Back in Business

Hello all!
I recently realized that my last entry was rather depressing to say the least. Luckily, I'm returning to blog on a much happier note and bearing good news. However, I will start with the part where I stayed at a friends flat for a week.
After my dramatic "step down" from being an au pair, I have to admit, I hadn't really done much thinking about the "what next" part of my adventure. Luckily, I have a really great and secure circle of friends here who have really helped me so much throughout this less than awesome situation. Throughout this week, I searched for flats high and low and finally landed one. It's on a street called Calle Reyes Catolicós and it's a super cute two bed, one bath flat. Furthermore, it's only a five or so minute walk from Casco Viejo which is the old town.

My living room area/part of the kitchen

The kitchen!

I am very, very excited to be here. For a while, I was pretty depressed about the situation because obviously, this is not where I thought I was going to be four months into my gap year. I thought I was going to be in Barcelona, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Instead, I'm in Vitoria, sitting at a café with three layers of clothes on, one including my coat, jeans and boots, as it rains and blows cold wind in my face. I had no idea that I was going to be living on my own in a foreign country, just barely scraping by. But instead of looking at the negative side of it, I'm in Spain, living on my own, making my own luck. And that's pretty cool. I guess it's just funny how things never work out the way one thinks they will. One small move and it changes everything. Of course I assumed that taking a gap year  would change me here and there. However, I really never thought this is the hand I would be dealt and how fast I would have to really grow up. You college kids have it easy.

On Sunday, I made new friends. Two are from the states (California and Texas) and the other two are from England and France. They are all English teachers and teach at academies in Vitoria (except the French one teaches French I believe). Their names are Erika, Laura, Jess and Adele. It's funny how I met them actually. Sunday I was very depressed seeing as everything was fresh-- I had just quit, I didn't know what I was going to do with my life and I was on the phone with my mom telling her just how conflicted I was. There was a girl sitting at a cafe in front of me and I remember looking at her and thinking how much she reminded me of my aunt. When I got up to leave, a group of friends had joined her and I heard them all speaking English. So of course, when I hear English in Vitoria, my attention perks up much like this:

Yup. That's basically me. I then turned around and asked them "….English?" and they were all "Yeah! You?" and that's where our friendship began. I told them my sob story about my confused life and they ended up inviting me to go see this short film at a bar where we had drinks. The film was made in a city about 45 minutes north of Vitoria called Bilboa and it was a thriller. It was interesting. It was filled with people you typically see stereotyped in movies that go to these small short films and act all proud and intellectual. But it was actually really awesome to attend. 

Tuesday came around, and as most of you know, or don't know maybe, Tuesday was my birthday. I'm not going to lie, Tuesday was not a very awesome day. It didn't feel like my birthday at all. I searched for flats basically all day with Erika which was extremely exhausting. However, before that, I met with Sofie and Melanie who surprised me with a cute cake, coffee and party hat. I couldn't meet with them for very long unfortunately. But, it felt very special to know at least two girls who cared enough and put effort into making my birthday noticed. That night, I was invited to eat dinner with Erika, Jess and Jess' flatmates, who happen to be a couple with a very, very cute dog. Stephanie is one of their names and the other one…. I don't remember. Don't kill me if you read this. I'm sorry!! Anyway, Stephanie is also from the United States and is from Rome, Georgia. COME ON! That's like a hop, skip and jump away from Gadsden where I used to live. So that was crazy to hear. 

The food ended up being absolutely delicious thanks to Jess' amazing cooking skills. I was very grateful to have been invited to dinner, and now I have some nice friends due to it.

On Wednesday, I attended an event at a bar called the Pub Quiz. It's basically a trivia game where you create teams and answer trivia questions. The winner gets a bottle of wine. I went with Erika and Jess and coincidentally, bumped into some couchsurfing friends. We didn't win, unfortunately. But it was still very fun. 

Thursday, I attended Pintxo Pote (pronounced peen-cho po-tay) which takes place every Thursday. Bars supply pintxos which are basically tapas, and specialize in one for the night. You go with a group of friends and everyone puts money into a "pot" let's say. About five euros. Then you just go from bar to bar eating pintxos and the alcoholic beverage (or non-alcoholic beverage) of your choosing. Thursday is also the night that most of the University students around here go out, much like back home. So I made my way to the popular street Kutxi (pronounced cu-chee). There is where I met up with Melanie. 

Ah! I forgot to mention, Thursday was also Halloween. Being born only three days before Halloween, I have taken a strong liking toward the celebration. In Vitoria, not so many people celebrate it. Some kids do, but it is very rare to catch an adult dressed up. That didn't stop me. I painted my face like a cat and hit the streets. Granted I did get a lot of funny looks for wearing tiger ears and a cat face, but it was self-satisfying to know that my Halloween spirit follows me everywhere. 

Some other fellow Halloweenies

Me and Melanie dressed up as kitty cats. MEOW.

Those are the only updates I have to report as of now. Hopefully I will find some conversational English lessons to help pay for the rest of my time here. If not, maybe all of you will be seeing me a lot sooner than planned. Who knows? But at this moment, it's very cold outside and I feel as if my hands and nose are going to freeze off if I stay out here a minute longer. So I guess it's time to say hasta luego. 

Cheers my fellow readers. 

XX

Updates...

Hello all,

Just so everyone has the opportunity to be on the same page as everyone else in my adventure, I am posting this very publicly:

I quit.

Before anyone asks, I quit for my own well-being. And since this was the second family I was with, I really see no point in trying to find a third. To be honest, I don't really know what I am doing, or going to do. I have a place to stay currently, but I am looking for a flat to rent for two months so I can be here when my mom comes. I am hoping that I can find more opportunities with conversational English classes, but honestly, who knows. I'm just a 19 year old girl, thousands of miles away from home, and I feel completely vulnerable. But, I guess we all have to grow up at some point.

XX

Kaixo! Hola! Hello!

Well, it's Monday. So here I am, blogging again, in the same spot, with the same café con leche and croissant. Wow, it really took me a long time to figure out how to spell "croissant." That's a word that I'm pretty sure I've never had to sit down and actually spell. I was butchering it so bad that auto-correct couldn't even help me out. Anyway, as I am sitting here blogging, there is a wonderful protest taking place with Basque Country citizens requesting to be separate from Spain. And by "requesting" I mean, shouting and marching around with signs in a less than subtle fashion. Since I'm talking about the Basque people, I might as well talk about their fashion sense that I have been judging ever since I have been in Vitoria and I just haven't gotten around to expressing my thoughts on it. The Basque people have a certain style that is, how can I put this, caught somewhere between 90's grunge and 70's punk rock. But not the good kind of punk rock style... like the mullets and awkward bangs. Think Ramones. I'm not one to necessarily judge based on style, but this one is just a really, really bad fashion trend. It is not uncommon in the least to see young boys and young men sporting this awful spin-off of a mullet. Let me paint the picture for you: You see a guy head on, and you think to yourself, "hmm, he is pretty cute." You keep walking, pass him, and turn around and then there it is. The dreads. They normally have anywhere between one to six dreads at the nape of their neck. And not short little rat tails either. Like full on, long dreads. Yikes. Mullet to a whole new level. The female hairstyle is the connection I make to the Ramones. If you don't know what the Ramones look like, I encourage you to look them up and you will see just how awful their hairstyle was. On top of this strange hair trend, everyone likes to wear bouldering clothes, meaning lightweight, capri like shorts, and hiking shoes. If that isn't enough to turn you off, the men also wear hoop earrings. Yes, hoop earrings. They can be anywhere between a small hoop to one that is seen on perhaps Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman when she's working the streets. It is very interesting to see.

To continue, I got my haircut! That was probably the most exciting thing that happened to me this week to be completely honest. I was ready for a change! So I made an appointment and did it. Most of you have already seen my lovely bangs and layers I got. I love 'em! My mom, however, pointed out that I resemble Björk STILL. That was something that I used to get a lot when I was a toddler because of my Asian eyes. But you guys, I'm still Björk. I'm thinking I should start making electronica music now, just so I can be even more like her. Just to show you how much I resemble her, I create a side-by-side picture of me and her. You tell me who is who.

In addition, my birthday is coming up! Hoo Rah! Unfortunately, I have had this idea ever since July that it was "close enough" to my birthday that I can just say that I'm 19. So, basically, everyone that I have met since July thinks I'm 19 right now. And they will probably think I'm turning 20 in eight days. So not that it's really awkward, it's just I'm going to feel a little silly letting everyone know "hey, I'm really still a teenager. Sorry I lied." So, to anyone who I am friends with that I told I was 19, I hate to break it to you, but I still got one more year of teenage living. Please don't confront me about this. I'm glad I got that one off my chest. But I'm beginning to fear that my birthday is just going to be another, ordinary day and I'm getting kind of sad that I won't be given any special treatments because it's my birthday. I guess that's part of "growing up," but I DON'T WANT TO GROW UP. I just want my dad to buy me Starbucks in the morning on my birthday, I want a birthday cake, and balloons, and hand-made cards. But beggars can't be choosers. And I'm only assuming it only gets worse the older you get. Luckily, 19 isn't like a super awesome year to celebrate anyway. 

Last weekend, I went out for a little while. Really, it was just an eventful Saturday overall. I went with the family to their Tennis Club's "Oktoberfest." They only had two beers on tap. One was some awful lager, and the other was Budweiser. Real German, ya know? But it was really fun nonetheless, and I ate like a king. They had schnitzel, meats, sauerkraut, sausage, pot roast, mashed potatoes and apple strudel. Ah, it was wonderful. Of course me being the stereotypical "fat american" I ate everything. And my host family, being all european, could barely finish the first plate. That's where I stepped in and decided to help them out a bit and eat what they couldn't finish. I began to wonder if they knew they also hired a personal garbage disposal in addition to an au pair. Afterwards, I went out for a while with Mel and Sofie, but ended up going home around 10. Not a late night. But still, it's always a good time with those girls. 

Paulina and Me at "Oktoberfest" (she loves to smile)

The girls and I out. It was this fellows bachelor party. Isn't he the cutest?

There's not much else to report. I miss everyone. And I'm excited to hear from EVERYBODY in eight days.... *Cough* My birthday *Cough*

Besitos xx

Happy Monday My Fellow Readers

Good day, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good something to whatever time zone you come from. I am again blogging on a Monday. It for some reason makes me feel more relaxed and makes Monday's a little more bearable when I blog, because Monday's still suck even when I am enjoying a nice cup of café con leche at a cafe. Today is not so beautiful in Vitoria. It's a little overcast and windy. It's starting to get real cold here. For example: it has been in the 50's during the day for the past week and in the 30's when I wake up. For Floridians, this is considered winter. For the Basque Country inhabiters, this is fall and I should only expect it to get EVEN COLDER. I know I have always claimed that I like cold weather more than hot weather, but I think I feel that way only when living in Florida. I am loving the weather right now, but any colder and I'm not sure if I can handle it. Yes, I have been exposed to Pennsylvania winters, but for two weeks at a time, at most. So I am starting to prepare myself for a solid six months of rain, clouds, snow and arctic coldness. Speaking of cold weather, I purchased my first REAL coat since I was 12. I'm not even sure if my coat from the sixth grade even qualifies as a real coat either. 

Me in my new coat! Yeah!

I'm pretty excited about it. Hopefully it shields me from the elements that my body is not prepared for in the slightest.

Last week, I met with the host parents of my au pair friend, Natalia who recently went back to her home in Slovakia. They wanted to have conversational English classes with me. They ended up paying me as well, and we will be meeting once a week at a cafe for conversational English. It's awesome that I got this opportunity to make a little extra money on the side. It's only for one hour and we just really talk about anything in English and drink coffee. It's awesome. And they are really cool people. The mom is a flight attendant and the dad is a pilot. 

This past weekend, I went out again. And stayed out until a ridiculous hour, again. And the next morning I woke up telling myself "never again," again. 5:30 in the morning. I really don't understand why people insist on staying out so late. I feel so wimpy when I start to get tired around two in the morning. Like, come on Sydney, you're young, you got that young energy!! Yeah, wrong. Regardless it was a fun night. I had to take the bus to the city, which was only 1.50 Euros! So much better than taking a taxi which would cost me around 21 Euros. Once I got to Vitoria, I met up with Sophie and Melanie at a wonderfully, fattening, greasy, American style restaurant called Burgerland. It was like a blessing from God for two reasons: I had to walk 30 minutes from the bus stop to meet up with them, so I had quite the hearty appetite. Secondly, American style food... home... comfort... need I say more? I was kindly welcomed with mountains of food: burgers, chili fries, ribs, nachos, french fries and beer. God bless America.  Also, on Saturday, there was a "fiesta" called Día de Hispanidad, which is pretty straightforward-- Hispanic Day. In the Basque Country, it's not as heavily emphasized because the Basque people want to be separate from Spain. So, on top of it being Día de Hispanidad, it was also "Green Night." Vitoria, since it is the Green Capital of Europe, really plays up the whole "green" thing. I don't even know what they did that was so green and eco-friendly on Saturday to be honest. I know there was food somewhere, and they had a really cool light show that went on in the main plaza, Plaza Blanca. They had these lasers, and synchronized it with music. It was so cool. I was hypnotized by it. They even had fog machines. So my friends and I got some beer, for me, I had a pica which is lemon juice and beer, and watched the light show. Later, we went to other bars, where I had a drink that is considered an after dinner drink. It kind of tastes like medicine and is horrible. 

Me and Melanie

Today in my Spanish class, we got another new student. GUESS WHERE THEY WERE FROM? If you guessed Pakistan, man are you dead on. And of course he asked me where I was from. And of course he made a sour face about me being "Americana." But that's beside the point. He told me I spoke very good Spanish and understood very well for only being here for three months. Woo! That was encouraging to hear. 

Another little tid-bit to share: Melanie and I are planning to cook a thanksgiving dinner for her family, my family and some of our foreign friends. It will be so much fun. We've already started planning what to cook. It's going to be hard not being in the States for this glorious holiday. No Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, no football, no Christmas movies, no family, no arguments. But it will be so much fun to share the over-eating ways of America with others. 

Lastly, my mom and Michael, her boyfriend, purchased their plane tickets for Spain! I am so excited! I can barely hold myself together. 

Sophie has now joined me at the cafe so I am going to stop writing now.

Besitos!!

It's Monday!

Hello my lovely readers! I am currently sitting at a cafe in Vitoria and it is the most beautiful, sunny day ever. It is 72 degrees outside and I'm having one of those days where I am just so happy to be in Spain. I know as a Monday, it's hard to find the good in the day because, well, Monday's suck. But, I'm going to try to improve YOUR Monday with not only my blog, but also with this rockin' playlist  that will leave your spirit uplifted by the time you finish listening to it. If you're feeling dangerous, you can listen to some of the songs while reading this, seeing as I am listening to it while I write in my blog.

Sydney's Monday Playlist:

1.You and I- Wilco & Feist
2. The Underdog- Spoon
3. Why Do You Let Me Stay Here- She &Him
4. Silver Lining- Rilo Kiley
5. You Are The Best Thing- Ray LaMontagne
6. 5 Years Time- Noah and the Whale
7. L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N- Noah and the Whale
8. Lost In My Mind- The Heart and the Head
9. Up Up Up- Givers
10. Rock & Roll- Eric Hutchinson
11. Hang On- Dr. Dog
12. At the Bottom of Everything- Bright Eyes
13. Ain't No Reason- Brett Dennen

Enjoy this playlist. It will make you happy.

Now, to talk about my week. To begin, on Thursday, the kids did not have school. I was slightly upset with this because this meant that I would not 9-5 off to be carefree, to explore, to relax. But, that's beside the point. What I'm getting at here is that they didn't have school because of some special Basque holiday, no, no. They didn't have school because their teachers were on strike. Ah, yes, classic. Well done Spain. To be honest, I wasn't very surprised that the teachers just refused to teach kids that day. So, I ended up taking the kids to this optical illusion exhibit that they have going on right now in Vitoria. It seemed really interesting and like something I would be really into. The problem is everything is written in Oskera or Spanish. On top of that, the kids don't know how to read. It was kind of a helpless situation.


Maybe the coolest part of my week was that I got to experience the Medieval faire that they have here. Allow me to add: the only Medieval faire I have ever been to is the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire in Gainesville. Gainesville, Florida. A place that has absolutely no Medieval ties whatsoever. So, when I heard the faire was going to happen in Vitoria, I kind of just rolled my eyes about it. Like, big deal. Okay, wrong. It WAS a big deal and it was one of the neatest things I have seen since I've been in Spain. Vitoria, first of all, is a city that was established in Medieval times. So, the old city is nothing but old buildings filled with history and beauty. Within the old quarters of the city is where the festival takes place. There are vendors selling food, drinks, crafts, jewelry and so forth. Flags are streamed throughout the old city. The delicious homemade foods and drinks permeate the air as you walk through. And, of course, everyone is dressed up. It honestly felt like I was living in Medieval times. They even had people acting like the crazy people of the town, chained up with black teeth and flesh wounds (oh, it's merely a flesh wound!). They were such good actors they even made Paulina cry. We actually had to leave after that because she was so freaked out. They also had these gigantic, trained falcons and one owl, that were flying around. I wish everyone could have been here, as dorky as it sounds.

On Saturday night, I went out. I WENT OUT!! It was my first time going out in Vitoria and I had so much fun. But, I suffered the consequences the next day, make no mistake. Allow me to elaborate. There is a very strict schedule to follow if you want to cooperate with Spanish time:
9:00 P.M.- Go to a friends house and drink a little. In my case, I went to my friends house and enjoyed a couple glasses of wine as we got ready to go out.
11:00 P.M.- Go get dinner-- take forever to eat. Also have a beer.
12:30-2:00 A.M.- Go to the bars.
3:00-4:00 A.M.- Leave the bars (because they close) and go to the clubs.
5:00-7:00 A.M- Club.
7:00 A.M.- You have two options at this point. You can either A: Go home and finally sleep or B: Go to the "after-club" and continue to drink. I'm not sure why anyone would ever choose option B. It sounds awful and all I imagine are just people who are zombies and act as if they are lobotomized.
Anyway, I was "responsible" and only stayed out until 6:00 A.M. I opted out of the "after-club" portion. Partying is a tough way of life, man. But it was so much fun. I dressed up and everything. I even wore wedges! I'm still not sure if it was a great decision on my behalf, however. I'm already a tall girl, and with the wedges on, I was like some Amazonian woman/beast. In addition, the Spanish guys are so much shorter to me as it is. So when I was walking around on Saturday, I could basically see over everyone's heads. It was a laugh.

Au pair friends! Sophie and Melanie

Update about my Spanish class: We have a new student! And guess where he is from? (Drum roll) PAKISTAN!! Today, we learned the verb ser, which I already knew. But we had to go around the classroom, AGAIN, saying "Soy de..., Soy..." So when it became my turn I of course had to say "Soy de Estados Unidos. Soy americana." As soon as I said that, the new student said "QUE?! Es americana?!" And not in a very excited and loving tone either. He just stared at me from across the room for probably 2 minutes without looking away. Needless to say, I walked really, really fast out of class today. So much so that I got calf cramps.

Lastly, I talked to my mom last night for TWO HOURS. Man, oh man, I miss that woman. She's about to buy her plane ticket here! I am so incredibly excited for her to come visit. We started planning what we are going to do. Apparently, we can stay in a castle if we felt so inclined. But really, this is about to be the BEST mother-daughter trip ever and I can't wait for her to finally get here!

I suppose it is now time for me to go and enjoy my two hour nap.
Happy Monday!
XX

Just a Little Hump Day Treat

I know its only 12:25 am my time, hardly "hump day" but, technically, the new day has already started. So just bear with me on the title. And, while it's fresh on my mind, I would like to acknowledge the inner debate that just occurred in my head as I went back-and-forth trying to figure if "bear" or "bare" was the correct word for the above phrase. It was painful. Anyway, I will continue about how my past week has been.
After returning from Brussels, I have to say, it was very difficult getting back into "role-model" mode. Not like I was gone for a very long time, but still, it's just as coming back to any job is quite difficult to do after a lovely vacation. Despite feeling lazy and fighting the urge to just crawl into bed and wish I was vacationing again, I have been relatively productive lately. I don't think I have mentioned before, but I have a friend in Vitoria-Gasteiz, and I feel like shouting it from the roof tops!! I am just so excited about it. Furthermore, SHE'S AMERICAN. And let me tell you-- there is nothing as refreshing as the good ol' American accent when you have been among broken English for 3 months. Not that there's anything wrong with broken English. Actually, it's really attractive, and sometimes sexy (depending on the circumstance). However, I have created this mental radar. I can be on a different planet spacing out while going on a walk, or having a coffee, not listening to the murmurs of Castellano, but as soon as I hear English, more specifically American English, I freaking perk up like a meerkat out of his little tunnel. My radar is super powerful and strong. And then of course I feel the need to say something in English, just so the other fellow English speakers will know they are not alone. Most of the time, it's just a friendly, "hello!" with a nod though. But, I have an American friend nonetheless. Her name is Melanie and we hang out almost every day. Our schedules are very similar, allowing us to spend our weeks pay on coffee instead of saving for future trips. Sad, I know. But, walking around the old city can only entertain one for so long.
I also made friends with a bartender. Okay, yes I know that sounds sketchy. But I wasn't at the bar at night, and I only go in there for coffee. Patxi makes a mean cup of joe. And on top of that, he forces me to talk in Spanish. Yeah, that's a laugh. Pero, necesito practicar mucho y Patxi ayudame! (Please, Spanish speaking friends, don't make me look bad and correct my grammar on here. Just pretend it's correct and carry on with yourselves. I'll get there!)
Speaking of horrible Spanish, I started my Spanish classes yesterday! I am definitely the youngest person in my class. The second youngest is this woman from Latvia, and she's 28. She seems nice, but dang, she likes to talk. While I'm trying to listen to la profesora, Latvia girl is trying to have a full on conversation about how she lived in Atlanta once. I appreciate her being friendly, and I understand that she's probably trying to make friends, but come on! I'm trying to learn.
Secondly, everyone in my class speaks fluent, or almost fluent Spanish. I'm in the beginners level class. Don't ask me why. I'm still perturbed by this too.
In addition, Latvia and I are the only light skinned people in the class. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But allow me to explain the situation a bit more:
Today, we had to go around the room and say our names and where we were from, what we were doing, etc, etc. I was the fifth person to introduce myself. I stood up, smiled, said hello and told everyone "Hola! Me llamo Sydney. Soy una niñera para dos niños y soy de Estados Unidos!" I felt dagger eyes from more than half of the people in my class. Hold on, I'm getting to the point. The next 6 people, in a row, to introduce themselves were all from Pakistan. I know our relationship with Pakistan isn't the greatest thing in the world right now, and I also understand that many do not like the United States. To make matters worse, after introductions, I was chosen to try to name as many people in the class as I could. I could remember everyone's name, except for the Pakistan people. Not because I didn't listen. It's just all of their names were really difficult to understand or pronounce and I just felt so bad. I thought "great! now they REALLY hate America and it's all my fault because I didn't remember any of their names."
Lastly, I am using my time wisely and applying for scholarships and schools again! As a matter of fact, I just submitted my first application to Champlain College tonight! I'm pretty excited about it. And working on essays all the time makes me feel all professional on my laptop. I love it.

I know I just said "lastly" on the above paragraph, but I must inform you all of one more unfortunate even that took place in my life. I dyed my hair last night, as some of you may have seen on Instagram. I bought the dye and the color looked like a very nice dark brown--perfect for winter. Well, I didn't dry my hair before going to sleep last night, and so I never really got to see the end results. Long story short, it has been a tragic day. My hair is in fact NOT dark brown, but black. My hair is ebony. This is not a joke. And to make matters worse, I finished the dye last night, but did the really awesome thing where I missed pieces of hair. So it's just all really awkward. I'm not sure why I decided to share this information publicly. Maybe just as a forewarning that if you see any pictures of me and my hair in the future (it will be fixed. Fixed as in all the same, ebony color) please no snarky remarks. This is the most trauma my hair has ever received, and we are in a state of shock. I would post a picture to make everyone giggle a little, but I'm not feeling that generous right now.

I apologize for not having any pictures to post this time around. But it's late and I must bid everyone goodnight.

Missing everyone dearly.
XX

Yes, I am alive...

Hello friends, family, family friends, friends of friends and so forth! I have fantastic news to share with you on this fine night: I am in fact alive. I know it has been nearly a month since I have updated my blog and I feel ashamed for keeping you all waiting for so long-- I say "all" assuming every single one of my friends and family members is actually keeping tabs on my travels through this blog. A girl can dream.
Anyway, I come bearing gifts of stories--stories that begin on Thursday, September 12, 2013. I left for Brussels, Belgium to visit a friend, who I actually met in Valencia (if you remember that journey I went on. If not, I encourage you to scroll down the page a little bit and feast your eyes). Of course, the origin of our friendship is perhaps a sketchy one, considering we met at a bar in Valencia; but needless to say, we hit it off, we are friends, and it was one more connection I had enticing me to visit another country. The whole process of getting to Brussels was a little rough here and there. First of all, Elliot, my friend, was supposed to retrieve me from Charleroi Airport in Brussels, but he got into a fender bender and informed me I would have to take the bus to the city (which was an hour away) so I was panicking a little bit, considering I don't speak ANY french. Okay, I'm selling myself short. I can say "Bonjour!" "Merci!" "Parlez vous Anglais?" So on top of not knowing how to get from the airport to Brussels, I had to learn how to maneuver getting from the train station in Madrid to the Madrid Airport. Ah! That's a laugh.
The train ride was nice. I did manage to let EVERYONE on the train know I was a tourist, however, and that was slightly embarrassing. I didn't realize there were assigned seats, so I just plopped down right at this nice seat by the window and had a table and everything. I was all settled in, until this older man started talking to me in Spanish, which I had no idea what he was saying, but everyone else did. It took about a solid 30 seconds for me to understand that I was in his seat. Shortly after I found my seat number on my ticket, but it turns out I was in the wrong car of the train. So I had to lug my bags around asking where my seat was and looking like an absolute fool. I finally came across my seat and prepared myself for the four hour ride to Madrid.
PERTINENT INFORMATION: On the train ride, they for whatever reason found it necessary to play the movie Taken, which for those of you who don't know what it's about, heres the jist of it: a girl gets kidnapped. Dad takes revenge.

I finally arrived to Madrid around 11:00 at night. I was slightly nervous thinking about how I was going to find the metro, but I figured the Spanish are friendly enough and they will surely help me find my way. So I asked someone. He directed me in a certain direction and I followed his instructions, until I realized he was incorrect and there was no metro there. So I asked another person, who instructed me differently. And also incorrectly. So I asked another person, who pointed me in another direction getting me to a spot in Madrid that I was not to very fond of-- especially not at 11:45 at night. A young, vulnerable girl, alone... All I could think about was Taken. I thought for sure "All right. This is where it ends. In Madrid on a random street." Luckily I was able to find a taxi within a couple streets from where I was and swiftly hopped in. I had to pay the guy like 24 Euros, which is around $32.00 just to go about seven miles. It was GREAT!!
My flight didn't take off until 6:30 in the morning, so I got to spend my night in the airport, landing a solid one hour and 45 mins of sleep for the entire night. But it's okay. I made friends from Portugal and England along the way (both of which bought me food and drinks. Golden!)

BRUSSELS:
So I made it to Brussels safe and sound. And what's even better, I found the bus immediately (had to pay 14 Euros though...) and within an hours time, I made it to the city center. And low and behold, Elliot actually did make it to the bus station like he said he would. I have to admit, I was a little nervous that the whole car crash story was some elaborate tale he made up in order to ultimately ditch me. But he didn't. Hooray! He showed me a bit around Brussels on Friday. Saturday and Sunday we had more time to explore.
Truthfully, Brussels is an absolutely amazing city. I'm so happy I met this friend in Valencia, because otherwise, I'm not sure I would have taken the time to travel there. It definitely wasn't in my top cities to visit. But the architecture and the atmosphere are incredible, really. It delivers the classic European feel that you would see in any kind of movie. The cafés on the narrow streets, vines growing on historic, brick buildings, flowers in the windowsill... Not to mention the aroma of the city is to die for. There is a constant scent of Belgian waffles, chocolate and all sorts of yummy food (such as mussels). It's a charming city. So much so that I may go back and visit one day.
In addition, Elliot took me to a bar called Delerium Cafe which has one of the largest selection of beers in the world (maybe the largest?). Probably a bit touristy, but still completely worth it.
And then, I was exposed to another side of Brussels that perhaps most tourists don't venture off to, which was the university side. There were immense amounts of cafes and restaurants that were super trendy and had such a great vibe.
It was difficult to say goodbye to such a fun weekend and come back to work again.
Lastly, if you are ever given the opportunity to visit Brussels, do it. I've always heard it was pretty, but I feel like maybe this city is sold short among all the major cities in Europe. This city is BEAUTIFUL. Make no mistake.
I believe this is all I have to write about at the moment. It may be a while before I update this again.... Gotta earn some money before I travel somewhere again. Kinda broke after this trip.
And yes, I am now taking donations for the "help Sydney travel everywhere" cause.
Missing everyone dearly.
XX