Dulce Diez y Seis! Sweet Sixteen! Oh, how sweet, indeed!

Yes, it would indeed be true if I were to say I am almost always sick. There's this sore throat that keep coming back. Soon enough I'm going to have my yearly plague. I have this cough from the bottom of Hell every year, and I am not anxiously awaiting it's arrival this year.
With the humid cold, I have this feeling I'm wearing a wet towel, and it's not a happy feeling...
Everyone in Spain touches everyone else. They're closer than we are in the US, which is not bad, it's just different. I have to adjust to THIS country. People will take my hands, and then they are taken back by how cold they are. My hands have always been cold, I don't know why. I never thought anything of it, but the Spaniards have a saying for it.
"Manos frio, y un corazon caliente."
Cold hands, and a warm heart.
It's quite flattering, I just thought I was a weirdo.


As for the update:


I last wrote to you on the 19th, last Friday, two days before my birthday.
I may or may not have mentioned that I was able to go to one day of UIBE. That's the Baptist Youth Convention. I left Saturday morning at sometime around 9 o'clock with my two friends from the church. We got lost in Valencia, and I have to say it was one of the highlights of my exchange. I really loved what Yoel said to me; "Don't worry, don't worry. God is with us. We are going to a place to worship him, he will get us there."
Sure enough, we actually arrived before the service started. I worshipped my great God, was in the companionship of my best friends, and I felt it was good enough to make up for the big birthday bash I wouldn't be having the following day for my sweet sixteen.
Little did I know...


I got home Saturday night, rather, Sunday morning, and had no thoughts about my birthday...
I woke up, and it took me all of 10 minutes to actually realize I was 16. I still don't believe it. I was ready to zombie like arise from my blessed bed, when the noise upstairs turned into a stampede down the stairs. Oh no, they were coming for me! I braced myself and tried to act natural.
"FELIZ CUMPLAÑOS!" they sang to me.
They each presented me with a gift...and if you want to see what they all produced put together, check out this photo!

Anyway, so that's it, they gave me a dress, necklace, tights, shoes, and a wallet set. I figured that was their way of reaching out to me in a special way for my birthday.

I got up, and Nathalie curled my  hair. That made her day. Well, more like her life. She's really enjoying this having a daughter thing. I want to have two, you know...

I went to church with my curly hair and new outfit. Everyone wished me a happy birthday and many blessings.

I came home, and Nathalie said Eli was coming to take photos of me with my cute outfit. I'd previously done a photoshoot of Eli, so this was her returning the favor. I didn't really think anything of it. Nathalie began freaking out that Eli was late, claiming that we were losing sunlight.

When Eli did show up, Nathalie took her into her bedroom and talked to her alone, and Eli came out trying to hide a bag that was making a crinkling noise. We, Eli, her boyfriend Albar and I, ended up in Las Rotas, because it's my favorite place in Denia. That's where the above photo was taken. Here's another crowd favorite:

After we finished in Las Rotas, we headed to Eli's apartment. More photos there, and opened my gifts from that part of the family. I loved the gifts! By this point, I figured something was up, that we were waiting around, JUST to take me home!

Nathalie kept urgently calling Eli as we were on our way, and that's also what gave it away. Eli and I were walking up to the door and I was trying to put my theatre skills to use and act surprised.

Turned out I didn't really have to act. I was taken back by how many people were there. They jumped out of the dark and yelled, "SURPRISE!" in ENGLISH. These people are angels!

I was surprised because my neighbors, a fellow exchange student, Paco's best friend, my grandparents, and my theatre friends were all there! It was so amazing! That's what changed my mind about Spain. It really help me turn my thoughts around. I'm not jumping at the thought of going home anymore. I'm settling in, and I feel really loved.

The party was amazing, the gifts incredible...I don't have words: No tengo palabras...No tinc paraules...

<3

Here's a photo! It's only got a few of my friends. Nora, Cris, me, Andrea, and Kiko... I'll blog about the rest of the week later.

Vaya Con Dios.

<3

Gabriela

Ever feel like TGIF is the understatement of the year?

The highlights of this week:
(Journaling is really helpful, even though it's not always the easiest thing to do when you have a marvelous bed like mine!)
Sunday was a great and terrible day. I had a really spiritual time in the church, but wasn't getting along well with my host mom. 
We made up Monday, and I can't tell you what a relief it was. This experience is hard enough, I can't imagine having to live with a bad feeling inside myself everyday. I really feel sorry for those students who get stuck in bad host families.
Now I really can feel for my mom who had a family that wasn't the best experience for her on her exchange. Wow. That'd be really hard! One day of contention in my host family and I'm ready to pack my bags. The language is hard enough!
Monday, I swept all of the downstairs, cleaned my room, and organized all my things. I can't express to you how great and marvelous that made me feel inside! I haven't been doing any real work here. They raise kids differently here. (You can't work as a teenager here! I don't know why, but that really surprised me!)


I could almost sing, I was so happy to put that dust in the trash bin and open the window to let in the fresh air.


I don't think any student could survive an exchange without friends. My friends have this way of making me laugh when I wanna cry, and sustaining a positive attitude when I feel I've reached my limits.


Tuesday is the best day for classes. Class starts at 9 instead of 8. For lunch on Tuesday I ate salad and San Jacobos. I have begun to LOVE salad, and I hope I can make a salad like my host mom someday. San Jacobos is a Spanish food...It's ham and cheese, and fried with something on the outside. All I know is I love it, and I had it my first week at my family's beach apartment. Also on Tuesday, I was sitting in Research class with Nora, (the other exchange student in Denia,) and one of my favorite things about Spain happened. My teacher spent the whole class period talking about something that had nothing to do with the class curriculum. He gave a  lecture on smoking. He gave the analogy about the amount of money people spend on smoking. When I say he spent the whole period talking about, it's no exaggeration. He literally spent the ENTIRE class period on the subject.
He's a good teacher, though. He's one of my favorites. He made me answer a test in his Music class in English. Ok, whatever. :) I got a 6'5, which is above passing.
Wednesday: it was a long school day, with full classes, but not painful. I had PE, and we jump roped. Almost everyone in my class is inept. It's quite hilarious to watch. I've jump roped since elementary school, so it was easy for me. They're impressed the most when I double dutch. I also found out on Wednesday that I might be able to attend the Baptist Youth Convention instead of the Rotary trip.
That would be a major: (As my best Spanish friend would say:)


WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!


Yesterday, Thursday: The work was started on constructing another door in my house. It was done very fast. They finished it in about two days. 


As for today, I ended up leaving school an hour early. The teacher of my last class didn't show up, and I didn't exactly feel like going through the trouble of calling someone with my limited Spanish. (DON'T WORRY, IT'S GROWING!) So...I left school, walked to the usual intersection and waited for my friend Kiko, who goes to Mariabas, (the other public school in Denia). On Fridays, my host mom has me walk home with Kiko. (Starting today.) Kiko was late, but I didn't know, since I don't posses a watch. Gotta fix that soon. We picked up sodas at his house along the way. It was fun, but we were both exhausted, and my house isn't exactly what'd you'd say CLOSE to the school. I ate a sandwich for lunch. I love European sandwiches, because they're made with French bread. 


Spain is really French. My mother-LOVES snails.


...Help!...


It's all good.
May God Be With You




Gabrielle

And four days later, she returns!

Well,
(Oh no, the well returns!)
I've been sick with a sore throat the past two days, and happily spent after school yesterday in bed. My bed has to be the best place in all of Spain.
EXCEPT VALOR! I ate churros and hot chocolate in Valor with my friend Alex on the twelth of October. I still remember that date because it was my favorite day so far in Spain. It was raining, I was with my best friend, and I ate the most delicious churros and chocolate in the entire world! It was the cutest little place. AND IT WAS RAINING! I don't know why, but I just love the rain here. You'd probably find it gross if you were here, since they don't have real draining systems...It all just washes out to the ocean. The streets puddle with water, and I love it. It's very strange of me to feel this way, but I find such a beauty in those murky puddles...It's like Spain has some ancient mystery unsolved to this day...
I love free-writing!
I like blogging informally more than the updates I'm required to send out by email.
It usually takes me longer to free write, than to send out emails. Well, formal emails anyway. I will spend 20 minutes writing emails to my boyfriend back in the states or my best friend here.
You can expect me to usually write on Fridays, since you know...I have to actually 'study' the other days of the week. Anything that I don't understand in school, I'm not going to understand at home...So, what do I have to study? Well...
(Yikes, that "well"...)
On another note...
If you'd like to know the current theme song of Spain, please view this link:
DAVID GUETTA "MEMORIES"
Laugh. Out. Loud.
It's seven thirty, and mom usually closes the shop up in about an hour. That leaves me an hour to finish up all the emailing, blogging, and social networking I need to do for the week.
It's a pity that tomorrow is the day I do all the fun stuff. I get too lazy the following Friday to put what happened... Maybe I'll make it a goal to write better about theatre and ballet next Friday.
I feel like all the other exchange students are trapped in horrible host families, are enveloped by studying and have no life, are getting wasted every night with fellow exchange students, or are traveling every weekend to some new part of Spain.
So, what do I say?
Uh, well, I'm awesome 'cause I...Dance?
Giggle.
Wow, it sounds so pathetic, but I don't think I'd have it any other way!
Friday night is so boring...But I'm always wondering what Saturday morning will bring. Sometimes we stay in our PJ's til noon, and then eat together...and sometimes it's 8 AM cleaning our rooms. We'll see what tomorrow brings. My family will probably just leave me alone in the morning, since I've been sleeping non-stop the past two days due to my sickness.
As I'd say to my Daybell family: Ohhhhhhhhhh, SICKY GIRL RETURNETHS!!!!!!!!
I think I would have the best exchange in the entire world if I got to see Neon Trees in Europe. I know I won't be able to by now...What with Rotary...But there's plenty of potential times I can see them. Hopefully they hit Europe huge like The Killers, and I get to see them later on. ;D Cross your fingers for me!
We don't eat dinner in Spain until 10 o'clock or so...Pretty late, but I sort of like that better. It means I get to eat a snack meal in between lunch and dinner.
I had to make another blog for my research class, and it's on Valenciano. Luckily, my best friend here speaks it as their first language, so, if I have any questions, I know who to ask! :)
My school tutor, who is my art teacher, told me something that sort of made my day a little bit... She said, "I spoke with your history teacher, and she said you might have the possibility of being able to pass her class!" I took it as a compliment. Laugh. Out. Loud. I got better scores than some of my classmates on the test of The French and American Revolutions...So... :) Maybe, if I keep studying I can scrape a passing grade.
I feel like I should post pictures. I don't want people back home to think I look exactly the same and then when I get home be utterly shocked.
Posting pictures....AHORA! NOW!
:)
Thanks for reading...All 8 views... :( Sad day. Ok, really posting pictures...NOW!

Ready, Set, BLOG!!!

Ok, gotta write before I forget! I've recently started journaling, and procrastinating my blogging! It's a good thing I can look in my journal and see what I've been doing, because I have forgotten almost everything!
I think Saturday is a day worth writing about. It was my favorite day here in Spain so far! Saturday morning I went to my friend David H.'s house. He's got drums, a guitar, mike, and sound system set up in a small, special studio sort of room. I am in love with that room! I sang while David H. and David O. switched off on drums. I sang a lot of different songs, but we are preparing a Christian rock song to perform in the church. David H. really likes my voice, even though I don't. I believe my host mom said he wants to form a group. 
Great, so that'll be ANOTHER guy in Spain who doesn't want me to go back home! 
Ai!!!
Right after spending all day with David 1&2 I went to ballet and theatre. Ballet went well. I love to dance. But don't tell anyone, ok??? That'll be between me and you........All you random people reading my blog...Turns out I've only had 88 page views since I created my blog last month...Sad day. Read up guys!
Theatre wasn't as great as ballet...But I got to eat with my American neighbors when I came home! That was fun! I love them!
I feel like I'm spending too much time on the computer, and I better get back to rehearsing my Christian rock song. :)
Here's the link if you'd like to hear the original.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoU8zBQE6Q4



Until the next time,
BESOS!
Gabrielle