My Last E-Mail Update!

Below is my last e-mail update about my trip for those of you who aren't on the list!



Greetings From MN!

I am home! I can’t believe how fast time flies! The last time I e-mailed I was in Portugal. I know that most of you also read my blog so I will summarize and try not to bore you! Since Portugal, I traveled back to Spain via Seville. I enjoyed my time in the city exploring. I walked for six hours straight taking side streets and looking at all the beautiful sights. I have to say my favorite activity in Seville though was sitting by the pool and relaxing! I was exhausted from my travels so far and HOT as it was over 100 degrees. From Seville, we went to Cordoba, the city that housed the Jewish, Muslim, and Christians all at once. We visited the Mosque Cathedral (a Mosque until the time of the Spanish Inquisition when it became a cathedral then back to a Mosque) It is the third largest Mosque and I have to say out of all the many church buildings we visited the most impressive! From Cordoba I went back to Madrid, toured more of the city and then took a side trip into Toledo. Toledo was by far my favorite city! I don’t know what it was, but I adored it!

From Toledo I went back to Madrid to begin my crazy journey home. My journey home started at 2:30 a.m. I left the hotel at 3:15, took about 2 hours in the airport to clear the ticket and baggage counter as well as security (REDICULIOUS), did like 4 Sudoku puzzles at 5:30 in the morning (impressive that I can even think then) and boarded my plane at 6. I then took a 2.5 hour plane to Amsterdam, had a five hour lay-over which I wrote postcards to my 1st graders and cleared passport control and security, took a 9 hour flight (really 10 with the plane delay) back to MN, drove an hour home, showered so I would feel human again, jumped in my car, drove to my 10 year class reunion and fell into bed exhausted sometime around midnight after over 30 hours of no sleep!

Today I am feeling a bit like a zombie. I was up by 6:30 because of jet lag, went to church and helped my aunt move all day. I am hopeful for a bit more sleep tonight (although it is 11 and I am wide awake) and will hopefully be functioning better tomorrow!

I think that about sums everything up! Being a collector of quotes and sayings, I always like to try and find a quote to sum up my travels. The following quote I think is most appropriate for two reasons. 1) I was in Spain and it is a Spanish quote and 2) every morning in Valdelavilla the sun would shine in my window and I would wake up to the sun and cuckoo bird knowing a new day was starting. The quote goes something like this… “El sol se levantará mañana y quién sabe lo que traerá la marea” Translation: The sun will rise tomorrow and who knows what will bring the tide. When I go on a trip, I never know what adventure, scene, weather, hold-up, danger, or person the next day will reveal to me. However, each day it is always something or someone exciting, inspiring, and sometimes challenging that makes the trip amazing!

Thanks for following my journey through Spain and Portugal….for all your well wishes and prayers! I am so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people! I have attached some pictures of my favorite stops for you to enjoy! The code can be found below!

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Sharon

Interesting and Amazing People

This is a random post, but I have to just say, I have met the most interesting and amazing people the last two and a half weeks... some of them include:

• A 86 year old gramdma traveling with her granddaughter
• Two Serbian refugees who have lived through incredible things
• Two Iranian college students who have shared what life is like living in American and being from Iran...especially with the latest turn of events
• An Obama crazed man from India who does nothing but talk about or refer to him like they are best friends... STRANGE I know!
• A Spanish Business Tycoon who wants to be the first women CEO of her company and is well on her way
• A documentary maker who works on broadway shows and other TV talk shows
• A lawyer who quit her job to become a college professor at Oxford
• A freelance travel writer for magazines all over the world who is fluent in SIX languages!

I have also made friends with pilots, teachers, actors, doctors, professors, paramedics, company presidents, dancers, travelers, retirees, marketing directors, engineers, and so many more interesting people! I have had great company on my journey and am humbled by all the amazing life stories people have shared with me the last couple weeks. They have made my travels even more special!! Safe travels to all of them as they continue on their ways!

Apparently I Look Spanish....

Well, I have been busy since the last time I updated from Portugal. On Tuesday I left Portugal for Seville Spain. We drove through the Alentejo countryside where cork is made, then crossed into Spain near the Andalusia mountains. It was so beautiful. We then stopped in Seville where I enjoyed an evening of Flamenco. IT WAS AMAZING! Especially the men! I can´t even explain it!

My second day in Seville, I walked for about six hours enjoying the city before heading back to the hotel for siesta. It was really hot so I swam in the pool, laid in the sun, then enjoyed my book poolside until taking a nap and heading to dinner. Apparently I look Spanish because while I was out walking around four people came up and asked me directions in Spanish... I laughed and answered them in English... then they laughed.... It happened again today. My tour guide said it is because I look native to this area...especially the Cordoba area where we were today. I got stopped with him and someone asked me directions! CRAZY! At least I understand their Spanish because they speak slow like me!

Today we left Seville and headed to Cordoba on our way to Madrid. Cordoba is unique because it is Spain´s most Morrish city with an INCREDIBLE mosque. It is the third largest mosque in the world and it is breaktaking. In 1236 this mosque turned into a Catholic cathedral. We also visited the Jewish quarter. It was interesting to see how the three religions lived together and how they interesected. After leaving Cordoba we went through LaMancha which is famous for its castles and windmills. Then this evening I went for dinner and enjoyed some tapas and other traditional Spanish foods before stopping for a rest in the main square of Madrid.

Tomorrow is my last day touring before getting ready to go home. I will be going to Toledo for the morning then returning to Madrid for some sightseeing. I have had a great time, but am ready for my bed and some normal sleeping hours. I have been switching time zones, staying up late, taking a siesta, and having horrible sleep because of all this craziness! I will be glad for my cozy bed! Next time you hear from me I will probably be home! See you all soon!

Man It´s A Hot One

Today I said good-bye to Portugal (A very beautiful country) and am back in Spain. It´s hot out today! Over 98 degrees! I am going to head to dinner in about five minutes and then I am going out to a Flamanco show. I am very excited! I will be here in Seville for 2 days before heading off to Cordoba and then Madrid. I am hoping for cooler weather the next few days. I am excited for the roof-top pool and will take advantage of that during siesta time!

Nothing else is really new! I have crossed time zones three times in the past two and a half weeks so am feeling a little out of sorts today. It is finally starting to catch up with me! At least I got a good hour and a half siesta today. I needed it. Especially since I am going to see a show tonight.

Hope that everyone is well! Talk to you all soon!!!

Boa Notte from Portugal!

Sorry no computer lately... here is my lastest e-mail copy!
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Hola! Forgive my errors... the keyboard in Portugal is a nightmare!

I cannot believe that my time in Valdelavilla is over! I have had the best time working with the Spaniards this past week. One Anglo put it well... we were in Summer Camp for adults! A Spainard put it even better... I canºt believe we arrived as strangers because today I feel like we have been friends for a long while!

I canºt really put into words how much I gained this week from the English Imersion Program, but it was a blast. Here are my top 10 for this week

1. Meeting 17 amazing Spainards and 21 amazing Anglos. We had a great time talking and laughing this week! I especially enjoyed playing taboo with the Spaniards!

2. My best one-on-one was climbing to the top of the road (mountain) with my new friend Alberto and having the best conversation of the week. The view was amazing, the company even better!

3. Making my singing debut in Spain... I sang I Hope You Had The Time Of Your Life while another Anglo Laurie played the guitar. You could hear a pin drop. I have never experienced such an attentative audience!

4. Taking a siesta each day... need I say more. The Spainards stay up SO late so I needed a nap each night... see number 7

5. Watching the stars while living in the mountains. It feels like you can reach up and touch them. I got some astrology lessons and saw 6 shooting stars! AMAZING!

6. Living with two amazing women in my flat. We had a GRAND time together laughing!

7. Laughing and singing drinking songs until all hours of the morning... good thing I have been to Ireland. I knew all the words!

8. Learning how to make paella and eating traditional Spainsh foods... DELICIOUS

9. Discussing crazy and interesting topics. Some of my favorite were when I learned about the customs and traditions of Spain as well as religions, government, families and so much more!
10. Greeting the incoming group and wishing them well because I knew if their week was half as good as ours they would be greatly pleased!

Since I have said goodbye to Valdelavilla, I have traveled to the top of Spain from Madrid. I am now in Portugal. I have spent time in Avila, Salamanca, Coimbra, Fatima, Obidos, and now am in Lisbon. Tonight I attended and AMAZING dinner and got to experience the traditional Fado... famous Portuguese music. It was hauntingly beautiful. The other highlight of my day was attending a mass (catholic... I know... but at least I went to church) in Fatimaºs square with thousands of other people. It was hot, but beautiful. The singing gave me goosebumps and you could here the mass broadcast across the whole town. I especially liked the singing of the prayers of the Angel. BEAUTIFUL!

Well, I think that is it for now. My internet is expensive and limited. I will be in Lisbon for a few days before heading to Sevilla Spain which I have heard is 40-42 degrees Celcius. It was 39 today. HOT HOT HOT! I AM MELTING. At least the air works in this hotel! It didnºt last night. At least we should have a pool in Sevilla. Anyways, that is about it!

For those of you who like, please say a prayer for all the volunteer teachers this week who are traveling on. I pray for safe journeys for them!

Happy father,s day and good night!

Happy, but hot in Lisbon,

Sharon

Random Thoughts....

Well, it is day 7 and things are still going well. I have had the most random conversations. Some of the highlights of the last two days have been sitting in on some mock conference calls and watching presentations this morning. The presentations this morning were so great! I can´t believe how much progress the Spaniards are making in their fluency and expressions! It has been wonderful to witness!

Nothing much is new... añthough my legs have recovered from our hike up the mountain I am still cursing the stairs around here. They are uneven, high, and slippery. It kind of reminds me of walking up the Balarney Castle but not as narrow. It wouldn´t be so bad but when you are concentrating on the stairs, you kind of forget about watching your head!

Some things I have learned this week:

• The Spaniards are not the difficult ones to understand... it´s the Scottish
• Be careful of leaving your window open... falling asleep to drinking songs at 2:30 in the morning can be quite difficult... but somewhat entertaining
• Don´t forget to sleep during the sietsta... it will be a long evening otherwise
• Watch your head everywhere you go
• The Spanish have lots of rhythm
• It is important to correct speaking errors for example Asses is not the same as Aces...
• Be careful that you don´t talk about doing things with your ¨girlfriends¨ or people may think you have an älternative¨ lifestyle
• Shooting stars are incredible...the higher up you are the more spectacular they seem
• There are bugs as long as your fingers and they can be quite scary!

Well, I got to go... I have another one-on-one soon and there is only one computer! Have a fantastic day!

Chatting In Valdelavilla

Well, it is day 3 in Valdelavilla and everything is going great! The first day here I felt pretty sick. I think it was from all the traveling, lack of sleep, and food combination. Luckily the sick feeling only lasted a day and by our second day here I was back to my normal self! I have already met some amazing people! Yesterday was our first full day with lots of talking, one-on-one sessions, and ice breakers. I also presented fold and cut stories yesterday evening before dinner! They were a HUGE hit!

Today I had a few more one-on-one sessions where I sit and just chat with a different Spaniard. We talk about everything and nothing at all! If we are ambitious, we walk and talk. I have walked up the mountain twice now. It is a hard hike when you are talking and not used to the altitude! However, the walk is very beautiful. If only it was a bit cooler. Yesterday was very hot even for the Spaniards. We were all melting! Last night there was some rain so that helped to cool things off today.

Valdelavilla is located in a valley. It has been a village since the 16th Century. It is old, but charming! The only thing that is kind of inconvienent is my height. I have hit my head to the point of seeing stars at least three times... you think I would have learned by now! The living quarters are very nice and I am in a top floor flat. The stairs are very dangerous, but the rooms are very quaint. I am a little concerned about the screaming animal that lives on a roof nearby as well as the cucko bird that likes to make noise. It makes me a little nervous to open my window which is the only source of air.

The Spanish lifestyle is a little different than I am used to, but tonight I may be feeling rested enough to stay up until 1:30ish...which is early before heading to bed. Well, the internet is slow and there is only one computer so I will post more as I can! As for me, I am off for a two-on-two chat with some new friends! Have a great day!

I´m Melting In Madrid!

Well I have arrived... after traveling for over 17 hours with no sleep I have found my hotel. I sat next to the nicest old lady on my way to Amsterdam. She was traveling with her two daughters and two granddaughters for a trip to Scotland! We had a great time chatting and in between, I ended up watching three movies... I love on demand when you fly! I ended up catching up with Gran Torino, Slumdog Millionaire, and He´s Just Not That Into You. Three entertaining movies for the 8 plus hour ride. Upon arrival to Amsterdam it was 6:00 a.m. and NOTHING was open. It was pretty dull. I love the Amsterdam airport, but forgot how difficult it is to catch a snooze there! After a 6 hour layover and still no sleep I caught my plane to Madrid. I got about 40 minutes of shut eye since I had no one sitting next to me. The plane was less than half full so we could all spral out! It was SO nice! The 40 minutes should be enough to last me for the next three hours so I don´t fall asleep to early. I know how that game works... if I do that I wake up at like 3:00 and am off schedule for like a week! After a twenty minute taxi ride I found my hotel after wandering around aimlessly due to road construction. Thank goodness for the kind Spanish people! It is amazing how fast my Español is coming back... it is even more exciting that people can understand me! I was a little worried that maybe Hungarian had taken over my brain where Spanish used to be. Thank goodness they are both still there! The only thing that could make this day a little better is some cooler weather. It is HOT! Tomorrow I meet my group at 10:00 and we will be off to the highlands of Soria! It should definately be cooler there! I will post again when I can! Sorry for the ramblings... When I haven´t slept for a long time I tend to go on and on! Happy Thursday!

Four Days And Counting...

Four days and I will be landing in Spain! For my first leg of the journey I will be working with an organization called Pueblo Ingles. We will be living in Valdelavilla which is located about four hours north of Madrid in the highlands of Soria. I am told the village has a “rustic” feel to it… When I hear that word I get a little nervous! At first I had visions of chicken coops, outhouses, flies and outdoor “solar” heated showers…after looking at the pictures, I was assured that rustic in this sense means stone-walled houses and cobblestone streets.

Our schedule while we are working is jammed packed! Here is a sample….

9:00-10:00: Breakfast, 10:00-14:00: one on ones, 14:00-15:30: lunch 15:30-17:00: lunch 17:00-18:00: Free time 18:00-19:00 Group Activity 19:00-20:00: one-on-ones, telephone sessions, and conference calls, 20:00-21:00 Presentations 21:00-22:00 dinner and 22:00-beyond Social Activities.

I just got an email from the woman who signs up the Spaniards and she gave us a little more information about the week. She has assured us that during the week we will have the opportunity to work with Spaniards who are “bursting with curiosity to learn all about English” The majority of the participants are coming from the business world where they struggle to overcome their daily battles with the English language. They represent a large variety of companies in both domestic and international markets. Some of which include: Telefonica, Nokia, General Electric, Vodagone, Pfizer, Fox, and Accenture.

I will keep everyone posted as I can! For now, I have a house to clean, clothes to wash, and bags to pack… and most importantly a birthday to celebrate! Happy Birthday Tony!