The End...But Really, The Beginning

So, I've been back here in the US for a week now and I've just about adjusted back to normal. Hey look, I can write more than one phrase in English without feeling the urge to switch back to Spanish...and to me, well, that's a little sad.

Over the past 6 ½ weeks I've learned a lot, and it's my belief that I've changed a lot too. But, you guys can make that decision for yourselves once you spent more time with me.
When I say that I've changed, I don't mean like that fact that I say "Vale" in place of "OK" or the fact that I might speak to you in Spanish without realizing it. I don't even mean it in the fact that when I'm in a crowd of people speaking English I get headaches (which I do, idk why). I think that some of my morals and ideas of the world itself have changed.

So, yeah, I'm not going to be eating McDonald's anymore (Nick would be proud) and I'm going to refer to the way things were in Spain a lot. It's not that I don't love the US anymore, it's that I feel like Spain is my adoptive country. Now that I've rambled a bit, back to my point. The world to me seems a little bigger now and I feel a little more free. The last couple of years have been long and hard ones and after this summer I feel almost like a new person, like the old me is somewhere inside... a distant memory.

Because of this, I have some new principles, new ideas of the world and hopefully these will help change me for the better. This is my Senior year and I want to make the most of it. I am done with the drama, I don't want to be involved. I want to have all the time I can with my friends and family before its gone. ( and I know this sounds really cynical, but I believe that we need to recognize the time we have now before we all spread out to different colleges) I want to meet new people, try new things, make new friends, and do all the things I've always told myself I would, but haven't!

That's my new philosophy. Hopefully, you guys, my friends and family, can accept that and what changes you may see.

Secondly, yes, I miss Spain terribly, and sometimes I wake up thinking I'm in Spain. But, at the same time, I'm glad to be back because believe it or not, I've missed you guys. So, yes, I will consitently be talking about Spain, my friends in Spain, my family and my adoptive family in Spain, my group from Spain, SPAIN SPAIN SPAIN. BUT! I want to hear what you guys have done this summer and if I ever get on a tirade about Spain, please stop me. I don't mind. I'll survive...Megan, this may end up being your job! :)

OK, SO THATS IT FOR THE WARNING

Now I have to say how strange it is to be back now. Seeing you all is kind of like a dream. And not wearing shoes in the house and always having toilet paper is a plus to that dream (and this is another story)

So, FRIENDS, FAMILY, and random strangers who may be reading this: I say that we spend all the time we can this year, especially us SENIORS, together as much of the time as possible. I look foward to seeing you soon and I can honestly say that the end of this trip has brought the beginning of a new way of life for me.

I love you all with all of my heart,

Os quiero,

Kahle

well....

So, I have 11 more days in Spain and not much to write.

I can´t really think in English and my sentences are horrible most of the time right now. I miss you guys a ton!
Oh, and spain won the World Cup!

It was amazing and I´ll put pictures on here eventually....maybe

so, um that´s all I´ve got right now, see you guys soon.

Love ya,

Kahle

2 Weeks Till the US... what?

Hey everybody....so as you know I have now been in Spain for about a month...but it really doesn´t seem like that to me. I hope everyone back home in Indiana is doing fine, and of course, that you guys had a fantastic July 4th. I don´t really have a lot of time to write today...so maybe next week I will put an additional blog...idk. Sunday is the Copa Mundial and I am really excited. In the main plaza of Ciudad Real is a huge TV screen, and Sunday most of my group is going to watch the game together. Then, afterwards, if all goes well, most of the city ends up in the fountain. :)

Yesterday we saw Madrid, which was great, but I wanted more time in the museum of traditional art over that of the modernism in the Reina Sophia. Madrid is huge....most of the day was walking, and sorry, but I don´t have a lot of pictures. Next sunday we are going to watch the bull fights in a nearby city and this week we are going to a museum of Don Quijote....i don´t think i spelled that right, but o well.

I really love my group here and I´m not too excited over the fact that once we return to Indiana, its pretty difficult for us to get together, since many people live far north or far south. However, there are a few who live in Indianapolis, so all is not lost.

Alrighty, I gotta go now, love you guys and see ya soon

Kahle

Happy 4th of July!

¡Hola todos! ¿Que hay? Spain is going to the semifinals of the World Cup, which is a huge deal! It´s really interesting being here in Spain during the World Cup. After winning a game, people are in the streets yelling and honking there car horns. Moreover, my favorite part of the game is to watching it from my room with my window open. When Spain makes a goal, everyone in the piso (apartment) yells.

So, I´m having some issues writing in English... I can´t seem to form sentences correctly and I have issues with spelling...lots of issues. The keyboard here is a little different, which doesn´t help.

Friday I´ll be going by train to Madrid, I´m extremely excited because Madrid is one of the major centers of tourism and we´ll be there during rebajas, so everything will be cheaper. I believe I should have written this blog before now in Spanish and translated it, because my brain is in Spanish now and it´s difficult to translate my brain to English.

Anything exciting happen in the US lately? or in your lives? All I have left to write now is that today I am halfway through the program here in Spain, which is both exciting and terrifying. How so? For one, I´m halfway to coming home, but at the same time a don´t want to leave. And two, I don´t feel like I know very much Spanish now, but I do have un poquito (sorry) more than 3 weeks left. Idk

So, i think this is it because I really want to write in Spanish and if I type more, it´ll be in Spanish. Entonces,
hasta luego

Con amor,
Kahle

Blog #2...dun, dun, duh

¡Hola todos! I am good here in Spain, but, how are you guys? What´s up in Indiana? I honestly don´t ahve much to write now, so, this is going to be a short blog. Cordoba and Granada, in my opinion, were better than Toledo. I loved the arabic architecture and the geometrical patterns. I have a lot of photos, but its difficult to upload them to facebook, I can only put 5-7 now. If you guys have any questions, I'd love to answer them. The only new thing I can think of to write now is that I have a collection of owls here, one from each city, but it was the most fun searching for one in Granada. ....I´m going to try and write more next Sunday, July 4th!, and I hope to have more to say.

I love you all and will see you in 5 weeks.
Kahle

¡ Finalmente, Hola todos!

I hope that all of you are good and are having a great summer. This is my first blog from Spain, and I am so excited. I have so much to write and only a small amount of time.

First, yes, I am alive and my family has killed me...yet. Friday I went to Toledo, and I am still without words to describe how amazing it is. The cathedral....how amazing! but, I couldn´t take pictures, so if you want to see it, you´ll have to check on the internet. I loved the mixture of Arabic, Judaism, and Catholicism in the architecture. This was my first excursion, next week is Granada and Cordoba. Alright, now what else?

¿My journey by plane?
So, my journey was very long. I was suppossed to leave from Indy at 10:30 and ended up leaving at 4, because of rain in Chicago. Then, I had to run to my plane for Madrid....not fun. But, I met people from my group on the plane, so it was good...and I watched Alice in Wonderland in Spanish.

Here in Spain is so different from the US, but at times the same. Here are some differences:

• They hardly ever use their lights, even at night, and never during the day.
• They shower for 5 to 8 minutes and they don´t use water the entire time...and yes, its very cold water
• They don´t really eat fast food like McDonald´s or Burger King. In fact, I only know of one Burger King in my town, and its on the outskirts. And there is one McDonalds in the center of Toledo.
• They eat so much...and its true, I can´t eat this much, but my mother here is always : "eat more!"
• They walk everywhere. Or they use the bus. and their cars are tiny.
• They live for "No pasa nada" and "Vale" or "it doesn´t matter" and "ok"
• Their houses are so tiny and many live in apartments. (Although, those who live in Miguelturra live in mansions)
• Their icecream has "drugs"....its addictive
• Bread is always fresh and with every meal
• There is more, but they are for another time.

Speaking in spanish the first day was impossible. I only wanted to sleep. Each day gets better. My only problem is that almost all of their music is in English. So I try to think in spanish, but want to sing in English.

OK! My family here is very nice and I like them a lot. My mother is very talkative, and I don´t know my father or brother very well because they are always working.

I love my school and the people in it. Yes, there are always bad eggs, but for now, I think most if not all have good intentions. I have two very good friends, one who lives very close to my apartment. I also have two other neighbors from my school. Now, school is easy...eventually, no...

For now, I think this is all. I´ll write again next Sunday,

With love from Spain,
Kahle

PS This is for Christian, my first words in Spain were "Es ist mir kalt" You´re welcome :)

Goodbye America!

So, I'm leaving from Indianapolis Airport at 10:30 tomorrow for Chicago. From Chicago I leave at 4:40 for Madrid. Its about a 7 hour flight to Madrid. Then in Madrid I take a bus with my group to Ciudad Real, which will take about 4 or 5 hours.


*****UPDATE*****
As of my last blog, I have received a new host family. They are a husband, wife, and son. The father of the family works in the hotel business and that is all I know as of this point.

Good bye family and friends, I will be updating from Spain soon enough. I hope you all have wonderful summers and that you enjoy reading this blog.

I love you all,

Adios!

Kahle

2 Weeks to Go

I thought I would update everyone on the state of my trip so far and any details I've yet to cover about it in this blog. So, I guess you can think of this as a summary of what I know thus far. I will be leaving on June 12 and coming home the 27th of July. While in Spain I will be taking classes in Spanish over culture, conversation, grammar, literature, and the like. I will be living with a host family, a single mother who's daughter is 12. I am going to try to get out some individual communications to my friends and family while in Spain, but I'm not sure how that will work out yet. I have a long list of people to contact while I'm in Spain, and only seven hours the entire seven week trip to do it in. While in Spain I will be visiting several historical sites, which, if you can imagine, I am extremely excited about. I will be attempting to place pictures on my blog, but I can't make any promises since I'm not 100% certain of how often I will be able to use a computer while in Spain.

I believe that's it for now. If you have any questions, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them.

Final English Blog

1) Through this blog I have discovered that I have an ethical mind. This stems from the fact that I have a strong desire to understand society and its innate goals. I want to better understand different cultures and how they interact with each other based upon their intricate belief systems.

2) I exhibit curiosity by doing research and trying to find as much information as I can about what I am interested in. I am not afraid to try something new if I think it will help me to better understand a culture. I also exhibit curiosity by asking myself rhetorical questions and examining the different answers they could create. I generate hypotheses by developing ideas of how one change in a culture could result in a betterment for the whole of the group. For example, I discussed being immeresed in a culture to better one's learning experience. I also see other points of view. In learning about and joining in a new culture I have to be able to coexhist and understand other points of view, even if they are not akin to my own. By studying their society's habits, I show that I can see and acknowledge other points of view.

3) I learned through this blog that I have a deep attatchment to learning about the Spanish culture and history that flows through Spain. With my trip I believe this attatchment will only grow stronger. I have also learned that I have found a new way to write poetry and that it is calming to me. The ability to write bilingually may eventually help me in the future, and I find it also brings me great joy. This blog has helped me to better see myself as just one of many persons in the world, trying to manuvuer in an ever changing society. The continued updating of this blog may help me to further grow in this understanding and knowledge.

Ancient Architecture in Spain

So one of the reasons I decided to try to enter IU Honors was because of my love of ancient history. I've loved history for as long as I can remember, but the Mediterranean has always been one of my main facets of interest. This year, as I mentioned in a previous blog, we studied Spanish culture in my class. This also consisted of Spanish history, which was an area of Mediterranean History that I had yet to study. I was enthralled with the combination of cultures that influenced the Spanish language and society over the century. Learning about the Muslim and Roman influences were some of the most fascinating aspects of Spanish history. During this time, my teacher presented us with pictures of many of the main architectural features of Spain, and I knew that I needed to go. When I first began to study Roman culture around 6th grade, I had dreams of going to Rome. Upon realizing that I could find Roman architecture as well as a mixing of several other historical buildings in Spain, while becoming bilingual, I knew that I needed to go on this trip. As of now, I know that we will be making several trips around Spain and I know that this alone will be one among many fascinating aspects of the culture. I'm not sure which architectural monuments I will bet to see, but I have many hopes. Among the many sites I would like to see are these: http://gospain.about.com/od/spanisharchitectur1/Pictures_of_Spanish_Architecture.htm

This website provides pictures and names of several of the most famous sites.

Hopefully this experience will enable me to further my Archaeological and Anthropological studies. The insights which I might find in Spain may help me to find my path in life, and promise to create some of the most indelible memories of my life.

More on Spanish Music

Over the past 2 weeks in my Spanish class, we have been creating music videos, somewhat like karaokes, to Spanish music. The lyrics are translated over into English, with the song in the background as Spanish. During the time we have been working on this project, I have noticed a dramatic change in my class. Ok, it may not seem like a lot to some people, I concede, but from what I have observed, it seems very important. For one of the first times in my class, people are using Spanish more frequently. They have begun listening to Spanish music, and some of them are beginning to sing in Spanish as well. To me, this is exciting. It gives me hope that my trip in Spain will trully allow me to become bilingual. As the students in my class are surrounded by the stimulus that is hearing only Spanish, they begin to better comprehend pronunciation, as well as learn words at a more frequent pace. Thus, being immersed in a foreign culture should have similar and more rapid effects. I have begun to ponder the possibility that if all of our foreign language programs provided more listening and immersive activities, language would develop more quickly. Through my Psychology class I learned that we are more adept to learning language at a younger age, during a certain critical period. This does not mean that it is impossible to learn after this period in time, but it is more difficult. This being the case, I believe it would be more effective to provide students with opportunities to participate in the culture and immerse themselves in the language than it is to spend 4 years in a classroom. For example, if a teacher guides a class while only speaking the foriegn language after the 1st year or 2 of the language, then students would progress towards bilingualism more quickly. It is my hope that in the next couple of years this will become more obvious in schools throughout the United States so that enthusiastic students can meet their full potentials.

Cultural Views

Anyone who has known me for at least a week should at this point have realized that I am... a little.... obsessed with the television show, BONES. As I watched an episode entitled "The Girl in the Mask," I began to contemplate what views Spanish society has of our culture. At the center of this episode was a comparison of American and Japanese culture. While watching this, I began to realize how little I know of modern Spanish culture. When I go to Spain, I don't want to insult someone because my behavior is not acceptable in their culture. In America, there are often controversies over culture. For example, derogatory terms are used against many races and religions. Differences in clothing, among other forms of appearance often spark fights. I believe the only way I am going to survive in any culture, whether it be a faction of American society or that of another country, I must study their different habits and unique forms of communication. This past year, I have had the luck of learning some customary differences between Spain and the US through my Spanish class. I was also informed at my orientation that one of the classses in which I will be participating in Spain is focused upon customs. One useful piece of information I picked up from this orientation was this: In America, if we are asked whether we would prefer to have one dish over another, if we have no opinion we might simply reply with "I don't care." In Spain, saying "I don't care" is "No me importa." However, such a response as this is taken offensively. In Spanish culture this translates to mean that one does not care for their cooking at all, not that either dish is ok.

I found this website very interesting, in that it explained some of the most prominent differences between the US and Spain from a first hand point of view: http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/information/spanish_cultural_commentary/

Over the next month I plan on completing further research on the subject of cultural differences and when I return will doubtless have many experiences to share.
33 days!

Iluminando el Cielo

La luz del cielo tiene una magia de su propio.
En un momento es rosada,
Entonces blanca, azul, amarilla;
Una luz de arco iris.
No puedo parar mi mirada,
Para la luz es transfixiantes.
Y como la luz descolora del cielo,
Es noche y las estrellas toman su lugar,
Iluminando del cielo.


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The light of the sky has a magic of its own.
In one moment it is pink,
Then white, blue, yellow;
A rainbow light.
I can't stop my gaze,
For the light is transfixing.
And as the light fades from the sky,
It is night and the stars take their place,
Illuminating the sky.

En 51 días, creo, estoy yendo a España. 51 días no es mucho tiempo para mi a pasar con mis amigos y mi familia. Frecuentemente, me encuentro pensando acerca de que estaré haciendo en España. Necesitaré conocer personas nuevas y solo hablaré en español! Con solo una hora de ingles de una semana, va a ser un desafió. Espero, podré sobrevivir todo de los cambios.Cuando vuelvo a los Estados Unidos, va a estar extraño.¿Me pregunto si estoy yendo a poder hablar ingles cuando vuelvo? No se, pero ¡no puedo esperar para saber! <51dias>

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In 51 days, I believe,  I am going to Spain. 51 day isn't much time for me to spend time with my family and friends. Frequently, I find myself thinking about what I am going to to do in Spain. I will have to get to know new people, and I will only be able to speak Spanish! With only one hour of English per week,  it is going to be a challenge. Hopefully, I will survive all of the changes. When I return to the US, it is going to be strange. I wonder if I will be able to speak English when I come back? I don't know, but I can't wait to find out! <51 days>

Un Mundo Dondé

¿Si este es el mundo real,
Por qué están cosas tan difíciles?
Quiero un mundo dónde puedo pensar,
Dónde palabras pueden correr libre,
Y dónde todo tiene sentido.
¿Pero, qué tipo de mundo que se?
Tal vez, un día sabré y comprenderé
Pero, por ahora, todo lo que puedo hacer es pensar.

Una poema originalmente.

Musica

Durante mi orientación de esta semana pasada, yo recibí un CD con música de España. Por ejemplo, lo tenia canciones de Juanes, Bebe, Enrique, y Jarabe de Palo. Ahora, estoy escuchando a esta música y me amo una canción de Bebe. Es "Me Enseñara"

Escucha aquí

Creo en España, voy escoger la clase de coro encima de teatro. La música ellos me da es fantástica! Estoy muy emocionada para este viaje! <57 días>

Si alguien tenia canciones otras para mi, por favor, envíeme un mensaje. !Gracias!

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During my orientation last weekend, I recieved a CD with Spanish music on it. For example, it has songs from Juanes, Bebe Enrique, y Jarabe de Palo. Right now, I am listening to this music and I love one song from Bebe. This song is "Me Enseñara"

Listen here

I believe in Spain I am going to choose choir over theatre as a class. The music they gave me is fantastic. I am so excited for this trip! <57 days>

If anyone has other songs for me, please send me a message. Thanks!

Entonces....este es mi blog nueve

Has estado trabajando desde octubre o noviembre para este viaje. Primer, había pasado un examen en español. Un parte fue escuchando, un fue escribiendo, y el fin parte fue de opción múltiple. Entonces, en febrero, tenia una entrevista para la programa. Antes de mi entrevista, estuve muy nerviosa, pero después de... fui muy emocionada. Había esperado para dos semanas antes de yo sabía que fue aceptada. Aprendí que estoy yendo a Cuidad Real durante el mes pasado. Estoy dejando de el doce de junio.... en cincuenta y ocho días.

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I have been working since October or November for this trip. First, I had to pass an exam in Spanish. It consisted of a Spanish listening portion, a letter written in Spanish, and also multiple choice (grammar, reading, etc.) Then, in February, I had an interview with two of the professors of the program. Before my interview I was so nervious, but afterwards I was really excited. I had to wait for to weeks before I knew that I was accepted into the program. In the past month I discovered that I am going to be living in Cuidad Real. I am leaving on June 12.... in 58 days!