Bianca N Castro

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A globally-minded Teach for America 2012 Corps member, travel enthusiast, and recent TCU International Communications and Spanish graduate. Check out more of my work here.

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- Bianca Castro
  
  2012 Corps Member at Teach for America
  
  Public Relations and Communications | Dallas/Fort Worth Area, US
  
  Summary
  
  A globally-minded Teach for America 2012 Corps member, travel enthusiast, and recent TCU International Communications and Spanish graduate.
  
  Experience
  - Aug 2012 - Present
    Dual Language Teacher / Fort Worth ISD
    
    Teach 4th grade reading, writing, science, social studies and mathematics courses in English and Spanish. Craft differentiated instruction and both formative and summative assessments to evaluate student work. Play an active role during parent-teacher conferences; update parents regularly on their child’s progress. Develop activities that show the relationship between classroom concepts and everyday life to engage and motivate students. Coach weekly running club of 50 students for the Cowtown Cook Children’s 5k race.
  - Nov 2011 - Present
    2012 Corps Member / Teach for America
    
    Collaborate with a network of more than 30,000 corps members and alumni, working to close the achievement gap in the United States’ most underserved schools. Engage in professional activities, including seminars, discussion groups, workshops, individual and group reflections, and ‘learning teams’ specific to my teaching license area.
  - Aug 2010 - May 2012
    Resident Assistant / Texas Christian University
    
    Serve as a mentor and advisor for first year students. Utilize organizational and public speaking skills to create and present hall programs. Manage administrative tasks including room condition reports, maintenance requests, incidents reports, and the room change process.
  - Sept 2011 - Dec 2011
    TCU Harris College of Nursing & Health Science Intern / Texas Christian University
    
    Write press releases regarding past, present and future lectures, seminars and events.
  - Jun 2011 - Aug 2011
    Communications Intern / Carroll Education Foundation
    
    Manage each social media outlet (Facebook, Twitter, newsletters and press releases). Plan the annual fundraiser by creating advertisements, following up with sponsors and collecting donated items.
  - Feb 2011 - May 2011
    Graphic Design Intern / DiscoverSevilla
    
    Design advertisements that assist with marketing the company to European cities. Create logos and marketing packets for up-and-coming companies linked to DiscoverSevilla.
  - Apr 2010 - Aug 2010
    Hostess / Mi Cocina
  - Jan 2008 - Jul 2009
    Coach / US Gold Gymnastics & Cheer Academy
    
    Plan class activities to encompass 50-minute sessions for children ages 2-12. Teach basic motor skills for coordination and balance.
  Education
  - 2008 - 2012
    
    Texas Christian University
    
    BS in Strategic Communications, Spanish, Certificate in International Studies
    Activities: Dean's Scholar, National Hispanic Scholar, Edward A. Bell Scholar, John V. Roach Honors College, Alpha Lambda Delta, Omicron Delta Kappa, Sigma Delta Pi (Co-President 2010), Gymnastics Club (President 2009, 2010,2011), La Mesa Hispánica (President 2010), TCU Chords for Kids (VP of membership 2010), Catholic Community (Retreat Co-Director 2010), VISA Corps
  - 2011 - 2011
    
    Universidad Pablo de Olavide
    
    BA in Spanish
  - 2004 - 2008
    
    Carroll Senior High School
  Additional Information
  - Interests:
    
    Design, creativity, gymnastics, Puerto Rico, experiencing new cultures, the Spanish language & traveling

Profile

Goodbye, standardized testing!

Apr 21, 13

The final two STAAR tests are this Tuesday (Math) & Wednesday (Reading). These past few weeks have included monotnous reteaches of various skills the class has not yet mastered - such as making inferences, equivalent fractions, etc. In order to spice up my reading lessons, I've encompassed some STAAR games that my kids do together:

MONDAY– Trashket Ball: For each correct answer, students get a sheet of scrap paper. At the end of the lesson, students get to crunch up each piece of paper and make a shot into the trash can which is placed at the front of the room. The person with the most “paper balls” into a basket wins.
Trashketball aftermath
TUESDAY– Connect Four: Students work on reading passage & raise their hand after they complete four problems. Check the four problems, & if all four are correct in a row, students have connected four & win a point for their team. If one is incorrect, take a point away from the team.

WEDNESDAY – Super Sleuth: Create large posters/charts divided into 9-12 squares. Write a question in each square. Students walk around & answer questions at different posters & initial the square. Students can only initial one box. Have students explain their answer so other students learn from their peers.
THURSDAY– Beach Ball: Write question numbers pertaining to reading passage on a beach ball. Teacher throws ball to student. Whatever work their right thumb lands on, they must answer that question – explaining where they found their evidence.
FRIDAY– STAAR Vegas: Students read STAAR passage for homework & complete the attached questions. Students then get 10 minutes in class to meet with their team to discuss their answers. As a team, they bet "money" for each answer choice they've chosen. If their answer is correct, they get to keep their "money". If the answer is incorrect, the teacher gets to keep the "money".
Thank goodness STAAR ends this week!

April events:

I received this wonderful letter from a beautiful student

We wrote letters to Boston

Last, but DEFINITELY not least, we achieved 100% mastery on 4.10A
points on a number line!!!

I'M SO PROUD OF THEM :)
3, 2, 1...GO!

Apr 01, 13

Tomorrow begins day one of STAAR Writing. I think I am just as nervous as my kids, but realize that a Monday before state testing cannot perform miracles; therefore, today was dedicated as a "pump up" day.

Three different Horned Frog speakers came to the class to discuss goals & dreams & overcoming obstacles. Kids discussed their own big goal & vision. As a class, we confided in each other with any worries & doubts. Today was great, but I understand that these next two testing days will be tough for my babies.

Please keep my kids in your thoughts!!!

Five tips my co-teacher & I gave to our class for tomorrow:

1. Pace yourself
We know you are excited to tear apart your STAAR writing test tomorrow...

But when you don't pace yourself, you could end up like this mid-test...

2. Organize your thoughts so you don't sound like this girl:

3. Revise & edit your draft

4. Stick to the prompt

5. BREATH & BE CONFIDENT!
In order to avoid this happening (0.20 - .45)...

Tell yourself THIS:
Productive struggle

Mar 27, 13
I went to a fantastic training session called the Productive Struggle last weekend, where we discussed how students should be the creators of their own education. They must struggle productively to reach each objective we, teachers, set for them. A teacher's job is to create an environment in which students can make their own discoveries in order to proceed in the learning process. After this session, I felt inspired to create such an atmosphere...but I need to overcome a few obstacles I have created for myself.

You see, I have mom syndrome - I'm afraid to let my babies go, let them walk, fall down a few times, & then fly away. My students are older & wiser presently than they were 212 days ago, and yet I am afraid to give them too much power in the classroom environment. I'm afraid to have my classroom student-led.

Except when I think about it, I am in the classroom for them. I already went to college. I know how to multiply, divide, read, write...They are the ones that need to learn.

My students are ready to lead my classroom, & I am confident that they will retain even more knowledge than before because they will be their own creators of knowledge. So, as my MTLD said, I must recite this mantra:
I can release control & my classroom will not go crazy.
Struggle is necessary for growth, & I am hurting my students by not allowing them to struggle.
When I build on their intuition & prior knowledge, my students are capable of incredible things.
Other life happenings:

Hours upon hours were spent lesson planning at Avoca, my second home

I won a chin-up contest at recess...small victories

I had 40 students in my class one morning because a substitute didn't show up

The new DFW Teach For America office stole my heart - what a great
place for creativity and work

I officially became a teacher with a class photo

RockSTAAR

Feb 28, 13

STAAR

AKA the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test.

It has arrived.

The countdown for STAAR tests

In just a few short weeks, my class will take STAAR exams for writing, reading & math to assess their mastery of fourth grade skills. My kiddos will need to write narrative & expository essays, read various passages & answer questions to assess comprehension, & solve intense 2-step math problems.

Their brains are really put to the test at this point in the year...as is mine! Amidst the test-prepping/test-taking, I know we are all struggling to make class as fun & stress-free as it was before "crunch time" arrived.

Test time

Every second in the classroom is precious. Snack time has turned into silent math review, morning do-nows involve problem solving, etc. We are in go-go-go mode!

Snack time/place value spiral review

My kids are champs, but I know spring break is coming at the most perfect & necessary time. We are all getting burnt out. March 8-11 will be a fantastic time to recharge batteries, spend quality time with family & friends, & just rest the soul in general.

Until then, I'll be pushing strong, as will the kids. We're on the path to become RockSTAARS :)

Recent events:

A 4th grade field trip to the Sid Richardson Museum lead to a fun painting activity

Daniel Silverman, Account Coordinator of Schaefer, was guest speaker

We learned how to simplify fractions

Students gave me a lot of "flowers" during recess

My kids ran the Cowtown 5K

As did the rest of my school

I was able to attend the Vicente Fox Presidential Series featuring the honorable José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain (2004-2011) thanks to the generous Sid Richardson Foundation & Teach For America

Where'd January go?

Jan 31, 13

This is my one and only post for January.

I am literally halfway through my first year of teaching. 156 days down, 156 days to go until June 7th. I'm still alive. & maybe finally impacting my classroom?

My class testing data from January
Via district assessments, I am able to track how my classroom is doing compared to the rest of FWISD. The last math test showed that my class had a 75% passing rate, with a 70% average - a 46% growth from the last assessment. The district test average was 67%.

Although I'm striving for 100% passing, the data from this round of assessments was a big confidence booster I REALLY needed. I've been hard at work, much like all the teachers at my school, & it's nice to see such a big growth.

I foresee a major overhaul in my literacy structure for the month of February. I've gotta get those kids reading better. Until my next post, here are some random pictures from life:

Santa came to deliver presents to my students
My TCU professor Dr. Jacque Lambiase donated a bunch of
wonderful material to my classroom

Last day of school before winter break turned into a lot of fun
read alouds since only nine students came!

My student helped motivate me

Oh, and I can't forget to mention the Febreze can a student
brought to class to cover up the "fart" smells
The 18-hour field trip

Dec 03, 12

This past Friday, all 4th & 5th graders at my school took a field trip to Austin, Texas, where we all visited the Capitol & the Bullock Texas State History Museum, along with dining at Cracker Barrel, a dining hall at UT-Austin, & the Golden Corral.

It's safe to say that our day was jam-packed.

The Capitol
Though we did so many neat things within the heart of Texas, my favorite part of the trip had nothing to do with any of the scheduled events. My favorite part of the trip was a conversation I had with a student in my class.
________________________________________________________________
Background: This student & I bash heads a lot. I am still trying to figure out how to motivate this child to work hard. This student is BRILLIANT, but an attention-seeker to the max. Inappropriate comments, words, actions...you name it - this kid has probably done it.
________________________________________________________________

I decided to have a seat next to this student while traveling from one destination to the next, & tried to strike up a conversation. We talked about sneakers, Jordans to be exact, & this child suddenly opened up to me.

He talked about his family. He talked about the problems his sibling are/have faced. He informed me about the local Fort Worth gangs. He asked me questions about college. He questioned me about my family.

I was shocked to learn about the hardships he has faced, things he has seen in his life, & knowledge I wish I could swipe away from his brain. No wonder he acts the way he acts, I thought. I spoke when asked a question, but I mostly just listened. I think he appreciated that.

During that bus ride, a relationship began to form. Today, the first day back from the field trip, lacked the usual disruptions from this child. He seemed to be, dare I say, motivated.

Realizing that being a great teacher means forming true relationships with students is daunting...but equally rewarding. I'm becoming more and more emotionally invested in these 9 & 10-year olds. They are unique, goofy, troublemakers, learners, talkers...I could go on & on - but mostly, they are wonderful :)
Holiday

Nov 26, 12

A few days off of work was exactly what I needed. I slept, slept, slept during my Thanksgiving break, taking in some sunshine & quality time with the family.

The first half of the year is almost over - I can't even believe it. In four short weeks, winter break* will be here! Off to plan for 20 more meaningful days...back to the grind!
_____________________________________________________________

*In need of a holiday gift? A fellow 2012 DFW CM's mother is creating Teach For America holiday bracelets - $10 of each sale goes directly for TFA! Here's what the bracelet looks like:

"One Day"
Somos como una familia.

Nov 14, 12

My friend & TCU journalist Jordan Rubio recently captured a snapshot of my classroom through interviews & video, titled "TCU alumna impacts local students through Teach For America program."

My 4th graders will be future movers & shakers.

These are my babies. They are my family.
Feedback

Nov 05, 12

I love feedback. Constructive criticism, helpful tips for improvement, etc...I can never get enough. Recently, my MTLD (Manager, Teacher Leadership Development, sorta like my Teach For America mentor) observed my teaching. I got this wonderful email from her after the visit:

What I love about this email is that it contains concrete action steps I should take in order to improve. Fabulous.

Teach for America, Fort Worth ISD & my alternative certification program (The New Teacher's Project) aren't the only channels in which I can get feedback. Turns out my students are good for that, too.
This one almost made me cry. Tears of joy, of course!
"I hope to graduate from college in class of 2025. I think this because you are my best teacher I ever had in my life.
I said this because I believe that you can make a change. We can go to 5th grade and you can be here in 4th grade so you can show them all the things you showed us so they can believe that they can, which they are because you are the best 4th grade teacher I ever had. You are like a different version of "Mr. Ortega." That is how you are to me.
The best thing is you are a second mother to me. Thank you teacher!"

Lovin' those frogs.
These notes of positivity are what keep me going.

Other happenings these past few weeks:

My class made it to the end of the 6 weeks dance party.
After-school tutoring has begun.
My class took a field trip to the FTW library & learned about Native Americans.
TCU journalism major Jordan Rubio came to my class as a guest speaker
to tell students about reporting.
Running club is in season! Did I mention I'm assistant coach? Pictured above
is the actual coach, Mr. Nava.
Two of my students celebrating running club post-survival.
Sucky October

Oct 25, 12

October sucks.

I love my kids, my fellow teachers, & my school, but I am tired. I'm tired of not yielding fabulous test results, not being the greatest teacher to walk the planet, not having perfectly perfect lesson plans created each day, etc. I mean, are my expectations completely unreasonable??

Yes, yes they are...at least, they are for me, a first-year teacher with no background in education.

Fort Worth ISD math assessment grades - class average was a 53% :(

I've come to the realization that teaching is a combination of 1)experience, 2) fabulous organizational skills, & 3) great internalization/knowledge of the content being taught. I'll get there.

Focusing on my strengths in the classroom has helped keep me more positive. I've been adorning my classroom with TCU decor, investing my students in their future by talking about college & "dream" job goals. I'm bonding with my students; I care deeply for them, & I *think* they are beginning to connect with me.

Thank goodness October is almost over.

Fantastic 5 - method used for math word problems
some classroom rules...
TCU investment
Trying to reach that high level of blooms!
Name tags for desks
Goals-oriented behavior management tracker
class goals poster
goals are placed on every test :)
Kids, we're going to college.

Oct 16, 12

Today, my students told me that they have moms & dads that work 3 a.m. to 8 p.m.

My heart broke for them.

As a teacher, I have assumed the role as a "mom" - type figure. I never realized this would be part of my role as a teacher. How terrifying.

I attempt to incorporate real-life connection to each lesson I teach, & understand that this is more important than ever, since parents are away, working to support the family. Here's a poster I made tonight:

Kids, we're going to college.
"y will always keep on trying"

Oct 04, 12

Teaching has left me with little time to just be outside the classroom. When times get rough, I have to refer myself back to this note my student wrote me:

"At first I was nervous but then my teacher started being nice to me. When I first got here and then I started liking what she started teaching us but I still miss my last year teacher but I am happy because I have a better teacher who is always pushing me around to always do my best in everything, like if I am not good at something then I will always keep on trying even if they don't tell me. I will always no matter what I will never ever give up on them just like I know they will never give up on me no matter what and I will love them more if they teach me more so I can have my brain filled with a lot of facts and some fun stuff."
Love the struggle

Sep 14, 12

Today is Friday, September 14, 2012 - the day I, Bianca Nicole, complete my 3rd week of teaching 4th grade. I've had 3 weeks filled with faculty meetings, lesson plans, minimal sleep, lots of coffee...

I'm exhausted.

Teaching has been one of the most challenging tasks I have ever taken on. I have SO much to learn, & just not enough time. I want to be the best I can absolutely be, yet I am nowhere near exemplary. I'm not used to struggling so much - I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water, one step away from drowning in work.

But when I think of my students, I know that they need me. They are absolutely wonderful. They remind me that I need to try my best, that we are on the same path to reach a common goal, that "one day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain excellent education."

I'm learning to love the struggle.

My 19 new children
My days clocked into work begin officially at 7:30 a.m., & end at 4:40 a.m., but in reality, a teacher's day is much longer. I aim to arrive at school at 6:50 a.m., teach, & leave at about 5:30 p.m. (on a good day). I continue working from home until it's time for bed, then do it all over again.

I'm waiting for the day when teaching "clicks." So far, I don't feel like a teacher. I don't feel like I know what I'm doing. I do know that I'm learning, though. A LOT. At least I have that!

Here's my 3 weeks of school in photos:

First day of school. My students told me what a good teacher should do,
& I wrote it on the board.
My officially official teaching badge!
I got an apple from one of my students...it made my day :)
Dora the Explorer birthday invitation from another student. Adorable.
De La Rosa candy from a student.
My class, in action.
Teaching my students about the 2012 presidential election. We listened to
Michelle Obama's speech from the Democratic Convention.
Gotta get them reading!
In line in the hallway. Did I mention I have 15 boys, & only 4 girls??
Cualitativo vs cuantitativo
Things I've been able to do in Fort Worth during my minimal free time...
Fort Worth Food Truck - absolutely delicious, with a wonderful atmosphere
Red velvet & banana nutella cupcakes from Red Jett (a food truck)
"See How They Run" at Circle Theatre
Logo designing for Daniel Silverman Photography
Attending weddings in beautiful places
Flying through the sky amidst travel
My babies.
The Classroom

Aug 24, 12

I just completed my first week of training at my school, T.A. Sims, & finally met all the other teachers & staff, woo! I can safely say, knowing that I have 9 TFA Corp Members & MANY wonderful teachers around me, I am as supported as can be.

With that being said, being the "new teacher" is still extremely overwhelming. I've been setting up my classroom this week, & boy, was it STRESSFUL. There are specific rules to how a bilingual classroom needs to be set up (example - Spanish words must be associated with the color red, while English words are with blue). I've had to clean, organize, & design my classroom, which I've never done before, whist preparing for the first week of school. I was lucky enough to have some help cutting, stapling & laminating from Daniel.

My classroom essentials are in place. I still have a lot of work to do, but now it's time to complete lesson planning.

Other things this week: Meet the teacher night was yesterday (Thursday, Aug. 24) & was absolutely wonderful. I met 9 of my future students + parents. The majority of these students came from another TFA Corp Member (& TCU Alum!), so I already have some things in common with them :)

4th grade me! So long ago...time to go back!
Entering my classroom

Sorry not sorry about the teacher carrier :P

Outside of my classroom
The 4th grade nook
Fish tank!

T.A. Sims main hallway
The gymnasium

The library
The Power of a Teacher

Aug 17, 12

"I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my personal approach that creates the climate. It's my daily mood that makes the weathers. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated & a child humanized or dehumanized."
-Haim Ginott, Teacher and Child
Prepare

Aug 14, 12

I finally visited my school, T.A. Sims Elementary, & could not be more thrilled to begin working. The school is just the right size, the faculty & staff are super friendly, & the school seems to be very cohesive & united.

I will be one of the five 4th grade instructors, & one of the three dual language instructors within that team. A tentative school day is as follows:
7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. - School breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - Reading (120 min)
10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Reading MINDS
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Writing (120 min)
12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Lunch
12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. - Math
1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. - Teacher Conference
2:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. - Math
3:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. - Bilingual Centers
3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. - Science

I will be teaching reading/writing in both Spanish & English (50/50), math in English, and science in Spanish (twice a week). My school day is much longer than most, as we participate in extended days.

This week & next week I am participating in Fort Worth ISD teacher orientation. My district is wonderful!

T.A. Sims Elementary

Teach For America assignments
Teach For America was lucky to receive a huge donation from Cengage Learning. To show our appreciation, many DFW 2012 Corps Members attended the Cengage Rise & Shine Event...which began at 5:45 a.m. in Dallas for participants!

TFA Corps at Rise & Shine
The event was themed Michael Jackson...it was interesting!

In my free time, I explore Fort Worth...

Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth
...but my future class is constantly on my mind :)

Goal: Teach WITH Leadership
Test, Test, Test

Aug 06, 12

Post-institute life has been filled with tests, paperwork, & orientation. Besides the tests, I've enjoyed the free time, which has allowed me to road trip to Colorado & settle home in Fort Worth.

Another thing that has happened post-institute: I got an RT (retweet) from the Teach For America Twitter account! For a social media queen, this was really exciting to me. Haha.

Check out that #1 tweet!
Test 1: The Bilingual Supplemental tests your knowledge about how bilingual education came to be in the U.S., as well as best practices for a bilingual classroom.
I wore my Nike Olympics tank for good luck to my
bilingual supplemental test..
...& good thing, because it helped me pass! Performed like a champ.
Test 2: The Language Proficiency Test (LPT) checks oral & written proficiency in both English & Spanish. It ended up being a bit more difficult to me than expected...

Doormat outside of the testing site.
My Fort Worth ISD new team member pin I received at orientation.
I moved into my house in Fort Worth! My room contains only the
essentials - a bed & shelf. Still on the lookout for a desk & dresser!
The Fort Worth Stockyards. YEEHAW.
Funnies

Jul 18, 12

After being immersed with 800+ Teach For America corps members, facilitators, etc for 5+ weeks, I've noticed certain "buzzwords" used during sessions & conversations that never fail to make an appearance.
Fundamentally. Transformational. Push back. Action plan. Vision. Resonate. Reflect. Truly. Really. Transparent.
Here is a video that knocks some of the TFA lingo. It's important to note that not EVERYONE speaks like this, of course! This video is a bit of an exaggeration, but I got some good laughs from it.

For some more laughs, check out this Tumblr blog called "#whatshouldTFAcallme." The blog description is pretty accurate: A blog to keep TFA corps members from losing their minds along with all their free time.
End of the Beginning

Jul 13, 12

Today was the end of Institute, a place where I grew as a student, teacher & leader. A place where I met so many wonderful people & teachers. A place where my heart will forever reside, because this is where I truly learned what Teach For America was really all about - and became part of the cause.

Today was the end of the beginning.

THURSDAY:

My empty classroom. Bye, summer school.
My collab. Thank you Paco, Rosa & Melissa for being such wonderful friends & teachers!
After the last day of school on Thursday, my roommate Cindy & I celebrated at the pub on-campus. Cheers!
Representing DFW with our duck hats.

Teach For America then had closing ceremonies, filled with inspirational speeches, from 7:30 - 9 p.m. It was the last time all of the Houston, San Antonio, DFW, Rio Grande Valley & Eastern North Carolina 2012 Corps Members were united in the same room.

Program for the night.

The ceremony also had some really cool acts - specifically a drumline from YES Prep North Central & a shuffling act by Kreativity has Spoken. Check out these videos:

FRIDAY:

My CMA, Leland, had an emergency stash of chocolate pandas for our cohort. The rule was that if you were about to have/were having a mental breakdown, you could open the box & eat a few pandas. Luckily, the box was left sealed until the final day. We celebrated by eating the pandas together :)

Holy pandas.
Cheers to no breakdowns!
My cohort. My family. Y'all are amazing.
Last day of school

Jul 12, 12

Today is my final day as Ms. Castro at Sylvan Rodriguez Elementary School. I am excited to move to the next chapter of this TFA journey, but I am sad to say goodbye to my first class of students. I told them they would all have a special place in my heart, & they laughed at me...but it's true!
Pre-assessment versus post-assessment test grades
My collab received the results from the tests our class took, & were filled with mixed emotions. Generally everyone improved, but some students' grades actually decreased. How does that happen? The defeats definitely impacted us more than the triumphs. We all have a lot of growing to do as teachers.
Zumba time
Yesterday, all teachers & students spent 1.5 hours doing Zumba. I don't know why we had to dance for that long, but I was pretty exhausted after 1 hour! I felt ridiculous & it was weird all around, but definitely made some good memories during it all. We actually danced to Shakira's "Waka Waka," which was great because I already knew the dance (don't judge).

Screenshot of my end of Institute Survey
TFA has us complete surveys ALL THE TIME. & get this - they are not anonymous. They send each corp member a personal link with an individual password to track each CM. Also, we have to take the surveys at school, where facilitators we "judge" are. Personal opinion - there is no way these surveys can yield very good data, because they are completely skewed by so many factors. With facilitators roaming the rooms during survey time, I think CMs feel pressured to censure their opinions. Who knows.

Other random happenings:

Today's bus ride to school felt like I was in a horror movie - thunder, rain, lightening, etc.
A prize we are giving away to a student today. I think it's creepy, but I hope 10 year-old boys think otherwise...

Mr. Lara with the bat.
Summer Jam

Jul 11, 12

Institute ends THIS Friday. YES.

My excitement to finally have a "summer" is mixed with some sadness - I will have to say goodbye to my students, to my friends from other regions (Houston, Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, Eastern North Carolina), & the faculty when I depart from Houston.

These past few weeks have been absolutely exhausting. I am at week 5, & feel completely drained; I can't remember the last time I've been this tired! As a result, I've chosen sleeping over blogging :P

Last week ended on a high note - my collab group got to take 3 of our students to Rice University to show them what college was all about (the program was called Summer Jam). I have so many wonderful pictures of my students, but since they are minors I am not allowed to post them online :/ so here is what I have instead!

Mr. Goins (middle) and Mr. Lara with a student.

Horned Frogs!

Some more horned frog hands

Before the afternoon Summer Jam celebration started, students & staff started dancing to "The Wobble."

An awful picture of our guest speaker, Vince Young, at Summer Jam.

Last nights events - TFA Prom - I had to skip to finish homework...
A Teacher's Life

Jul 02, 12

"Ms. Castro, can I go to the bathroom?"
"No Luis, we only have 3 minutes of class left."
"But it's number 2!" (holding up 2 fingers).
Blank stare..."GO."
Gulfton

Jun 26, 12

I realized that I haven't really given any information about where exactly I am teaching this summer, so here is my ode to Gulfton!

I currently reside in the safe bubble that is Rice University. The houses surrounding the college are large & beautiful - this area seems fairly safe & wealthy. Six miles down the road lies an area called Gulfton, home of Sylvan Rodriguez Elementary School, where I teach summer school.

Gulfton, also known as the "Gulfton Ghetto," used to be home to successful, middle-class professionals until the 1980s, when the region hit an economic decline. From then on, the area became populated with immigrants, most particularly from Mexico & Central America. The population is 97% Hispanic. Home to various gangs & acts of crime, Gulfton contrasts starkly to the Rice University area.

It blows my mind that such differing living conditions exist not even 10 miles from each other.

I am collaborating with three other TFA Corps Members to teach a class of 8 boys (together, we are called a "collab"). Last week, my collab talked to our class about how they might encounter obstacles while trying to reach their goals. A TFA teacher asked the class, "what are some obstacles someone might face when trying to reach their goal?" This was a student's response:
"Well, people need to cross the river from Mexico to get to the United States - so the river is an obstacle."
WOW. How do you respond to that? This finally makes the discussion of immigration real to me.

Despite the obstacles my students face living in Gulfton, or dealing with immigration laws, these boys don't show any of this while learning in the classroom. The majority of these boys are in summer school to get ahead so that they can be fully prepared to go to 5th grade. They want to learn.

A FEW DAYS IN PHOTOS:

How I feel, generally every day.
Rosa, a member of my collab...so tired, she misspelled excellence. She gave our group a good laugh :)

Shout out to my grandma, who turned 89 this week!

I felt like this picture captures my long days at institute - a blur.

Thanks CMA for suggesting Baby Barnaby's for lunch, it was yum!
The Dallas-Fort Worth staff visited us in Houston and brought the region duck hats...DUCKS FLY TOGETHER!!!
DFW region wearing their duck hats.
QUACK.
Exhaustion

Jun 21, 12

I now know why Teach For America Institute is called teacher boot camp.

5:30 a.m. - wake up
7:15 a.m. - arrive at Sylvan Rodriguez Elementary
7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Teach, lesson plan & attend workshops
5:30 p.m. - 11 or later...LESSON PLAN

I am exhausted. It's almost 9 p.m., & I am getting ready for bed. My average of 4-5 hours of sleep each night is rough.

On the bus ride home, some random chick fell asleep on me...#TFAproblems
The good news: I made it through my first week of teaching! I taught reading for the past week, & my class is a group of 8 wonderfully smart & generally well-behaved boys. I lucked out, because I've heard a lot of horror stories from other TFA corp members about their classes - students cussing, throwing stuff, etc.

Next week I teach math - improper fractions, mixed numbers, multiplication & division. I love math, so I'm really excited. Here's to hoping I learn how to be an even better teacher next week!

Sam Houston statue in Houston!

Day 1 of teaching: message from my Corp Member Adviser (CMA). Note the time...

Horned Frogs teaching for America - GO FROGS!

Coffee is my only friend nowadays.

First day of teaching notes from CMA

Johnathan's writing assignment today. He's quite the character :)
Nerves

Jun 18, 12

I teach my first lesson tomorrow...

4th grade reading lesson plan
CUE THE NERVES!!!

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- Colorado
  
  Aug 06, 12
  
  My summer schedule has been rather sporadic - so I decided to make use of the one week I would for sure have off from work by roadtripping to Colorado. Although a 3 hour flight would have been much more convenient, the 13+ hour drive from Fort Worth, TX to Denver, CO was a little nicer for the budget.
  
  P.S. I discovered that I LOVE the mountains.
  
  The beginning of the 773 mile journey.
  Windmills in Kansas
  Finally, Colorado!
  
  DENVER
  
  The Colorado State Capitol was closed on Sunday, so I just explored its surroundings.
  The Capitol sits 1 mile above sea level - complete opposite of TX!
  The Denver Art Museum was amazing! Super interactive - show your student ID for a discount :)
  Playing cowboys & Indians inside the museum.
  Pretending to be a painting.
  
  My favorite part of the museum - the fashion studio! Racks of clothes surrounded the runway, & I took advantage of my one chance at modeling.
  After lots of walking around downtown Denver, the Great Divide Brewing Co. sounded like a great stop.
  
  The day was wrapped up at a sushi restaurant...
  ...followed by one last beer at a retro bar in downtown.
  Day 2 of Boulder was spent at Chatfield Lake.
  MillerCoors beer, lake & mountains.
  Trying to feed the geese!
  BOULDER
  Breakfast at Lucile's
  Delicious.
  Exploring downtown Boulder's Pearl Street.
  The drive up Flagstaff Summit helped me realize my fear of heights! The view was breathtaking, though.
  Flagstaff Summit scenery <3
  Day 2 of Boulder consisted of tubing at Boulder Creek. After many attempts to fit the tubes into the Subaru, we were off to the creek!
  GOLDEN
  The MillerCoors Brewery tour was really cool - & free! Visitors that are 21+ get three 8 oz samples of beer, too.
  MillerCoors Brewery
  COLORADO SPRINGS
  Colorado Springs was the last city visited in CO, so a stop at the US Olympic Training Center was a MUST.
  Many of the athletes were already in London, but it was still so cool to see where they all work out. Pictured here is the gymnastics practice facility.
  Statue outside of the USOC Training Center.
  See you later, Colorado!
- Austin
  
  May 20, 12
  
  At some point in my life, I want to live in Austin. At least, that's what my short 2-day trip led me to believe.
  
  Day one included dinner at Trudy's Tex-Mex & bar-hopping on 6th street. I unfortunately didn't take any pictures this day, so you'll just have to take my word for how amazing it all was! Here is the rest of my trip in photos:
  
  Day 2 started with breakfast at Juan in a Million, so delicious. Order the "Don Juan" & share, it's a huge plate!
  
  After stuffing our faces with "Don Juan," we did some Stand Up Paddling (SUP) on Lake Austin. For a whole hour I was able to float on top of the water under the Texas sun...the most relaxing experience ever! SUP was the best $15 I've spent in a long time.
  
  Ceiling of the Texas Capitol
  We spent the majority of the afternoon exploring the Texas Capitol. I took a field trip trip here in 4th grade, but it was great to revisit this historical site.
  
  Giving an important speech
  
  Having an intellectual conversation, clearly.
  
  After the Capitol, we grabbed lunch at Hopdoddy Burger Bar. Buffalo, Turkey, Tuna...Hopdoddy has weird combinations of burgers that somehow end up being super delicious!
  
  We topped of our Hopdoddy's burgers with red velvet cupcakes from Hey Cupcake! along South Congress, AKA SoCo. Trendy, overpriced shops line the street, & we spent about an hour just sifting through the stores. It was fun.
  
  Climbing to Mt. Bonnell Park
  We ended the day at Mt. Bonnell Park, which gives you a sweet overview of beautiful Austin.
  
  Austin sunset
  
  Two days in Austin is NOT enough. I hope I can make it back here soon!
  
  Love this city.
- ¿cómo hablas el español?
  
  Apr 24, 12
  I am currently enrolled in a Spanish linguistics course, & my final project for the class involves investigating the melodic curves & phonetics of 5 phrases, all spoken by native speakers from different Spanish-speaking locations.
  
  The questions:
  ¿Salieron los tres?
  Tomamos tapas con cerveza.
  ¿A qué hora sale el tren?
  ¿Cómo es que no quieres venir?
  Quiero chocolate caliente, pan con mantequilla y jalea.
  Here is a video (filmed & edited by my friend Katie, thanks!!) that will serve as part of my research:
  
  I find it so interesting that one language can be spoken so differently, and that geographic, political & social influences have all affected certain accents. Maybe one day I'll be able to travel to all these places represented in the video & be able to hear them for myself!
- refresh
  
  Mar 28, 12
  
  The beach is the best place to rejuvenate.
  
  Knee Deep (Zac Brown Band)
  
  The combination of five days of salty water, sunshine, 1,200+ pages of recreational reading, & sleep galore was the best remedy to fight the stress bug...I'm healed!
- spring break necessities
  
  Mar 18, 12
  
  1. iPod with this song on repeat
  Fun. - We Are Young feat. Janelle Monae by warnermusiccanada
  
  2. fun reads
  
  estoy lista para la playa, cheers to my last spring break as a student!
- spring dreaming
  
  Mar 08, 12
  
  I'm 11 days away from this...
  
  "We shall not cease from exploration. The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started & know the place for the first time." - T.S. Eliot
- El Fin of the Best Fall Break Ever
  
  Oct 14, 11
  
  The rest of day 4 & day 5 of NYC!
  
  At the end of day 4, Veronica & I headed over to the 9/11 memorial site. Like I said in my previous post, I lost my ticket but was able to get in because I took a picture of my ticket. haha thank goodness I was able to zoom in on that dang bar code.
  
  Entrance to the site - it's considered a construction site so only so many people are allowed to enter
  
  Map of the pools, located where each tower stood
  
  The pools dedicated to the towers. They are breathtaking. Here's a video I took from the site:
  
  Cool picture courtesy of Veronica
  
  Here's the 9/11 museum - it's made up of pieces that survived the terrorist attack. Almost finished!
  
  While walking to find food Veronica & I ran into a protest on Wall Street, it was getting crazy! Here's a video:
  
  Dinner ended up being at Ruby Tuesdays. We really wanted to find some sushi or random cool place in NY, but after walking around all day our feet led us here. At least it was yummy! We were so tired that, if it were possible, we would have slept & ate at the same time...yeah
  
  Day 5: Veronica & I woke up at 5:30 a.m., checked out of our place, & headed over to the city so we could be on the Today Show! Little did we know we would have a series of unfortunate events that made us get to the show a few hours later than planned...but things ended up being okay in the end :)
  
  The Today Show is filmed in Rockefeller Center - not very many people were there that Tuesday.
  
  Don't worry, we brought our Go Frogs sign to represent TCU! I apologize for looking so rough, it had been a long morning with not much sleep, haha
  
  We were lucky enough to catch Matt Lauer before he ran back into the building! It was exciting, to say the least.
  
  And now for the best part of the day...ANN CURRY!!!! She is my new idol, basically. Ann shook hands with every single person outside & made sure to talk to them for a few minutes as well. She took tons of pictures with everyone too! Veronica & I were the last people to get a picture. She held our hands & told us we were beautiful...my life is complete now.
  
  We then left for the Empire State Building! We got the $22 tickets for the observatory deck, which was level 86. I've never been on a speedier elevator!
  
  View from the observatory deck!
  
  The view was beautiful! Veronica & I did fall asleep while at the Empire State Building - yeah, we were that tired - but I can't think of a cooler place to take a nap!
  
  Lunch consisted of unlimited sushi at some rando place. I would imagine heaven to be very similar to this restaurant...
  
  We subwayed our way around the city...
  
  Off to FAO Schwarz & played on the big piano! We were probably the oldest people on the piano. I think I almost took out a few kids, they were just so tiny!
  
  Then went to the iconic Tiffany & Co store on 5th, where Breakfast at Tiffany's was filmed!
  
  While walking back to the subway we found the Apple store, where notes & apples dedicated to Steve Jobs covered the area. Rest in Peace, Steve Jobs. You were truly legendary.
  
  Veronica & I were lucky enough to catch the last 2 seats on the bus that went from NYC to the Newark airport, where we sadly boarded our 5 p.m. flight. I don't actually remember much of the flight, seeing that I passed out into a coma because I was so tired!
  
  So that's where our trip ended :( but what a great trip it was! Thanks for being such a great travel buddy, Veronica! & thanks to everyone who helped make the break so great.
  
  Until my next travels, xoxo, b
- Loving NYC
  
  Oct 14, 11
  
  Update on days 3 & some of 4 of my New York fall break!
  
  I think we started all of our days with Dunkin Donuts...which was awesome! They have pumpkin flavored donuts & coffee - what more can a girl ask for?
  
  Our first main site of day 1 in New York was Times Square, & it did not disappoint. I could probably sit in that area for hours! Such a great people watching location. When we walked by, some group was filming a bollywood movie. Later on there was a parade with people from Colombia. There's always something happening in Times Square, that's for sure!
  
  After Times Square Veronica & I headed over to mass at St. Peter's Cathedral at 10 a.m. It was gorgeous. There were so many people there for mass! The architecture of the building definitely brought me back to Europe & study abroad. <3
  
  After mass we stumbled upon Rockefeller Center. The flowers were so pretty! The ice skating rink isn't quite frozen yet, but I can imagine how pretty it all looks during winter time. Just means I have to come back :)
  
  After Rockefeller Center we found a memorial dedicated to the firefighters & police men who gave their lives for 9/11
  
  One of the goals for our NYC trip was to see a Broadway show...& what better show to see than the one Daniel Radcliffe (Harry from Harry Potter) appears in? So Veronica & I anxiously awaited in line for rush tickets (last minute tickets that were only $30) for about 30 minutes. As soon as we got to the ticket office we found out that the family of 5 purchased the last round of tickets, que triste!!! So no Daniel Radcliffe for us :( but we kept our search for another Broadway show.
  
  Lunch ended up being gyros on the street! It was basically chicken, lettuce, onion & tomato wrapped in pita bread. The sauce is yogurt & humus? I don't know, but it reminded me of kebabs!
  
  I fell in love with the beautiful NYC skies.
  
  Veronica & I ended up seeing Chicago the musical on Broadway, & it was fabulous. Kara DioGuardi, a judge from American Idol, was the star performer as Roxy & was phenomenal. Never knew she could perform! Such a great show.
  
  We ended up meeting one of Veronica's study abroad friends, Dylan, in the city. They met in Florence, Italy & now he lives in Jersey! He look us to little Italy & we ate at La Nonna, so yummy.
  
  We then met up with one of Dylan's friends, who goes to NYU. She gave us a tour of her dorm room - the view from her room was ridiculous! I love seeing how other universities run. They have really high security at NYU & had to keep our IDs while we were in the building.
  
  We then went to a Karaoke bar for the night, which was so much fun! CLARO I sang waka waka by Shakira. I'm probably the worst singer ever, but when in the city...
  
  Day 2 of NYC began with a big cup of coffee & a subway ride to the 9/11 memorial site. The site is open to all, but you have to get a ticket early in the morning. The tickets are free, but they only hand out so many a day...hence why you gotta get there early!
  
  This was my ticket to the site! Veronica & I were reallllly lucky because we got the last 2 tickets available for the day. Our view time was 6:30 p.m., so we made sure to be back in the area at that time. So funny story - I lose EVERYTHING. So of course I lose this important ticket to the memorial site! Lucky for me & my obsession with documenting everything, I had a picture of my ticket & was able to zoom in on the bar code. I was able to get into the memorial site ticketless because of THIS picture. I love technology.
  
  Above are pictures of the preview to the memorial site. Everything pictured really made me understand the emotions attached to that day. I can't believe it's been over 10 years since 9/11 - I can remember exactly what I was doing at the time I found out about the terrorist attack - I'm sure most people my age can. The items in the preview site really brought me back to that time.
  
  After the 9/11 preview site we went to St. Paul's Chapel! Here's a video of what was happening inside :)
  
  Stumbled upon a cute park...& then headed to Staten Island!
  
  We caught this ferry to Staten Island, which was free! On the ferry we got a great view of the city & lady liberty. The view was BEAUTIFUL! Love at first sight.
  
  View of the city, the Brooklyn Bridge & the Statue of Liberty
  
  Handstand picture, claro!
  
  Staten Island has this structure dedicated to the Twin Towers. If you stand inside you get a great view of the city & where the towers stood. On the walls of the structure are stone faces with names of people from Staten Island who lost their lives on 9/11
  
  GOT A HOT DOG! YUMMM
  
  In love with that view <3
  
  After the ferry ride we went to Central Park, which is ginormous!!! We decided not to do the carriage ride around the park - we walked the whole thing! Needless to say our feet were screaming at the end of the park. If I were to ever live in NYC I would want to live right by this park - it has everything! Not to mention it is just so beautiful & different from the hustle & bustle of the city life.
  
  Okay, final wrap up of the trip coming soon! xoxo, b
- YALE
  
  Oct 09, 11
  
  Our first 24 hours up north have been jam-packed & so fun! After flying Dallas-St. Louis-Newark, then taking a bus from Grand Central to New Haven, we finally arrived to our first destination – Yale! We realized that we had been in a total of 5 states over the whole time span, cray cray.
  
  So I’m going to post a picture diary of my trip thus far; millions of thanks to my study abroad friend Jake for giving us the grand tour of Yale!!! : )
  We hopped on our Southwest flight bright & early @ 7AM. This is actually a picture of us landing in Newark, but you get the idea.
  Meet my new friend Mehare! This woman was the chattiest person I've ever encountered, although super sweet. She talked my ear off for about 2 hours, so much for my nap...
  After arriving in Newark, we got our ticket to Grand Central Station
  
  In Grand Central, people errywhereeee
  
  Ticket for New Haven, Connecticut! Ready to see Jake & Yale.
  We got to sit on this lovely train for 2 hours...good thing V was there with me.
  At Yale! So Yale is made up of colleges, & students live in their chosen college for all 4 years. Jonathan Edwards is where Jake is. PS this school is gorgeous.
  We ate with the Yale-ies, & the food was 10x better than the BLUU (not surprising, haha). It's so cute too
  Day 2: We got a tour of campus. This is V looking super chic & smart - oh wait, she already is
  Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library - holds original Shakespeare writings & other famous stuff
  Here's a copy of the Gutenberg Bible - the first book printed! They turn a page a day so that each page is worn the same way.
  Jake took us to a great froyo place after touring campus. Apple pie + pumpkin pie = happy b
  We ended our Yale experience with jumping pictures, of course! New Haven was a blast; Veronica & I are excited to get a taste of the city now :)
  
  abrazos y besos, b
- Busting out Gypsy Traveler again
  
  Oct 07, 11
  
  So once upon a time I studied abroad & caught a bug...the travel bug! But let me tell you, it's the best bug I've ever encountered. So when I got a green light to go somewhere during my fall break, my friend Veronica & I said, "Hey, let's go to New York!"
  
  So here we come, NEW YORK.
  
  First stop, New Haven, CT. Hope you're ready Yale.
- Back in Texas
  
  May 23, 11
  
  I'm back to the homeland: USA!!!!
  
  My last day in Sevilla was May 21. Because my flight left at 7AM that Saturday, we decided to stay up all night long, taking every second to soak up the Sevilla I fell in love with. My Spanish friend Mariam was nice enough to drive me to the airport, so when 5AM creeped up upon us we headed out to el aeropuerto.
  
  We ended up meeting up with Mariam's friend Jorge at the airport, whose dad worked for Iberia Airlines. Jorge's dad was nice enough to check me into my flight & grab my checked bags...I didn't have to wait in any obnoxious lines, it was fabulous! Can you say VIP?! hahaha. Jorge's dad even let Mariam & Jorge through security so they could say goodbye to us right as we left for our flight. I cannot say thank you enough to Jorge, his dad, & Mariam. They were so kind to help me out, & it just reaffirms how kindness is found all around the word. Mariam, Jorge, Sevilla...no goodbyes, just hasta luegos ♥
  
  After 17+ hours of travel (I went Sevilla to Madrid, 5 hour layover in Madrid, then Madrid to DFW), I finally arrived to Texas. Reverse culture shock has commenced...I never thought it would be so weird to have english engulf my ears! I miss Sevilla already, I left part of my heart there, so I guess that means I will have to return soon to find it again ♥
  
  Thank you to all who followed my blog these past four months. Thank you to all who helped make this experience so wonderful. To everyone else, study abroad if you can...you won't regret it, I promise!!!!
  No me ha dejado; Sevilla has not abandoned me
- 3 days.
  
  May 17, 11
  
  I have three days left in Sevilla. 3 DAYS. I'm mildly freaking out as I also have to study for finals, pack up 4 months of stuff, & say unwanted goodbyes (more like hasta luegos) to all my newly made friends here. I have never felt something so bittersweet; I'm not ready to say goodbye to this new life I've made in Sevilla, but am beyond ecstatic to see my family & friends back home in Texas. I miss my Texas but don't want to say goodbye to my Spain :(
  
  I'm going to post my favorite pictures from study abroad, enjoy! Thank you to all who helped make my experience here be as great as it was ♥
  My first picture in Sevilla! Katie & me going out for the first time
  My first foreign roommate Mats from Norway
  First night at Long Island <3 Katie LOVES her milk! JK it's photoshopped...
  Granada! Wish I could have revisited you.
  Madrid. Got to catch up with Ardena & see the city as well, double whammy :)
  Florence. Veronica showed me around, here's the duomo!
  The colosseum in Rome, where I ran into my neighbor from Southlake & a few people from TCU! The world is too small.
  The Trevi Fountain! Guess I'm coming back to Rome sometime in my life...
  Watching dancing with the Stars in Italian <3 when in Rome
  SEEING THE POPE IN ROME! <3 He's in the picture, sorta miniscule, but there!
  Phoenix with the girls on St. Patties day
  Morocco <3 Chefchauen
  RIDING CAMELS! The whole reason I went to Africa, really...
  My fez hat hahaha
  Our Barcelona friends made in Morocco, our Sunday night outing at Long Island!
  BARCELONA. One of my favorite trips.
  La Sagrada Familia
  Botelloning outside of the Magic Fountain in Barca, starting the night out right :)
  Picnic-ing outside of the Eiffel Tower <3
  The Eiffel Tower & good friends
  Bread fights like Mary-Kate & Ashley
  The Mona Lisa with Ariel, & basically anything else that has to do with Paris
  Lagos, sooo beautiful.
  My new friends from Lagos :)
  Palma de Mallorca with my Marple!!! AKA our honeymoon.
  Lisbon with my friends made in Morocco <3 Sintra was breathtaking.
  Semana Santa, Easter day. The most beautiful paso ever.
  Bullfight. The most cultural event ever hahaha
  More bullfighting
  Ronda! A tiny magical city.
  So green, so beautiful.
  I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT FERIA. TAKE ME BACK.
  The best fería group ever.
  LAGOS, take 2.
  The UPO boat cruise. No me gusta decir adios :(
  The best roommates I could have ever asked for <3
  Roommates since freshman year, sisters forever.
  TEXAS, YA READY?!
  
  Okay, not going to lie, I teared up a bit looking back at all these pictures. I'm not ready to lose this all! Sevilla, you will stay deep in my heart, along with all the memories made & people I've met. Until my last post, -B
- Lagos, Round 2
  
  May 11, 11
  HI!!!!
  
  The time to say goodbye to Sevilla is closely approaching, boooo! I am so excited to go back to Texas but am equally saddened to say goodbye to this beautiful country & all the people I have met. I'm making sure I take advantage of all the opportunities I have left in Sevilla & make the most of my time left here :)
  
  This week was filled with more of Fería & a weekend trip to Lagos, Portugal (take 2!)
  Meet my new friends! Jesús, Sam & Bernie, who all helped Katie & I enjoy fería to the max. They invited us to some casetas & then we danced the night away!!!
  Katie is a pro at dance & I...well, am NOT. She quickly picked up on Sevillanas, the dance of fería, & tried to teach me. I was on the right path, I think?! Thanks Patricio for taking this vid.
  On Friday I woke up bright & early to go to Lagos, Portugal for the 2nd time! I was lucky enough to go on the trip for free with my internship, DiscoverSevilla, I guess for all my work for the company so far? haha. Sara (above) & Katie also went on the trip. 5 hours later, we arrived in Lagos!
  Once again we visited the "end of the world," AKA Sagres, to see the sunset. Unfortunately it was a very cloudy day, so we were unable to see the sun :( The view was still beautiful!
  Me at the end of the world!!!
  
  Okay, so random side note—Spain is stuck in the 90s. I'm not even joking, no es una broma! Exhibit A: men are seen with jackets tied around their waists, constantly. Really, people?! haha. They also like wearing brightly colored pants (red, purple, green, you name it). I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the Franco era...but sometimes I feel like I've gone back in time!
  Katie & I are pigging out on our favorite foods here for the next 9 days! Pictured here is a Gofre Completo, the most delicious waffle eva. Next up: helado (ice cream) from Rayas!
  
  What's coming up these next 9 days??
  Still working on my 3,000 word essay.... :(
  My advisor, Mary Alice, is throwing a farwell dinner for all the TCU students tonight. All of us plus our host moms will be sharing one last meal together...can't wait for some of my last tapas!
  I'm taking a boat ride down the Guadalquivir River Thursday with my school, UPO.
  Day trip to Cádiz on Friday to soak up some last minute sun & beach
  This thing called final exams...gotta study for those.
  Packing up for home...don't wannnnnnaaaaa!
  WHERE DID THE TIME GOOOO? Sending my love, xoxo B!
- Fería/Ronda
  
  May 04, 11
  
  Fería de Abril has arrived!!!!!!
  
  Most of yall are probably wondering though, what is fería? Basically it's a giant fair ground that holds tents (casetas), rides, food, & tons of people. The tents are owned by families & business companies who pay for entertainment (usually a band of some sort) & waiters during the week. You can eat, drink & dance inside the tent all night long! Unfortunately not all the tents are open; they are guarded by security & you have to know someone inside the tent to get in...like a secret society! haha. Fería is 6 days long & is usually 2 weeks after Semana Santa. This year is unusual because Easter was very late, so Fería was only 1 week after Semana Santa & also in May (an April fair in May, weird!).
  Day 1 of Fería begins with el alumbrao, where the portada (giant entrance to the fair) is lit up. The lighting means the fair has officially started. Apparently the portada was real ugly this year, because all the Spaniards kept saying "que feo." There were a ton of people out!
  Proof that Katie & I went to el alumbrao. It was midnight on Monday, because the fair started on the 3rd.
  After watching el alumbrao, we went in search of a public caseta (tent). The public casetas are open to the general public but are usually really crowded & serve expensive food & drinks. The picture above shows a few Spaniards dancing the Sevillanas, the official dance of Fería. It's sorta like flamenco, but choreographed with a parter.
  The official drink of Fería is called a Rebujito, a combination of Manzanilla wine & 7 up.
  After hanging out in the public tent & watching the people dance Sevillanas, we headed out to the rides! We rode a giant ferris wheel for 4 euros (que caro!) At least we said we did it...
  
  Okay so that's a summery of what fería is like! Imagine 6 days of that...that's what will be happening until the 8th!
  Since fería is the same thing about every day, my friends Morgan, Katie & I decided to take a day trip to Ronda, a city about 2 hours away from Sevilla. When we first got there we were really confused because there was absolutely nothing to do/see. It's a tiny town. Then we walked a bit...and found the prettiest scenery ever!
  
  We spent a lot of time just looking out at the gorgeous view, hiking around a bit, until a torrential downpour occurred! Luckily we were able to hide under this arch thingy during the 20 minutes of rain.
  After walking through the rain we treated ourselves to some Ronda pastries! I can't remember what this was called, something almendras, but it was muy delicioso!
  
  So that's Ronda in a nutshell! I will be enjoying the rest of Fería until Sunday, & attempting to do school work somewhere in there too! Sending my love to you, xoxo B
- Semana Santa
  
  Apr 30, 11
  Hola & Happy Easter!!!
  
  After traveling to Palma de Mallorca & Lisbon for the first half of Semana Santa, I stayed at home for the rest of the break to catch the processions held in Sevilla. Unfortunately the weather was not too kind; only a handful of pasos (floats) were able to parade the streets. I later learned that rain hasn't affected Semana Santa this badly for about 150 years!! So of course I visit on the unusual year...haha.
  
  Here's my paso viewing group! On Saturday we went out to search for a paso...& were successful! We watched Jesus & Mary parade through the streets of Sevilla for an hour & were so proud of our success. We then decided to stay out & watch the other processions, which would have been 1 every hour from 4-9...but it started raining again :( & when I say rain, I really mean monsoon. We headed home, still happy that we were even able to see just one.
  My first paso: Jesus carrying the cross. This was a Saturday paso; the happier pasos showed on Easter day. The pasos are held up by 30-50 men (costaleros), who stand underneath the super heavy float and shuffle their feet around to make the paso sway. The floats are so heavy that the costaleros switch out every so often...sometimes the float parades around for 14 hours, so they have to take shifts! The costaleros wear head protection & wrap their stomachs tightly for support (so their insides don't rupture...does NOT sound like a good time).
  This is the Saturday paso of the Virgin Mary. In this paso she is sad & mourning for her son. The candles on this float made it absolutely stunning.
  Sunday (AKA Easter day): My friends & I woke up at 6AM to catch the last pasos of Semana Santa...I forgot how early 6AM was until then!!! But let me just say that I am SO happy I experienced the Easter pasos, they were sooo beautiful. Pictured above are Nazarenos, men & women completely covered in order to reflect their pure unity with God. This was the first year where women were allowed to participate as a Nazareno. If this outfit reminds you of the KKK, that's because the KKK was inspired by these capirotes (pointed hats) & hidden identity. WEIRD.
  The beautiful Virgin Mary with all the candles lit. I can't even imagine how heavy that float was.
  Jesus Christ, risen. Gorgeous.
  
  After catching the last pasos of Semana Santa, we decided to get some desperately needed café con leche & pastries. We then headed to mass at the Cathedral, which started at 10AM...& finished 2.5 hours later! The first 40 minutes of mass was just music; someone played the organs beautifully and then the Archbishop said mass in Spanish. All the music was in Latin. I'd never felt more Catholic. :)
  On Tuesday I went to my first bull fight! In Spanish it's called Corrida de Toros. 7 of us bought the 26 euro ticket (sitting in "sol alto," the cheap seats!) and soaked in all the culture. The older people watching the fight had their Sunday best on, & the crowd was NOT afraid to share their thoughts during the whole fight. They would boo or cheer or yell and it was so interesting to see. A group of older men (in their 70s) sat behind us & explained bits & pieces of the fight, which was very helpful.
  
  Turns out, I actually LOVED the corrida! Here's how it works: There are 3 rounds.
  Round one—5 men waved their cape at the bull in order to tire it out. There are men on horses (picadores) that parade the ring, poking the bull if it gets too close to the men with capes.
  Round 2—3 men, banderilleros, place 2 banderillas (sharp barbed sticks) each into the bull. Again, this is in order to aggravate & tire the bull out.
  Round 3—the torero (called matador only after he has killed the bull) enters the ring alone with a small red cape & a sword. It his his job to kill the bull.
  
  Describing what happens in an actual bullfight is just not sufficient or fair enough to depict my experience. Although there was a lot of blood, the whole fight was beautiful, I couldn't take my eyes off of the toreros. They move so beautifully & seem so daring & confident when facing the bull. The bullfight is suppose to depict how man can conquer animal; I'm so glad I didn't chicken out & bail on the fight! I do have to admit that I had to close my eyes or turn away when the bull was killed, but everything before that was great.
  
  This week: IT'S FERIA!!! Which means fiesta, fiesta, fiesta. We don't have classes this week, so Katie & I are catching up on some homework & making a day-trip to Ronda & Cádiz this week. & I may or may not be going to Portugal next weekend...3rd time's a charm?! haha
  
  HASTA LUEGO. xoxo B
- Lisbon, Sintra, & Belém: some more of Portugal
  
  Apr 22, 11
  I'm back from Portugal, did you miss me?!
  
  My trip to Portugal was the most spontaneous, short vacation yet with the longest travel time yet—7 hours on a bus sure does make your bum fall asleep & give you the craziest cricks in your neck. & although the travel was a bit nuts, Portugal in general was so relaxing & beautiful.
  
  My bus for Lisbon, Portugal was scheduled to leave Tuesday at 11:59PM, putting me in Lisbon at 5:30AM. The bus was 30 minutes late though so I got to Portugal at 6AM, grabbed a taxi, & headed to my hostel, Oasis Backpacker's Hostel. My old taxi driver decided it would be a good idea to drop me off somewhere other than my hostel though, so 30 minutes later + a phone call to my friend Lizzie I finally arrived & crashed on the comfy hostel couch until 10AM.
  
  Wednesday: We headed off to Sintra, a suburb about 30 minutes away from the Lisbon center. As soon as we walked off our train we saw a Pizza Hut...& I don't even think I could describe our excitement. We stuffed ourselves with a delicious pepperoni pizza & a cookie dough cake thingy & then set off to explore Sintra with our happy bellies.
  Meet my travel partners: Bryce, Lizzie, & Emily! Lizzie is friends with my friend Anna (my college roommate for freshman & sophomore year), Bryce is Lizzie's friend & we happened to all meet while visiting Morocco! What a small world. Emily is Lizzie's roommate & she is from the UK. I decided to hop on their trip to Lisbon last minute, best decision ever :)
  We hiked up the Caselo dos Mouros in Sintra...& just about died. The hike was ridiculously long, & no exaggerating I'm pretty sure I could feel the air thinning out with each breath I took! We were so proud to have made it all the way up top & spent a good 40 minutes just looking at the amazing view of Sintra & part of Lisbon.
  Back in Lisbon: The 25 de Abril Bridge made us feel like we were visiting San Francisco! It looks just like the Golden Gate Bridge, & the hilly roads in Lisbon did not help at all. Right next to the bridge is the Cristo-Rei, a replica of the monument found in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. So many mixture of cultures.
  This is a picture of Tram 28, one of Lisbon's most iconic items. The trams take you up & down the hilly city, but I think they are more cute than functional. I didn't take the tram but thoroughly enjoyed photographing it!
  We visited Belém during day 2. Belém, Portuguese for Bethlehem, was a 10 minute train ride away from our hostel & another cutesy suburb of Lisbon. Here's a picture of us in front of the Belém fountain, located right in front of the Jerónimos Monastery.
  We then ventured into a Modern Arts museum...it was interesting! Here's a thumb, so artsy.
  After the museum we all needed a bit pick-me-up (we were all running on minimal sleep after that long bus ride). We got some famous pastries of Belém & then hit up Starbucks...can you say Americans at heart? haha.
  Next site to see: the Belém Tower. The weather was kinda grody, but the tower was great. We decided not to pay the 5 euro entrance fee, & just enjoyed the outside view instead.
  & then we found McDonalds...I've never eaten so much American food in such a short amount of time. After reminiscing about how much we loved the 2 for $1 apple pies at MD, we decided to go for it & indulged in the yumminess. No regrets.
  Last stop in Lisbon: The Rua Augusta Arch, which is located in a plaza very similar to Plaza Mayor in Madrid! It's cool to see that even though each city I've visited is different they all share some similar characteristics.
  
  We wrapped up the trip at the bus station in Lisbon, where Bryce & I read our matching book, Eat, Pray, Love. I just started it & have already fallen in love with the novel. We hopped on our bus to Sevilla & arrived at 4:30AM, where I speed-walked back to my casa & slept until about 1:30PM :)
  
  Lisbon is such a historical city & I wish I had researched more about it before visiting. It's one of the oldest cities in the world & was so relaxing & beautiful...I hope to return soon! I'm so thankful to have been able to travel with Lizzie, Bryce & Emily & hope to see them one more time before heading to the states (they are all studying abroad in Granada). Now what??
  Semana Santa has finally arrived in Sevilla! Unfortunately it has rained the WHOLE week...causing the pasos to be canceled. I'm praying that it will stop raining so that I can witness part of Semana Santa.
  I still have 2 papers to write that I have been procrastinating about for a while...time to git 'er done :/
  I only have 28 days left in Sevilla...where does the time go?! Leaving Sevilla will be the most bittersweet moment, ever. Anyone wanna pick this girl up from the airport May 21?!
  My camera is fixed!!!!!! El Corte Inglés called me Wednesday to let me know that I can pick it up on Monday, repairs free of charge. SO.HAPPY.
  I got an internship in Southlake! Unpaid, but an internship nonetheless. I'm not so excited to get back to real life full of work & responsibility, meh.
  I think I've updated yall on everything! I'm off to catch up on HW & sleep & Sevilla in general. I'm missing my family & friends from home this week but I know we will soon be reunited. Until then I will be soaking in as much of the study abroad experience as possible <3
  
  Sending my LOVE! -B
- Palma De Mallorca
  
  Apr 19, 11
  
  Hello Hello!
  
  I just got back from my first trip of my super long spring break—Palma de Mallorca! My University, la Universidad Pablo de Olavide, gave the students this week off because of Semana Santa, the holy week right before Easter. My friend Sara & I left for Palma on Thursday after class & returned Monday night. Palma is a Balearic island near Barcelona, so it was a bit chillier than Sevilla, but fun nonetheless!
  
  Day 1:Ready to go to Palma de Mallorca! Sara & I hopped onto our Ryanair flight around 8PM, arriving to the island at 10PM. We set off to find the hostel.
  
  We were suppose to stay at this hostel called Sol de Mallorca...but somehow ended up at Hotel Enchant??! When we arrived at Sol, they said they were overbooked so they took us to a nice hotel for the same price. This is the view from the hotel! What we didn't know: we chose to stay in German-ville! Who knew that Palma de Mallorca was the place for Germans to vacation? Not I! I'm pretty sure there were just about as many German signs as there were Spanish signs...if not, more. Culture shock. Good thing we had already booked a hostel for the last 2 nights within the city.
  
  Day 2: We found the beach & became beach bums for the majority of the weekend. Palma stayed in the 70s during the day...minus the clouds it was absolutely perfect!
  
  Sara & I found a fun place to dance for one of the nights, it was great to see the Palma nightlife!
  
  Day 3: After hitting up the beach Sara & I cleaned up a bit & found the cutest diner in the middle of nowhere. First glance at the Heinz ketchup bottle & we were sold to eat here. I had the greatest burger ever & ate pickles for the first time in 3 months, woah. I had to top it off with a chocolate milkshake of course!
  
  Did I mention we went to the beach? Ha. That was the majority of our Palma spring break trip.
  We wrapped up the trip at the Palma airport with Burger King & the Duty Free store. I forgot how awesome the BK Whopper was until a few days ago...now I'm hooked! Uh-oh. Anyway, the food was great & the company was even better!
  
  Our mini honeymoon to Palma de Mallorca was relaxing & fun, but I am very glad we were only there for 4 days...I guess I like exploring new cities more than bumming around on an island! Adjusting to no travel when I get back to the States in not going to be fun.
  
  My next trip: Lisbon, Portugal. I am taking a midnight bus that will put me in Lisbon around 7:30AM (yup, I will be on a bus for 7 hours). This was more of a spur-of-the-moment trip & I am so excited to get going again! Well, enough procrastination, time to get my Spanish Art History paper written before Portugal.
  
  XOXO B
- Lagos, Portugal
  
  Apr 11, 11
  Ei, eu sobrevivi ao fim do mundo! Translation from Portuguese to English: Hey guys, I survived the end of the world!
  
  I spent the past weekend in Lagos, Portugal, AKA the most beautiful place on earth. You think I'm exaggerating...but nope, this is a completely factual statement. If you are looking for a place to escape real life, go to Portugal. You won't regret it!! So...about the trip! I went with the travel company I intern for, DiscoverSevilla, so the whole trip was relatively easy since I didn't have to plan out any events for the day. Here's the weekend:
  
  Day 1: We left Sevilla for Portugal at 10AM, arriving in Lagos around 1..then go straight to the beach! After beach time, we head over to the "end of the world" to watch the sun fall of the face of the earth. Back in the olden ages, when the world was thought to be flat, Lagos was assumed to be the edge of the earth..cray cray.
  
  After watching the sun set, we ate some Portuguese dinner...which was NOT so great! I ordered tuna with onion sauce—wasn't really a fan! Day 2 of food was not so great either; I ordered a burger & they brought out 2 patties with an egg on top, no bun. So basically go to Portugal for the beach, not the food! haha.
  
  Day 2: Sangria Cruise around the Lagos cliffs! For 25€ & 2 hours, we explored the caves around the ocean...so beautiful! Sitting on the boat was so relaxing & the scenery was even better. I highly recommend this cruise if you go to Lagos!
  
  Day 3: We checked out a new beach! A few of my friends decided to surf so I took their action shots & just laid on the beach...nothing better than that!
  
  Lagos was by far the most relaxing & chill trip I have done during my study abroad time here. Other news?
  Only 3 more weeks of school! Why such little time? Semana Santa, the week before Easter, is huge in Sevilla, so we are given the whole week off. 2 weeks after Semana Santa we are given another week off of classes for Fería. I think that TCU should adopt this whole school calendar...
  I only have 39 more days here, sad day! The closer the date to fly home gets, the more I realize I have so much to see of this world. I don't want study abroad to end, ever.
  My friend Kristi sent me a package...over a month ago! It got stuck in Madrid & I have had to send in paperwork multiple times in order to receive it. Cross your fingers that it comes this week!!!
  Now off to study for my History of Spanish Art test, boo school. Don't worry parents, I'll ace it :) xoxo b
- Paris
  
  Apr 04, 11
  
  Bonjour mes amis!
  
  This past weekend I went to Paris, France (is this real life?) with my friends Katie & Kristen. One word to describe Paris: elegant. I don't know why, but for some reason this city just gives off a fancy vibe...maybe due to the ridiculously high prices everywhere? haha. Despite the fact that I am way too poor to experience Paris in its extreme glory, the trip was amazing! Here's my weekend in pictures:
  The metro was my life-savor this trip. Although most sites are within walking distance (30-45 minutes), the metro made seeing every monument so much more efficient. The frankenstein font was a little weird, though.
  There was some sort of puppy grooming place right next to our hotel, where the most adorable dogs frolicked in the front! I think we stood outside of the window for 10 minutes just watching the dogs run around and play. After a heavy debate about whether or not we should adopt a puppy at that moment, we decided it would be a bad idea, for mamá Inés' sake...
  After creepin on the puppies for a little while, Katie & I went on a pastry hunt! I went for the éclair, it was yum-O.
  Our first big stop after checking into the hotel: the LOVE wall! This blue wall has love written all over it in just about every language. I found the English version :) I Love You!
  Right next to the Love wall was the big white chapel on the hill. I don't know what it's called, some French name obvi, but it was pretty!
  After visiting the white church on the hill, we took some pictures of the view. My favorite: the Eiffel tower :) cliché, I know.
  Dinner: French onion soup, of course! Then some pizza...nom nom nom
  We wrapped the day up by visiting the Eiffel Tower at night, all lit up. We of course threw up the frogs too...GO FROGS.
  Day 2: what better way to start your morning than with a pastry & coffee? Please take note of how tiny that coffee is though...I'm missing my Texas-sized cups like crazy! As for the pastry, I'm not really sure what it was since I don't speak French & all—it had apricots in it though!
  Next: up the Eiffel Tower we go! For 11.80€ we could take the elevator all the way to the top top of the tower...when in Paris, right??!
  This is the view from halfway up the Eiffel. Paris is gorgeous!
  Me, Kristen & Katie halfway up the tower
  All the way up the Eiffel tower!!! It was super windy but the view was amazing. I had no clue Paris was so ginormous.
  What to do after going up the Eiffel? Picnic outside of the tower of course! We went to a grocery store & bought some sandwiches, salad, & fruit, sat outside & enjoyed the beautiful view. I think this was my favorite part of the whole trip.
  We decided to buy baguettes & have a bread fight in front of the Eiffel Tower just like Mary-Kate & Ashley in Passport to Paris(at 2 minutes & 12 seconds)...yes we are 20. SO.MUCH.FUN.
  After our bread fight we took the metro to the Notre Dame, a big Catholic Gothic cathedral. The inside of the church had amazing glass mosaics. Unfortunately my brand-spankin-new camera decided to take a tumble & stop working right after this picture :( Shout out to my friend Kathleen who let Katie & I borrow her mini camera for our Paris trip (which took the pictures below)
  Day 3: I visited the Arc de Triomphe! This arc is dedicated to those who fought & died for France in the French Revolutionary war. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier lies below the arc (from WWI).
  After the arc, I was able to meet up with my friend Ariel in the Louvre Museum. So funny story: the Louvre was free for everyone that day, so there was a HUGE line to get into the museum. I didn't think I was going to be able to see the Mona Lisa at all...until Ariel's Egyptian friend spoke to the security guard at the Louvre! The security guard, who was also Egyptian, discretely let us cut the 2-hour-long line...I still don't really understand how it all happened, but the result: me+ariel+mona, what could be better?!
  
  In order to show our appreciation to Ariel's Egyptian friend, we visited the whole Egyptian art section of the Louvre. Thanks Egyptian man for your help!!!
  
  So Paris=Success! I will have to return again, sometime in my life. Next up: LAGOS, PORTUGAL!!!
  
  xoxo, B
- Barcelona
  
  Mar 29, 11
  
  Hola amics (that means "hi friends!" in Catalan, the official language of Barcelona)!
  
  I visited Barcelona this past weekend, and I have to say that it was one of my favorite cities thus far :) Best way to describe the city? Sevilla on roids (roids=steroids abbreviated). Sevilla has the Guadalquivir river, Barcelona has the beach; Sevilla has the world's largest Cathedral, Barcelona has the Sagrada Familia; Sevilla has heladerías everywhere, Barcelona has legit gelato...I could go on & on! As much fun as I had in Barca, it was also one of my most stressful trips—I got to the city with no place to stay for the weekend! As you can see I'm still alive & well so the living situation was taken care of ASAP. Here's my weekend in pictures!
  Instead of flying to Barcelona I took the AVE train, which goes about 180 mph! Although the trip took 5 hours (a flight is 1.5 hours), the convenience highly overshadowed any lost time.
  Upon arriving to the big ol train station in Barca, I was reunited with my travel partners for the weekend, Sarah & Katie! We're so cute.
  We walked through the Boqueria off of La Rambla for some healthy snacks in the middle of the day—a giant container of strawberries only cost me 1.5€, talk about a great deal. Here's a picture of all the smoothies they sold.
  Highlight of the trip: La Sagrada Familia. Construction for this church began in 1882 & is predicted to be finished around 2026! The overall structure is enormous & beautiful, with so much detail that cannot really be captured in photos. Antonio Gaudí is credited for the majority of the building.
  Side 1: Stations of the cross. The crucifixion of Jesus is in the center, and above that is a statue of a golden Jesus, resurrected (not shown).
  Inside the Sagrada Familia: the ceiling. The columns are meant to look like trees, spreading with their "branches" in order to support the building.
  The glass mosaics were so beautiful!
  
  Side 2: The life of Jesus. Super ornate.
  When visiting the Gothic Quarter we stumbled upon some sort of dance thing...I'm still not sure what went down! Basically older couples started dancing in a circle together. We visited the area 30 minutes later only to see that more people joined in on the dancing & the circles started to combine!
  We visited the beach (Barceloneta)! It was kinda chilly but still really pretty. We ran into some people doing gymnastics on the playground, weird. They brought some straps & made their own strap bar on the jungle gym—talk about giving me a heart attack!
  
  Park Güell! This park, also designed by Antonio Gaudí, was outside of the city about 30 minutes by metro but gave such a great outlook of the Barcelona city. This is actually the last picture I was able to take in Barcelona because my camera soon peaced out a minute later :(
  
  Barcelona was an all-around success, & now I'm back in Sevilla working on some homework before my next trip...PARIS! I cannot believe that I am over halfway done with my study abroad experience in Spain, what a bittersweet feeling. I will definitely be taking full advantage of the next 50 days I have here in Europe :) Sending muchos abrazos y besos, B
- Morocco
  
  Mar 14, 12
  Hello! I apologize for the lack of blogging this past week, but I am now back to obscene amounts of travel once again so be expecting a lot more updates! This past weekend I was lucky enough to visit Morocco with DiscoverSevilla, where they planned to take us to 2 cities: ChefChauen & Tetouan. Here's a picture blog of the trip:
  
  First stop: Avenida de Portugal, the meeting point for our bus. The bus ride went from Sevilla-Cádiz-Tangier, where we would then ride a ferry into Morocco, & then finally bus to our Hotel. Total travel time: 7 hours!
  We arrived in Morocco around 8PM on friday. This is Katie & I's first official picture in Africa!!! Fresh off the ferry ride.
  First stop in Morocco: exchange euros into Dirhems, the official currency of many Arab nations. 10 Dirhems=1 Euro= .7 cents...you do the math!
  At around 10:30PM we arrived at Hotel Kabila, where we were greeted by some sort of band! It was pretty cool. After our spaghetti dinner we headed to our hotel room to sleep & prepare for our next day of exploring.
  Day 2--visit ChefChauen. The city was about 2 hours away from our hotel; you'd think this ride would be pretty miserable, especially after being on a bus the day before for 7 hours, but the Moroccan countryside was absolutely beautiful. I have never seen a greener landscape.
  10AM: Arrive in ChefChauen. First impressions: I have never seen so many men in my life. As I looked out of the bus window there were no women in sight, only men walking around or just sitting and staring at our giant, out-of-place travel bus. I immediately get called at by the men when I step out...what a weird experience.
  Walking around ChefChauen was really eye-opening as to how lucky & fortunate I am. The city is underdeveloped, with animals roaming the streets as they please. The city is really picturesque but it's shocking to see how behind ChefChauen is from the rest of the world (I guess I just compare to the states & Spain, but still).
  This is a prayer tower located in ChefChauen. 5x a day the prayer tower sings--you can see the big speakers located on the top of the building.
  This picture is the best representation of what the city looks like. All buildings are some sort of combination of white & blue. The blue represents the Jewish religion while while the white represents the Islamic faith. The town was beautiful itself, but the symbolism of the colors in unity made it even prettier.
  I'm Katie's video subject when it comes to narrating our travel experience, enjoy!
  This was the first Moroccan dish I ate...& I still don't know what it is! The top was a combination of brown & powdered sugar, while the inside was chicken soaked in green curry. All of it sat on top mint leaves--can you say weird combination?!
  After lunch we did our souvenir shopping! My first purchase was a scarf that could double as a a head wrap--hey, I wanted to fully experience the Moroccan culture! A nice lady wrapped my head; unfortunately we were not able to video the whole process because she did not have her husband's permission to be on camera.
  After getting my head wrapped the shop keeper convinced me to try on the traditional outfit. After struggling to get it over my head (I got some big shoulders!) I finally looked the part! The shop keeper was SO nice.
  Another narration, enjoy!
  Of course I had to teach the shop keeper the Waka Waka dance :) He was pretty legit.
  
  We headed back to our hotel after ChefChauen, ate dinner, & then were given the news that we COULD NOT visit Tetouan the next day because there were rumors of a protest that day, around noon. In order to be safe, we needed to LEAVE Morocco before 12 noon. We made the best of our Saturday night in the hotel & headed to bed, ready for an early morning of packing & quickly touring the other sites before having to "evacuate."
  Day 3: Visit to the caves of Hercules! This is inside the cave--the cut out looks like Africa! Other than that, I'm not sure what the significance of the caves is...
  
  After the caves, we quickly bused over to the camel-riding site. I'm not gonna lie, I signed up to go to Morocco solely to ride a camel, so of course I was super excited for this last part of the trip! Katie & I rode the camel together. The picture on the left is the original (a man pulled the camel while a kid made sure the came kept moving with his stick :[ ) but I decided to put my Photoshop skills to use & edit out these people (shown on the right)! In all reality, we would never be allowed to ride a camel solo, but shhhhh....
  Katie & I "evacuating" Africa! We rushed to the ferry in order to be out of Morocco before the scheduled protest at noon. Don't worry, we made it okay, but were slightly upset that we were unable to see Tetouan. My Fez hat is another one of my souvenirs!
  
  I am so blessed to have been able to visit Morocco and loved every second of the trip. Although I had fun, I don't think I will be visiting Africa again anytime soon...haha. What else is new in mi vida??
  Midterms are OVER!!! So far, I've gotten all A's :) I have a 5 page paper to write for my Spanish Art History class (in English) & a 12 page paper to write for my Spanish Culture & Civilization class (in Spanish). Pray for me! haha
  It's finally spring in Sevilla! The weather is amazing.
  I had 2 friends visit Sevilla this past week! It was great to catch up with both D'Ann & Veronica & show them some parts of my new home.
  My travel plans are getting outta control! But don't worry parents, school is FIRST! My following weekend travels: Barcelona, Spain; Paris, France; Lagos, Portugal; Palma de Mallorca, Spain. I am SO excited!!!
  I may or may not be going to an Enrique Iglesias concert in Paris... :D
  Well enough about me! It's dinner time so I'm off to eat some yummies. I send my love!!!
  I selected this post to be featured on Study Abroad Blogs. Please visit the site and vote for my blog!
- A Series of Unfortunate Events
  
  Mar 26, 12
  Hi guys!
  Since I've had 3 weeks of no travel (2 weekends), I've been hanging out in Sevilla & appreciating the city more & more. Although I am realizing how much I love Sevilla, I have had a series of unfortunate events hit me :( (kinda like the book!) so here they are (I apologize for the emo-ness of this post):
  I was suppose to take a 6-day trip to the Sahara Desert, but the trip was canceled! Because of all the protests in Egypt & Libya, many students have been pulling out of this Morocco trip...since not enough students are signed up to go, the company canceled the trip! I was most excited about riding a camel in the Sahara-looks like that's not going to happen anymore :(
  My parents were suppose to visit me this month but had to cancel the trip last minute. 1st off: I'm sad I won't be able to see my parents until June. 2nd off: we had coordinated travel plans for Barcelona & Paris...now I am traveling to those cities by myself. I'm hoping for friends to join me on these trips, but nothing is set in stone at the moment. I'm not really looking forward to traveling to these big cities well-known for pick-pocketing alone, especially as a girl alone, so pray that something works out!
  I caught some weird cold that includes sneezing, coughing, & a sore throat...oh & both of my eyes are bloodshot! I have no idea why, they are extremely dry, but after a quick stop at la farmacia today I'm hoping the meds they gave me will cure all.
  My friend Kristi sent me a package...that is now stuck in Madrid at customs. Hoping it makes its way to Sevilla soon.
  Did I mention that it's midterms week? I have 2 midterms on Tuesday. Fun stuff.
  Okay so those are the current issues. Rewinding to last week:
  My internship gave me a free trip to the carnival in Cádiz, a city about 1 hour away from Sevilla. Basically everyone roams the streets in costumes at carnaval; it was really cool to see all the costumes and the craziness of carnaval, especially since it was all free! Here are some pictures:
  
  Praying that things go up from here. My friend D'Ann will be in Sevilla on Tuesday & I cannot wait to see her. I will update after her visit. Until then-hasta luego!!!
- Italia: Florence & Rome
  
  Feb 28, 11
  
  The best word I can use to describe my visit to Italy: SURREAL. After looking at all my pictures from the trip I am finally realizing how much I saw & experienced these past 6 days. Because of this, my post will be mostly photos with descriptions!
  
  My first stop: Florence! I stayed at my friend Veronica's apartment & did some sightseeing in the city.
  The church in Florence is gorgeous. Not as big as the Sevilla Catedral, but amazingly beautiful on the outside.
  I definitely got my fill of gelato! For 3 euros I got a massive amount of coffee & chocolate flavored gelato, yummmm!
  I saw the real life version of the David, a piece by Michelangelo, in Florence! The picture below is an imitation of the actual statue. The real statue is HUGE. The proportions are completely off as well; his torso is smaller than the 1/2 the length of his leg & his hands are ginormous!
  See all the locks below? This is right by the river in Florence. Couples write their names on the lock and throw the key into the river, symbolizing their never-ending love for one another. Sevilla has a few locks along the Guadalquivir river, but nothing like Florence!
  Carousel ride in Florence! It was short but very fun :)
  I had the best tiramisu in Florence. I can actually only compare it to that at Olive Garden, haha, but still it was so great. Italian food is mi favorito!
  Veronica & I climbed all the way to the top of el Duomo in Florence, which contained many treacherous, almost vertical staircases. Despite the scary & painful journey up the Cathedral (we had to stop 2 times to catch our breath), the view was amazing. I have way too many pictures from up top, it was breathtaking.
  Our first stop in Rome: The Coliseum! It's so ironic to see such an old huge building with cars parked around it.
  I ran into my neighbor Erin from Southlake at the Coliseum! Turns out she is studying abroad in Rome...can you say SMALL WORLD?
  After running into Erin, Veronica & I ran into Jake & David! They are both studying abroad in Sevilla with me, but I didn't know they'd be in Rome too! I guess the Coliseum just brings people together??
  Me in front of the Coliseum. Look at how photogenic it is!!!!
  One of my favorite parts of the trip: the Trevi Fountain! The recommended way to throw a coin into the fountain is over the shoulder with your back facing the water. Legend has it that if you toss a coin into the fountain you will return to Rome...so Rome, see you in another time?
  Veronica & I in front of the fountain. It's so beautiful.
  The best 5 euros spent. & yes, I did eat all of that cheese & onion pizza, it was delicious!
  Spain has steps in Rome! These Spanish steps are a popular hang out spot, I'm not really sure why. Did you know that Spagna is Italian for Spanish?
  I got the greatest crepe in Rome, filled with Nutella & powdered sugar. I could barely eat half of it, but it was so delicious. For some reason the people at this restaurant thought I was from Whales (British), but as soon as I spoke they quickly took that back. They were big fans of the Dallas Stars hockey team, randoooo
  THE VATICAN. HIGHLIGHT OF MY ROMAN EXCURSION. SO AMAZING.
  The Vatican has a post office, so of course it was necessary to send my postcards from the city! Parents & Guillermo, enjoy your holy mail.
  The Vatican is surrounded by Swiss guards, who wear kinda silly uniforms but are no laughing matter. Don't know who the swiss guards are? Yeah, I didn't either until Veronica informed me! Some requirements to apply: be a Swiss citizen, Roman Catholic, 174 cm tall, & not married! We weren't allowed to take pictures with them, so this is me awkwardly standing in front of the guards.
  Veronica & I rented these cart thingies in the Borghese Gardens...SO MUCH FUN. See video below.
  Many many monks & nuns all over Rome! I'm sad that this is the best picture I got of them, but they were everywhere. Their outfits are so flowy!
  Entrance into the Vatican Museum, which leads to the Sistine Chapel! We went on Sunday, & the museum ended up being free that day. The line to enter wrapped around the walls of the Vatican City, but the wait was well worth it.
  The grand finale: WE SAW THE POPE! This is the crowd of people waiting to hear the pope.
  THE POPE!!! He stood by the window & said a prayer in about 7 different languages. He was hooked up to a speaker, so everything he said was very clear. He then said a Hail Mary in Latin. SURREAL.
  Veronica & I with the Pope in the background! We officially have 2 pictures with the Pope, so cool.
  Here's a video of the crowd when the Pope spoke. You can hear him in the background. Rome could not have ended on a higher note!
  After seeing the Pope Veronica & I parted ways at the Metro. I had to take the Metro & then another bus to get to the airport, but since I don't know any Italian I was really confused/stressed because I didn't know where to go. This lady named Constanica read my face & literally held my hand to the bus station. When we saw the bus wasn't coming for another 40 minutes, she got a taxi & rode halfway to the airport with me. We exchanged phone numbers, kisses & then I'm pretty sure she told the taxi driver to watch after me. I guess I'm the epitome of a sad confused American tourist when it comes to traveling, as I got so much help to & from Italy from the natives. EMBARRASSING. Much thanks to God for surrounding me with such kind people & letting me have an amazing experience in both Florence & Rome.
  
  I cannot believe Italy was my 5th weekend trip in a row (Itálica, Córdoba, Granada, Madrid, & Italy). Needless to say I am exhausted & will be spending my next 2 weeks in Sevilla :) Time to get caught up on studying, essays, my internship & the city itself!!!
  
  There's a place in Rome called Gipsy Travel, like my blog. What are the odds. hahaha Italy, you were very good to me.
- Journey to Firenze
  
  Feb 23, 11
  
  I saluti da Italia! (I'm hoping that says greetings from Italy)
  
  I am finally in Florence, Italy, reunited with my friend Veronica. My journey here was absolutely ridiculous & deserves an individual blog post, so here it is! Let me just start off my saying that it is never smart to make your first trip in a foreign country to a place where you don't know the language...ie Italy.
  
  My flight to Pisa, Italy departed at 4:55PM and class always ends at 1:20PM...but did I mention that the distance from school to home is about 30 minutes, on a good day?? So right after class ended I sprinted to the Metro, rode the Metro for 20 minutes, & arrived home at 1:50PM. I quickly exchanged my book bag for my travel backpack, grabbed my bocadillo, said my goodbye to Mamá Inés, & ran out the door.
  
  I decided to take the bus to the airport because it only cost 2.40€, which is much better than the 28€ taxi ride I had when I arrived! The bus comes every 30 minutes, so the next pick up time was at 2:15PM. I made it to the stop with 5 minutes to spare! I allotted 40 minutes for the ride in my time crunch, but we made it to the airport in 30! Things were going too well...
  
  I got to the airport & checked in at the VISA station at the front. I purchased my tickets with a company called Ryanair, known for being slightly sketch but very cheap. They have a strict bag carry-on policy; if your carry-on is not the right size they have the right to not even let you take it on the plane! After security I went to search for the gate for my flight to Pisa...it was not posted until 10 minutes before boarding time. RIDICULOUS. But I got to the right gate asap. I noticed my backpack was waaaay too fat, for Ryanair standards, but was somehow able to run past the bag-checking people & hopped on the plane.
  
  During my rocky 2.5 hour flight I realized that I left my Spanish cell phone in Sevilla. Normally this wouldn't be a big problem, but I was supposed to call Veronica as soon as I got to Florence so that she could come find me. With no phone, & her number in one of my Facebook messages, I realized I would be alone in Italy for a while.
  
  My plane landed & I went off to search for the train that goes from Pisa to Florence. I think I had a bigger culture shock landing in Italy than I did when I landed in Spain! All the signs were in Italian, of course, but for some reason I was just not expecting to be so clueless. I felt like the true American tourist when I had to ask people at the small shops if they spoke English & also ask where I could catch the train. I figured out that I needed to buy my a ticket from this machine outside, but had no idea what train to board. Once again, I had to ask for help. These two girls in their 20s told me to follow them, & one of them, Constancia, was even going to Florence! Constancia was from Sevilla & she spoke Spanish & Italian. When talking to her she would accidentally switch from Spanish to Italian without noticing, ahhh!
  
  I had to take 2 separate trains to get to Florence, & it took about 1.5 hours total. But I still had a dilemma: how the heck was I going to tell Veronica that I had arrived in Florence?! My new friend Constancia & I arrived in Fienze SMN, where her boyfriend Matteo came to pick her up. She felt bad that I was stranded in Florence, so she convinced Matteo to take us to an internet café so that I could look up Veronica's phone number.
  
  With the number I needed, our next stop was to a pay phone! I called Veronica to let her know that I was in Florence & we agreed to meet in the big plaza with benches in front of the church...turns out there are a lot of those in Florence. After waiting at the wrong plaza, I called Veronica again & we finally met up! Constancia & Matteo stayed with me this WHOLE time & were such great help. If it were not for them, I have no clue where I'd be right now. They were definitely my angels of the trip, not even joking.
  So here I am, in Firenze (Florence), & I am sooo excited to start venturing around. Until my next update, ciao!!!!!!!
- Madrid/Segovia
  
  Feb 21, 11
  My weekend in Madrid has been the craziest one yet! Not only did I fit most of the major sightseeing in a weekend, I also took a small day-trip to Segovia, a tiny city 30 minutes north of Madrid. Here's a lowdown of my weekend:
  My roommate Katie & I took a bus to Madrid—it was only 35€ roundtrip, so much cheaper than flying! The 6+ ride was not so fun but, once again, the gorgeous Spanish countryside made up for the uncomfortable ride.
  We were lucky enough to have our friend Ardena help us out ALL weekend in Madrid, from housing to public transportation to sightseeing. Because she's grown up in the area, she helped us do everything as efficient as possible; there would have been NO way to finish it all without her help!
  Our first visit in Madrid was to El Palacio Real, the official residence of King Juan Carlos I & family. Although they don't really live there, the palace is used for important meetings & ceremonies. The architecture & design inside the building were breathtaking, but pictures were not allowed.
  There were soldiers dressed in camouflage & holding huge guns outside of various buildings in Madrid. I thought this was so odd so I took a picture of them (see below) & then proceeded to get yelled at by the men. Let me tell you something, there is nothing scarier than getting yelled at in Spanish by a guy holding a ridiculously huge gun!
  We visited El Parque de Retiro, a beautiful park in Madrid comparable to Central Park in NYC. After our picnic in the park we decided to rent out a small boat to row & turned out to be one of my favorite activities in Madrid :) I cannot wait for Sevilla to warm up a bit so I can kayak down the Guadalquivir river!
  At 6PM we started our museum visits since free admission was during the end of the day. First stop: Museo del Prado! This museum was very old-school, with lots of religious artwork & portraits of old people...still impressive! We then visited La Reina Sofia, which holds the famous Guernica by Picasso. This modern art museum was realllly cool—the pieces make you think. I LOVED seeing the early advertisements used during the Spanish Civil war. It's so interesting to see the evolution of art & advertising.
  On Saturday Katie & I took the Renfe train to Segovia, a city known for a giant Roman Aqueduct. By some miracle the Romans built the whole aqueduct solely with stones—no cement or adhesive in between the stones!
  We toured the Castle of Segovia (Alcazar) & it has been my favorite castle yet. Most of the items inside have been preserved, even the royal bedchamber! The view from the top of the tower was so beautiful. The castle was home of Queen Isabel before she married Ferdinand.
  I finally got my fix of chocolate & churros, for the high price of 3.50€...definitely worth every euro :)
  Katie & I decided to cheap out on lunch by buying our own bread, meat, & cheese from a grocery store in Segovia. After finishing our food, I still had an obscene amount of cheese leftover! I decided to give it to someone in need of food instead of just throwing it away...see video below for full story (the audio is slightly off, but you will get the picture). Weirdest thing EVER. hahaha
  I got the sweetest fanny pack (riñonera) during my visit to the Madrid market, El Rastro, Sunday morning. El rastro is basically a giant flee market on the streets of Madrid, with everything from clothes to electronics. The side streets hold vintage & antique items, like purses & home furniture, and made me excited to put my knowledge from HGTV to use when I finally have a place of my own. The shops definitely validated the phrase "one person's junk is another person's treasure."
  I am home for the day & then off to Italy tomorrow! The agenda for today: finish my tarea, run some last minute errands, & pack before my flight. Until next time, hasta la próxima, alla prossima!!!
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A prize we are giving away to a student today. I think it's creepy, but I hope 10 year-old boys think otherwise...