The Time of my Life!

I am a little late on my post, but this past week and weekend have been a whirlwind. This past week was my last week at RMSI. I was so sad. I cried Thursday when I had to leave all of my wonderful students. Even though at times they were a little wild, they really touched my heart. They taught me so much in the month I was here. 

This weekend I went to Rome, Italy. I absolutely loved it! I want to go back and explore different parts of Italy. I was only there for two days but I managed to see everything I wanted to see including the Pope! I had such an amazing time. 

Today is the day that I leave and it is so bittersweet! I love it here and I do not want to leave! However, I am so excited to be reunited with my friends, family, and my pets Phoebe and Lucy. I have had the best experience here. It really was the time of my life. I cannot thank my host family enough for being so wonderful! I could not have had a better placement. I will miss them so much! I plan on coming back one day to visit. I love them so much! They welcomed me into their home and I have felt a part of the family from day one! 

Now for my 20 hour trip back to Kentucky! 

One last kiss from Spain,

Ashley

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a very special time to spend with your family. Every year for Thanksgiving I go to my Nanny's house as well as the rest of my family. I love getting to see all of my family and catch up on each other's lives. This year however, I did not get to do this. This was the first year that I have celebrated Thanksgiving without my family. 

A few days before I was a little sad and I was nervous that I would be sad on the day. However, it turned out to be the opposite. I had a great day! I went to school and taught my 6th graders about Thanksgiving. We watched videos of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and they loved it. For lunch, the school prepared a special meal for all of us. It consisted of turkey, a vegetable casserole, fried potatoes, and bread. It was different from back home but it was good! Later that night I got to skype my family at their dinner. It made me so happy to see all of them on such a special day. I then went to a dinner of my own at Shannon's host family's house with two other American teachers, Brittany and Miranda. We had such a great time! The company was fun and the food was delicious! Shannon made several dishes from home. Some of these included turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas, and corn. I couldn't have asked for a better Thanksgiving, if I couldn't be with my family. It also showed me what I am truly thankful for. 

Kisses from Spain,

Ashley

Lunch at the school.

The dinner table.

The Thanksgiving dinner.

The delicious food!

Week 2!

One thing that I have learned about blogging is that I am not very good at it! I do not update it as often as I would like. I will try to do better the rest of the time that I am here!

My second week in Barcelona wasn't as amazing as my first week because I got very sick. Last weekend it rained every day, but we didn't let that stop us! We explored the city and saw the most amazing things, however, in return it made most of us sick. Being sick in another country is hard. I wasn't around any of the things that comfort me when I am sick back home. I didn't have my sick blanket to curl up in, or my cat to snuggle with, and most importantly I didn't have my mom. The medicine here is also in Spanish. If it wasn't for my host mom buying me the right medicine and taking care of me, I would probably still be sick. 

School this week was much better than last week! Last week the school was celebrating Santa Isabel, the saint of their school. It was much like a homecoming week in America. There we're 4 teams, red, blue, green, and yellow. It wasn't a normal school week and the children were very excited and not that interested in school. This week I got to see a normal school day at the school. I loved it! I love all of my students and I actually had fun teaching 6th grade! After school on Monday it was raining so I came home and tutored the children. After school on Tuesday I did not feel well so I just came home and rested. Wednesday after school, all of us American teachers went to Football Club Barcelona (the soccer stadium). It was very cool! Thursday I was more sick than I have been in a while. I had to leave school early because I was extremely dizzy and light headed. As you can imagine, all I did for the rest of that day was sleep. Luckily after taking a lot of medicine I woke up Friday feeling a lot better. Friday was Brittany Madden's birthday so we all went out for lunch at a place called Burritos. It was delicious! I am definitely going to have to eat there again before I leave. 

My weekend was incredible! My host family owns a house in the mountains that separate Spain and France. Their house is on the France side of the mountain. I got to go there Friday night and spend the day there on Saturday. The views were breathtaking! There was also a lot of snow! It went up past my ankles! It was beautiful! I also got to eat a fresh French croissant and it was the best croissant I have ever had! When we left I fell asleep in the car, an hour later or so later when I woke up we were at the beach. It blows my mind how so many beautiful places can all be in one place! The Mediterranean sea is gorgeous! We got there as the sun was starting to set so the sky made it even more gorgeous! Today I am going to see Park Quell and I am very excited!

Barcelona is such a magical place. I would love to live here! If I could, I would move here tomorrow and bring all of my friends and family with me! Everybody should come here and experience living in such a wonderful place. I only have two weeks left here and although I am excited to get back and see my friends and family, and graduate, I don't want to leave. 

I cannot wait to see what this coming week holds for me. Next weekend I am off to Paris! I can't wait!

Kisses from Spain,

Ashley

My First Week in Barcelona, Spain

                          

                     

Hola from Spain!

My first week in Spain has been amazing! I still feel like I am dreaming. It's hard to believe that I am living and teaching elementary school in such a beautiful place. I mean, how is this real life?! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

The school that I am teaching at is called Col-Legi Reial Monestir De Santa Isabel. It is a gorgeous school. It houses students from preschool to high school. I am teaching 6th grade for the month that I am here. The classes are separated into only boys and only girls. I have one class of boys and two classes of girls. The students here behave a lot different than they behave at school in America. The boys are wild and the girls tend to listen a little better. It is definitely an eye opening experience. I was nervous to have 6th grade, because if you know me, you know that I have a personality geared for younger students, but it is going well and I love my students. 

The host family I am living with is wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better placement. I feel right at home and part of the family. My host mom's name is Laura, and she is the sweetest woman. My host dad's name is Carlos, but I haven't got to know him yet. I have a host sister named Sofia who is 9 years old, and a host brother named Alvaro who is 7. I absolutely love them! They are so much fun and so sweet! They also have a live in nanny/housekeeper named Patricia. She doesn't speak any English but she is very nice. Everyone lives in apartments here. The apartment I live in is gorgeous and homey. 

I have gotten to experience so much this week. I've gotten to eat Spanish food which is based on a Mediterranean diet. It is very different from American food. I have liked most of the food that I have tried so far. This week I rode my first metro. I was nervous at first but now I feel like a pro. I've gotten to see so many amazing things since I've been here. I've gotten to see a few Gaudi buildings. The architecture of these buildings are phenomenal! I got to see the Columbus monument which was huge! I went to a famous market called La Boqueria, and so much more! 

         

                                                            Laura, Alvaro, and me

                                      

                                                                Alvaro, me, and Sofia

                                       

                                                             Some of my 6th grade girls

                                       

                                                Amanda and I at the Columbus Monument

Kisses from Spain,

Ashley

Hello!

                                          

Hello! My name is Ashley Sullivan. I am a senior and in my student teaching semester at Western Kentucky University. I just finished my student teaching at North Warren Elementary and I am about to embark on an incredible journey that allows me to finish the last month of my student teaching in Barcelona, Spain, teaching 6th grade. I don't know what this journey holds for me but I am so excited to find out. I will be keeping a blog during the month that I will be in Spain, documenting my experience. I have never kept a blog before so this in itself will be an adventure. Stay tuned for more on my adventure. 

-Ashley Sullivan