I´m so bad at blogging

I feel really bad, but I really cannot keep up with documenting my life. It is funny because I really thought that I would be able to accomplish the easy task of writing everyday, but I guess I cannot. hehe so I am making a Val. Day resolution. Every other day I will write at least one paragraph about what has been going on in my life. So here I go with my first entry in a really long time!

Hola From Barcelona!

It is nice to stay at a hostel that has internet! Internet that actually works all of the time! Can I just say that I love Spain! It is so beautiful, the people are wonderful. I am having the best time seeing the sights. Spain is quite different from Italy. I think it might be that Italians (maybe just Romans) are more intimidating than Spaniards. The people here are so warm and they dress really funky. I love it. They do not walk around in dramatic black outfits with big shades and tall boots like Italians do. It is as if everyone in Spain shops at Urban Outfitters. They love to dress in bright colors and they totally like to stick out! I love it! Donｴt get me wrong... I LOVE Roma with all of my heart. It is just that Spain is so easy going. I feel like Roma is what I would imgine New York to be like and Madrid and Barcelona are more like California. It is interesting because Madrid and Barecelona are both big cities, but the people do not give off this ¨Big City¨ feel. They are so warm!!!

The buidings are also amazing! It is so modern here. The modern art museums are great and students get in for a very cheap price. Student discounts are everywhere. The only thing that is a bit expenisive is the food because we do not have any place to cook. Now that we are in Barcelona i can cook because this hostel has a kitchen so I bought some stuff to make sandwiches. Tonight I made soup for dinner. It turned out great! I made a lot so I can have some for many days.

Madrid was amazing. Sarit´s friend Kim is studying there and so we hung out with her.She took us around to all of the cool places. It was a lot of fun. It is nice because the jazz bars did not have a cover charge and the jazz was amazing! We visited the most amazing museums. I now have a new appreciationf or modern art. I used to really dislike modern art, but now it is growing on me. I have learned that there is a fine line between good modern art and modern art that looks like a third grade project. We visited the Prado and I saw Bosch´s painting of The Garden of Earthly Delights! I was so excited! you don´t understand. I have loved this painter and this painting since my 2nd year of high school! It was so amazing to see this in person. I also saw Triumph of Death, Seven Deadly Sins and Saturn devousing his sons. Then we went to the Contemporary art museum. I found out that I have a new favorite artist. Miro is amazing. His painting of The Man With the Pipe is awesome. I also saw a lot of Picasso and Dali. Going to museums for me is probably the same spiritual feeling I would get if I was an avid church go-er. I am so addicted to muesums. We also visited the botanical gardens and I thought about
my mother. I actually thought about a lot of people. I especially thought about Nicholas and how he would thrive in Spain. From what he has told me abnout Argentina I can conclude that the feel of Argentina is probably the same as Spain.

From Madrid to Barcelona we took the train. The ticket was a bit expenisive, but it was worth it. The train ride was great and it was the break from each other the we needed. I am travelling with 4 other girls and we are constantly together. This is not a bad thing because we get along nicely, but I am just the type of person that needs ¨me time¨ so the silent train ride was a great opportunity to gather my thoughts. AFter the train, we walked to our hostel which we found by ourselves! It was actualy quite a walk. There we were... the perfect image of world travellers. We each had our backpacks on. The thought occured to me that I was actually backpacking through Spain! hehe Who would have thought, Cristina... the girl who hates to wear the same thing everyday, who needs makeup constantly, who HAS to feel clean all of the time, who does not like tp share things with other people, who felt insecure about herself is BACKPACKING through SPAIN! All I have is a backpack! ONE PAIR OF SHOES!!! I´m sorry, but for me, that is amazing!

WE arrived at the hostel and it was wonderful. The location, the lady at the front desk, the bathrooms... everything! This place is great and for 12 euro a night, you really cannot go wrong. We met a girl today and Renee. She is 25 and is totally awesome so we hung out for a couple hours with her. YEsterday we went out to a club... well actually it was club hopping. It was fun, but the walk back was too long and I was very tired. Then we slept in until 1 because we got back and went to sleep at around 3AM. Today we walked around and looked at the modern buildings of Barcelona, The Cathedral, and we visited the beach. It was a great day. The buildings in Barcelona are amazing. Gaudi (or Guadi... I don´t know the spelling of his name) if truely amazing. His buidlings mimic the undulating image of coral underwater. They are amazing! The Catherdral was just wow!! It was built 1200´s- 1400´s. It is amazing and totally gothic. And wow... the best part of the whole thing was to actually walk through a cloister! I´m such a nerd, but seriously... wow. I was so prepared to see this after taking the monastaries course. It was amazing. Oh and I also went to my very first H & M. wow! I loved it!

I am meeting the coolest people in the hostel. They are totally nice. The past two days I have met Renee and Caitlyn. Renee is from Canada, but she has been travelling all around. She is awesome! Totally funny and she fits in with the group. We welcome her with open arms. Today I met Caitlyn. SHe just came to the hostel. She is 20 and from Santa Rosa, California. We have a lot in common...like our love for Mac makeup and Jem.

I love Barcelona. It is great to see such familiar things in a non-familir place. I think I even understand more about Filipino culture after being here. If you can I highly suggest that you make it to spain when you come. Madrid was amazing. It was very safe. During my whole trip I have never felt in any danger... and we are five cute girls! hehe

Everytime a try something that tastes good or I eat something that i have had before in the Philippines, I think of my family... especially Tessa. I know she would love to be eating the food that I am eating and then she would make it for me (I love you Tessa!!! I wish you were here.)

I am so inspired to learn Spanish now... you have NO idea! It is so close to Italian that it is totally possible!

That´s it for now. I actually stayed in tonight because I have four blisters on my feet and I am very tired. So far it has been the best Valentine´s day ever eventhough I spent it alone. hehe My day was so full that it does not even matter. I love being here.

I am going to Pace Fuori (Literal translation ¨for the US slang term ¨peace out¨)! Ciao.

PS
I miss Roma. It is totally in my heart.