Bittersweet Goodbyes!

So I'm sure many of you are wondering why I'm heading back to Madrid since I had already been..... Well I am heading to the Madrid airport to then depart to the US! I am so excited to be with my loved ones and take care of some unforeseen circumstances. Stephanie and Sadie decided to join me to see me off and stay for a couple of days. It was a 7 hour bus ride from Barcelona to Madrid and we arrived to the metro station. The girls were heading on line 5 and I was headed to the airport on line 8. Then it was time to separate. This was literally the hardest part of it all. The girls have been such a big part of my experience and I've spent countless hours with them it was slightly surreal going separate ways. You don't expect to get this close to strangers but I love these girls like I've known them my entire life. I've had ups and downs, family and friend issues and homesickness and these girls have been there for me through it all. I couldn't imagine this experience without them.

Stephanie :

From the moment you introduced yourself I knew we would get along. You have been such a great friend to me through this experience and I can't thank you enough. We have shared so much together and gotten so close I couldn't have made it through Alicante without you! Even introduced me to Nutella! Your creative and free spirit inspires me so much and I know we will be friends forever. You're truly a unique and beautiful soul..... 😘😘

Sadie:

Oooooo Sadie what can I possibly say about you. You have the biggest heart in the world and you're a sweetheart. Since day one when you walked in after your traumatic airport experience in tears laughing at yourself I've loved you since. You've showed me to find the good in all people and that as much as you may dislike someone to find what makes them sparkle ⭐.From hearing about your sad Sadie stories, vining, kevin, daily CNN updates and watching every parade possible out of your window these memories will stay with me always. As crazy as you are, you're an amazing, smart and beautiful person inside and out. I've never met anyone like you and probably never will. ILYYYYYYYY ❤❤❤❤😍😘

The train door closed and the three of us crying like babies is when it really hit me that i would be returning home. It was like a movie scene. You both have been so influential in my life. God brings people in to your life for a reason and I truly believe we were meant to meet. I never thought after 6 weeks I would get as close as I have with you two but I am blessed to have met you both. I love you girls with all my heart and i know we will meet again someday. 

Love my girls 

My experience abroad has truly been life changing. I have learned so much about myself , others and an entire new culture. As I board my plane all of my memories are flashing through my mind and I wouldn't have changed my experience one bit. I never expected traveling to change my life this way but it really has. I view life in a completely different perspective and have had the experience of a lifetime. I had some of the best professors I've ever had, amazing new friends, and seen some of the most beautiful places in the world. 

Lessons:

- Life is too short to worry about things that we have no control over

- People will come and they will go never put anyone on a pedestal

- don't sweat the small stuff 

- You create your own happiness

- You can never judge a book by its cover

- there's something beautiful about uncertainty

- we all come from different walks of life, one is not better than the other 

- everything happens for a reason

- take a leap of faith

- experience it all! Eat the food, speak the language, and try everything at least once

- worry only about today - morocco

- see the beauty in everyone - Sadie

- be creative, unique and don't care - Stephanie 

- Worry about yourself - Alejandra 

- just smile and live your life and everything else will fall into place

Returning home ✈

My life will never be the same again, I will never be the same again. España you have made me a new person. You have not seen the last of me!

Muchísimo gracias! 

Besos 😘😘😍😍

Barcelona

The girls and I embark on another adventure in Barcelona! We literally finished finals and dashed over to our apartment packed and headed to the train station. The 5-hour train ride was average, nothing major and I say next to Jenny another girls from our program from Chicago. We arrived in Barcelona then jumped onto the Metro (tram) over to the hostel. I've become quite the navigator while in Europe which will surprise my mother. But when your lost and mom is no where in sight, you just have to figure it out yourself. We arrived at Yellow Nest Hostel and I forgot to mention that tho trip was last minute! So yes, a group of 6 girls headed to Barcelona with no tickets and no reservations! If you know anything about me you know that I am a bit OCD and always need a set itinerary wherever I go. But I've learned that being spontaneous and sometimes just heading out and laying your head wherever you can is actually fun. Yellow Nest Hostel was really nice and was full of young adults mainly students studying. We were all separated by twos and I was paired with Rachel. Rachel and I headed to room A and had 4 Mexican guys and a French girls as Roomates. One of the Roomates Victor was a 28 year old student completing his masters in micro bionics Engineering over in Germany. We all started up all night and exchange stories about Mexico, the US and France. They have all spent time in the US and surprisingly missed all of the fast food options, Taco Bell, chipotle , in and out , and Wendy's. The rest of the guys showed up after a night of partying but I was so tired I didn't hear a thing at 3 AM but woke up to a room full of Latino Men. Lol 

Party Animals! 

Since we had no prior planning the hostel was hostel had no availability for the next night but had room in another hostel called Garden Hostel. We headed back to the Metro and headed to our new home. Garden Hostel is located in a more residential area and is so adorable! We were greeted by Felipe at the front desk and he was such a great help. We were assigned our rooms and went to unpack and rest. 

Pin where your from! I was the only visitor from Cleveland or Toledo! 

Leave your mark.

Sitting area. 

We got settled in and decided to go exploring again and visit the famous parque de Guell. Before leaving Felipe was kind enough to supply us with a map that he personally highlighted sights we might want to see with notes of which  train to take and tips. He is such a blessing!  The park was absolutely gorgeous and huge! It was filled with flowers and beautiful gardens. The casa de Gaudi an amazing architect that I became recently obsessed  with. His work is amazing and was filled with different buildings of his work in the park.

We wanted to look like a couple! Lol

Next we went exploring, got lost and ended up at La Sagrada Familia another work if Gaudi. If you are ever in Barcelona it is a MUST see!  

Beautiful even under construction! 

We did a bit more sight seeing and headed to Las Ramblas shopping area before heading back to the hostel. We we even randomly ran into the Barcelona Pride parade!

Awesome parade! Spain was actually the 2nd country in the world to legalize Gay Marriage in 2004! 

We arrived back at the hostel right in time for the hostel BBQ! We sat in the garden ate great food and chatted with fellow travelers. This is probably my favorite part of traveling, meeting new people from all walks of life and exchanging experiences. I met a medical student from Georgetown in DC and told him how much I loved DC especially after staying with a friend of my mother's in Arlington for the inauguration. He asked me the name and I said Tony Baca he's an ER doctor and the kid was like "what you know Tony Baca, he's an awesome physician!  And I hope to shadowing him soon!" What a small world! After takin for awhile the girls and I decided to shower and head out for the night! In Barcelona the best nightclubs are near the pier. We decided to check out this club and here is where the adventure begins! After a sufficient amount of drinks we were dancing , losing an earring and meeting tons of people and having a great time we decided at 4 am (which is considered going home early) it was time to go home. Over by the train station we met Pol and Vicente two very attractive Spanish guys around our age who we all instantly became friends with. Surprisingly we ran into Grace and Alyssa two other girls from the Alicante program.  We wanted to keep the night going so the guys invited us to some pubs where more locals would be. Yes, I know Melanie don't go off with random strangers but hey I was in Barcelona and decided to take a chance! We went to a private party, hung out with the guys and the headed to the beach / pier and had some great conversations. Pol is a recent graduate and working as an aircraft Engineer for Iberia Airlines and Vicente was a international business graduate who just recently started a new program. These guys were so nice and not creepy! The genuinely wanted to show us a good time and show us the city. By the time we noticed it was 7:00 am and the sun was coming up, the guys walked us over to the train station and gave us directions home as they went on their own train home. We exchanged Facebook information to keep in contact! I was so excited to go to bed! 

The next morning Stephanie, Sadie and I check out of the hostel and purchased bus tickets to Madrid. We explored more of Barcelona and had a blast. These two girls and I have become amazing friends and I really have grown to love them. We ended up accidentally running into Casa Batllo another amazing Gaudi building and the Cathedral! 

Casa de Battlo! 

Cathedral

Unbelievable! 

Stephanie, Sadie and I literally had a blast here! We sat on a bench and people watched for over an hour and the things we saw were funny to say the least. Europeans are interesting creatures!  We met up with Bridget and Kara my two favorite Iowa girls for some Vino. Then it was time to head back to the hostel, grab our luggage and head to the bus station and next stop was Madrid! Barcelona was  blast and the sights are beautiful! A must see tourist area! 

Dora with her map! This map was my lifesaver the entire weekend! 

Canyoning!

My Roomates convinced me to sign up for Canyoning! For those of you who know me I'm a bit of a princess and getting muddy, hiking and jumping off cliff isn't typically on my to-do list. To be honest since I've been traveling I have wanted to fully embrace all that I can in my time here in Spain. We woke up early Saturday morning to meet at the port with the excision company to head off an hour away into the mountains.The 8 of us USAC girls had no idea what we had signed up for.  We paid our 40 euros for our crazy excursion and headed off! The drive was great, we drive through the city of Benidorm and the mountains were gorgeous. I was nervous about canyoning because honestly I didn't know what the hell it was... At first I thought it was canoeing! I had a great conversation with the instructor on the way about the city of alicante, history of the festivals and canyoning. We arrived at the meeting point where we joined with the rest of the group who was also canyoning.

Putting on the wetsuit was an absolute mess! The girls and I were most definitely struggling with sliding on a skin tight suit, needless to say I have some battle scars from the struggle! 

Only took 45 minutes! Lol

After a 45 minute struggle with wetsuits, helmets and harnesses we were ready to go!  We began the journey with a mile hike up to the top of the cliffs in the 85 degree heat. As we reached the top the instructor began his do's and dont's and how to not die basically. The cliffs were amazing, it was great to be in the nature and really appreciate its beauty. We hiking up and down, over and upset through rapids of water and it felt so great to be in the water after hiking in the heat! We approached the first jump and I was first to go.... I watched the instructor and he looked at me and said in spanish ok let's go. And I looked at him and said ummm down there?! He was like well there isn't any other way down. Oo great Melanie! So, I jumped! It was awesome adrenaline rush.... I had a great time jumping, repelling off cliffs and hiking in the mud. We had a great group on the trip which made everything so much more fun, some pilots from France, Americans and some Spanish couples. 

My instructor Francis before i repelled! Sliding through the water! 

Such an amazing feeling! 

I cannot thank my roomates Stephanie and Sadie enough for convincing me to go! I had the time of my life and can't wait to add some more adventure into my life. This trip has already changed the way I think about life and I can't wait to embrace and experience so much more. I want to explore the world and see life!  Life is all about take chances. You never know what will come after that first leap of faith but I can't wait to see !

 I can still be a princess just need to take of the tiara ever once in awhile! Take a leap of faith and don't worry about the outcome!

Besos! 

Melo

Goodbye Morocco, Hello Fiestas

Well my trip to Morocco has officially come to an end! It has been an absolute pleasure to be welcomed as a guest of this gorgeous country. Our last day was by far the most adventureous! We packed up all of our things, had some breakfast then headed to the city of Assliahs! On the way we group stopped at a beautiful sight to view the exact location where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean ! 

Alejandra and I! 

It was a gorgeous view and it was incredible to be at that location, being two places at once! We then headed to the main attraction Camel rides on the beach and visited the caves of Hercules! 

His name was jimmy Hendrix!

I was heart broken to leave morocco! My experience over just a few days has changed my life. Morocco/Africa is truly a sight to see and will change your entire perspective of the world. Being away from home only makes you appreciate the life you have,the people you love and the things that truly matter. We take for granted the importance of our health, happiness, and love in our lives until we see those who cherish and embrace with what little they have. Children spending the day selling homemade bracelets to help support the family while we complain about waking up and going to a class truly broke my heart. We are blessed beyond belief and need to take full advantage of the opportunities The Lord blesses us with.

Out in the city. 

Now we are back in Spain ready to celebrate Fogures de San Juan! Biggest 5 day festival in Alicante! 

Traveling helps the blind see again.

Besos ❤

Melo

Morocco Day 2: Arab princess for a day 👑

Today will go down as one of the most memorable days in life. Morocco has stolen my heart and I am loving every part of my adventure. My day started out with breakfast... We had a fantastic breakfast selection at the hotel with some great authentic Arabic coffee. I almost forgot how much middle easterns love pita but have embraced my weekend of carbs! Once breakfast was complete we hopped onto the bus and headed for an hour trip to the city of Chefchouan. And how appropriate the movie playing on the bus was Aladdin! I knew my day was going in the right direction from that moment on..... We stopped at a local store for a 20 minute restroom break and the view was breathtaking. I have not witnessed a bad looking area yet. As we headed off the bus we were greeted by a bus full of local school children on their way to school... They were so adorable screaming Ahola. Surprisingly enough in Africa some think aloha is what Americans say for hello.....

What I woke up to... I love donkeys 

View 😍

My Arabic babies 😍😍😍

As we entered Chefchouan, locals and venders filled the streets. The group was introduced to our tour guide, I named him Mo ( I really have no idea what his name is) and he welcomed us to the city. Mo lead the group on a walking tour of the city explaining the history of its people, religion and traditions. He explained the rich Muslim culture and how everyday life is for the locals. The group learned quickly that you are NOT to take pictures without permission because you will offend someone and at one point were even yelled at by the locals. Mo explained the reasons for the colors of the homes and the significance they have to the religion and practical reasons. The city is filled with beautiful blue house which is why it is nick named the blue city. The color blue prevents bugs, Mosquitos and flies from entering the home and keeps it cool. Throughout the day the doors in the homes are kept open and the city actually has no police system during the day... Treat  and trust thy neighbor well.

Rocky loves Morocco! 

My Alicante girls 😁😁

Throughout the entire tour I felt as if I were in a movie. I could not grasp the fact that I was able to experience all of this. We then headed over to the washing river. No explained that each and everyday the women take the rugs of the home and wash in the river. Many women were carrying huge carpets all through the city in the horrible heat. The site of the river was beautiful and the people mingling with friends and neighbors. I asked Mo a little more about the culture, I was really intrigued about daily life and poverty levels. He said that the people live day by day and live with by their means he said " you should only worry about having enough money to eat today, never worry about another day". I really liked that. Too many of us are constantly concerned about tomorrow, about the future when really life is just too short. 

Mo! 

Washing river

Washing areas 

LUNCH TIME! 

 After a straining walking tour in the scorching African heat I was really to refuel. We went to a traditional Moroccan restaurant filled with pillows and lanterns. I was in heaven. Lunch consisted of a DELICIOUS salad, chicken and rice and fruit as dessert. After lunch we were dismissed for Shopping!

 

The bartering Queen! 

After my many trips to Chinatown in NYC , I knew I was ready for the challenge of bartering in Morocco! They didn't even know what hit them! The Moroccan Dirham is the local currency which converts to 10 dirham = 1 Euro 8dirham = 1 USD. Keep that in mind and NEVER pay full price. The streets were lined with shops and shops of just about anything I could have ever imagined, rugs, bags, clothes, and jewelry. As I walked through town I could feel eyes following me. Men were stopping me left and right calling me beautiful, an Arab princess and some even gave me free things. I was beyond flattered but always kept my eye out for any funny business! Alejandra was very amused at the fact that I was literally being chased after. Men were offering things left and right and two offered "special massages" and assured i would be pleased... then it was time to go! I told you all I was really a princess 👑. 

 

My new Moroccan friends who argued over who would be my boyfriend.. Lol 

My new goodies:

2 tobacco pipes

Slippers

2 woven cover ups

Key chains

Earrings

Post cards 

Moroccan knife

Camel toys

Bracelets

Wallet 

And more! 

For future morocco travelers you will see the "Hand of Fatima" very often. I absolutely fell in love with this symbol and its meaning. The symbol is beautiful and is a popular symbol for Christians and Muslims. The hand represents protection from all harm and jealousy of the world and a sign of good luck, blessings, and strength.

Hand of Fatima

After a long day it was time to head back to the hotel and then dinner later that night! The group rested for awhile and headed to dinner and a traditional dance show which were both fantastic! I had a great day filled with history, culture and amazing memories! I have fallen head over heels with the culture, generosity and warmth of Morocco! More to come tomorrow!! 

Besos! 😘😘

Princess Melanie 👑 

Morocco Day 1: Speechless

I've finally made it to morocco!! I am literally speechless of how amazing this country is. I do not regret my decision one bit! Crossing the Gibraltar into morocco was beautiful. Who could have imagined that with a 1 hour ferry ride I would be entering an entirely different world? As we arrived and departed ferry the culture shock immediately set in. Every man in a sight was staring us down like we were for sale and they were eager customers. It was slightly uncomfortable when even the law enforcement were staring at the group of American girls and undressing us with their eyes. One man even joked about buying a girl for 5 camels?! Don't know if that was a proper deal or not... Hahaha! But as we rode through the city I was literally in awe of how amazing the scene was that I was viewing. I just thought to myself, Melanie you are actually in African... oh my God! Words cannot describe how my heart melted. On the drive to the hotel there were mountains and camels on the beach, another postcard image. Living in a fantasy. i wish my loved ones were here to experience this magnificent country. We made it to our beautiful  4 star hotel that looks like a palace. Dinner was served! We had amazing Moroccan soup, cous cous, fruit and of course PITA! 

Sunset! 

Fountain at the hotel

As beautiful as morocco is the poverty broke my heart. I feel guilty laying on my pillow top bed and there are children outside of these walls in poverty without shoes. Definitely a reality check.Being in Europe in general has changed so many of my previous perceptions of life but morocco is changing my heart. 

More pictures and stories tomorrow!

Besos ❤

My Moroccan Adventure!

The has finally arrived! I am beyond thrilled that I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to morocco! Another check off of the bucket list , visit an Arab country. I encourage you all to create a bucket list, a list of goals you hope to accomplish, places you would like to visit and things you want to make happen in your life time. My goals are my motivation. 

My journey to Morocco begins with a lengthy train ride from Alicante to Madrid, Madrid to Sevilla then a bus ride from Sevilla to the border and a ferry ride over the Gibraltar into Africa. And even with my day full of transfers, trains and busses I am still anticipating my arrival to Morocco! On the trip are my friends from my USAC study abroad program Sadie, Stephanie, Alejandra and Amanda. My interest in the Arabic culture began in high school from an old high school boyfriend and by just getting a glimpse into their culture I was instantly intrigued. Family values, culture and pride were all aspects of my own culture that are similar to those of Arab descent. I'm excited to experience the rich culture first hand on my weekend adventure! Stay posted for pictures and posts!! 

Besos !😘😘😘