eurotrip! valencia style

Holaaa!

Classes have been going really well, a steady pace as usual.
Things with the family are alright, I've gotten a lot closer with my madre, and she even gave me a pearl bracelet she made the other day.  We're both on the same diet so we help each other to stay motivated (most of the time haha, every girl needs some chocolate every now and then ;)  )

Other than that,
I had my translation práctica internship today which I go to every Tuesday after my classes.  This is also going very well, and it's gotten much easier for me as I don't have to translate as many Spanish words as I used to.  I've started to take on more translation material, and am now proofreading educational studies that have already been translated into English.  My supervisor has asked me to correct any mistakes that previous translators may have made.  It might sound a bit boring, but the translation between the sentence formations really interests me.  Translating between the two languages has not only improved my Spanish, it's also had a positive impact on my English.  Both languages are full of random sayings dichos, and phrases that may not make sense when translated directly (I'm feeling blue, for example), translating has forced me to expand my vocabulary and find new ways to talk around a concept, or different ways to express it.

Later I met up with my girlfriends at our local study spot for a few hours to study and work on some projects.
Then, my daily run in the río, (dried out river I mentioned in a previous post)
After having dinner with my host family, I've finally allowed myself some time to relax, and have decided this would be even better while jamming out to some oldies.  So after some thought, I decided to settle on the Beach Boys! It's amazing how easily a song can bring back memories.  It took me right back to my days of running around with my brother and sister through our old family room, dancing around with my dad while he danced with us as we were "dipped" and "dooped".  Or cruising with my dad while listening to some oldies and being thrown back into my seat each time he switched gears.  The Beach Boys also brings me back to summers spent on Cape Cod with the whole clan, spending long, sandy days on the beach.  So many great memories.  I am so blessed and thankful for all of them.
Basically, I'm getting prepared and even more excited to see my amazing family!!  (however, I'm still putting together the itinerary for our stays in Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia).  Thankfully, though, one of the professors at school mentioned that her novio, boyfriend, lives in Barcelona and will help me plan out that portion of the trip.  Now just to conquer our few days in Madrid and try to see all of the sights that we can.  (don't worry fam, I'm not going to plan too much for your first day since the jetlag does hit you a bit hard).


I'm going to leave you all with a few pics =)

Lunch- rice, tomatoes, potatoes, chickpeas and chicken-- another Valencian specialty

with my friends Sebastian and Liz 

Me, Jackie, and Brooke

About half of the group out celebrating Luc's 21st birthday!

Miss you all,

I hope everything is going well, take care!

besos