memories. I can't thank Him enough. I guess no one ever really can.

At this point, you're (if you're still reading) are probably wondering why I am typing so much. Shouldn't I be out seeing stuff, experiencing things? I probably should be. The others are. However, I got a bit sick again this morning (I say again, cause I think I forgot to mention I got a cold in Paris...runny nose, sore throat...but i took some medicine, and that's all in the past). Last night, i had the worst meal. I really shouldn't have ordered it, but it was completely different than what I thought it would be. I don't want to have nauseous thoughts again or gross you all out too much, but let's just say my combo plate turned out to be just fried food and the salad it came with turned out to be more like a potato salad - so creamy and mayonaissey and not at all what i was hoping for. I woke up with a strong desire to let all that grease out -- but wasn't sure which way it should come out. And I also had a strong desire to eat fresh, fresh fruit like pineapples. Anyway, I didn't vomit, which was good (maybe), but...yeah, I told the others I had to stay near a bathroom all day. So I am here now, in the lobby on the computer, with my luggage (since we're leaving today), and also near a bathroom. I'm going to meet up with them at the train station later. Let's pray for more safety! This is actually the first time I'm alone. My hostel is nice though. It was only 8euro per person per night, and it's up in the mountains. Reminds me of Pupukea a little bit. And it's also near a tram-thing, whatever it's called.

Ok, gotta go to the bathroom now! But it's just pee this time :) I hope.
Thanks for reading...:) Off to Italy soon!