I just spent the most amazing weekend, possibly of my life, in Tenerife in the Canary Islands this past weekend.

The Canary islands...ah the random chain of islands that no one from the US has ever heard of. And for obvious reasons - it is impossible to fly to the islands from the US. Nice going, America. First they block Cuba, now I find out about this. Anything else? :)

Not only was this experience amazing because I would normally have no way of flying there, but the island could cease to exist pretty darn soon...slash be inaccessible. The sand is black, there are rocks everywhere, and only very few people live there. Why? Tenerife is a volcano. Yup. Teide the Volcano. And with all the current natural disasters, I felt that it was completely necessary to research this little land mass before deciding to sleep on it.


It explodes approximately every 100 years, and last erupted in 1909...so...long story short, the people are waiting for the warning signs for the 2nd largest volcano in the world to spill its goodies. And when it happens, rumor has it that the waves will destroy the east coast of the US...just putting that out there.

SO. I can say that I spend the best weekend of my life on a volcano that might go crazy!


So aside from the crazy black sand and fear of death part, it was about 78 degrees and amazing. I went with some new friends in the program and we honestly just layed on the beach, went for a short walk through the town, and ate at some amazing restaurants. It was extremely windy, however, so we got a good laugh out of literally chasing our clothes and beach mats along the coastline. Plus, I have an awesome sunburn as a souvenir.


All the people on the island, or this particular beach at least, were from the UK. So, we arrived speaking Spanish since Spain owns the Canaries...and that did not go over well. Apparently the islands are an escape for bitter, cold people from up north. Our version of Florida, perhaps. After consistently being told to "Go upstairs there" in reference to walking up a hill, we finally had to ask someone where they were from because they have the most ridiculous accents and idea of English. I wish I could have recorded it, but you'll have to take my word on the fact that it was Australian meets Spanish meets London.



At night, we enjoyed the bars and of course just HAD to enter the one with a bachelor party going on. Needless to say we were totally harassed but the combination of alcohol and funny accents and karaoke was enough to keep my friends completely entertained. And the sunsets were to die for. And the stars literally twinkled.


I would give anything to go back someday. It will probably be one of my adventures when I return to Madrid, seeing as that is the only way I can even get there. :) After my friends had gone to sleep, I laid out on the balcony of our hotel and just watched the waves meet the stars. I just kept telling myself that I was sitting on a volcano. That the other island was right in front of me. Africa was to my left. And my home...only God knows how far away "home" was. It was crazy...I was literally just sitting on this little dot in the world that is barely even big enough to make it onto maps. And there I sat. Just some 19 year old from Glen Ellyn with a chance to see the world...

Last weekend visited Paris, France. it was nerve wracking at first, mainly because I do not speak the language and the French hate us. But it turned out to be a completely amazing trip.

Paris is dirty, scummy, vomited on, rat infested, cloudy, gloomy, freezing, and old.
But it was the most amazingly breathtaking experience of my time in Europe so far. :)


It is hard to put into words. Essentially, everything that I have learned about since I was a little kid came to life. EVERYONE knows what the Mona Lisa is - even if all you know is that it is a painting, you still know it exists. And everyone has seen a photo of the Eiffel tower. And even little kids watch Disney movies that take place is Paris, even if they are not aware of it.
And then there I was, standing in front of the EIFFEL TOWER. I was walking down the same hallway of Notre Dame that Esmeralda sings in in the Hunchback of Notre Dame. I stood in front of Moulin Rouge, at which point all the goofy songs by Ewan McGregor were playing in my head. I went to the Lourve and walked down the streets that are featured in movies. And there was the Mona Lisa. A painting that has been discussed in every art class I have ever taken. And it was tiny, and surrounded by tourists, and nothing like it is on paper. But I got to see it. I was there.

That's really the only way to describe it. I was worried that it would just be this huge stupid tourst attraction. That it would be overrated and and built up as many things are. But it was so much more. It was history. It was experiencing something that I never thought I was going to get to experience. I, Erin Howes, was there. It still doesn't feel real.

And the people, by the way, were extremely nice to us...and all speak English. Which has been a common trend of this trip.

My life is too busy...and that's basically the only explanation I have right now. For living in a city that is completely relaxed and has no sense of time, I run everywhere and more than often I am on the verge of tears due to insane amounts of stress.

SO, classes here...They are incredibly easy in the sense that I do not have to study 8 hours a night like at IWU. However, at IWU I make dumfounded faces enough as it is. Well, now I am trying to translate, understand the material in two languages, AND put it to memory. Needless to say it is completely exhausting so what may not be much work turns into my greatest nightmare. Plus, ave always been a dork and LOVE going to class. So this new hatred for school is also taking a toll on me and my performance. But I am trying to work through it.

But aside from the boring school stuff, more importantly I am living in Spain and taking full advantage of everything it has to offer.

A group of four of us went to Valencia, Spain during the last weekend in January. Valencia is about a four hour bus ride, directly east of Madrid on the Mediterranean Sea. So that means while my Dad was shoveling snow, I was staring at palm trees and putting my toes in the sand.
Aside from the beautiful 60 degree sun, Valencia is famous for its breathtaking architecure in its Ciudad de Ciencias y Artes (City of Science and Art). The buildings there are supposed to be some of the most aesthetically please in the world. Plus, we were able to visit their other famous attraction, Oceanografico - the largest aquarium in Europe. We saw every type of animal and fish and I was able to enjoy my first Spanish dolphin show!
Finally, Valencia is famous for, and the creating city of, Paella - a famous spanish rice-based dish that I LOVE. So, I ate it twice.

The following weekend Kati, Maria, and I hopped on a plane and headed for Lisbon, Portugal - the most unvisited and underappreciated place in the world. While many of our trips are huge tourist places, very few people sit down and plan a trip to Portugal. It's very chill and relaxed and no one cares about it. Kind of like the Swiss. However, it may be one of my favorite places.

Portugal cannot be captured through pictures, video, etc. It's a pretty rough-around-the-edges capital. However, the overall feeling there is incredible. The people are extremely polite. (Everyone speaks Ebglish, by the way, which has been a common trend here in Europe). Their nightlife is located in one central area called Barrio Alto in which the streets are completely packed like a crazy rock show and you literally cannot see for blocks and blocks. All you see are people partying en las calles.

Our hostel was amazing. We shared a room with a couple from Chile (who were cool for awhile until the dude hacked up a lung all night and then we hated him) and they had breakfast everyday, a beautiful living room, and a kitchen where we made some meals. Plus, I was able to eat with and talk to people from all over the world. One couple MY AGE was from Germany, speaking in English, in Portugal, and studying at the same university in Madrid...and to think that just being bilingual in America makes you something special...

I am truly, truly terrible at this job.

At school, it was easy to write things down. My days consisted of doing homework, complaining about Saga food, and working. My life literally never stops these days.

The past week was a bit more chill. We have been attending grammar classes each morning...and by grammar I mean our teacher tells us which bars are the best and where to eat dinner and how to stay safe and how to swear and jerks. It's helpful.

Making friends has been easy and difficult. Easy because I made a new best friend t

he first day there. But it has also been hard because that has been the only true friend so far. Ther

e are so many people on this program and while they are all extremely nice and outgoing, within five minutes of small talk I hear how their boyfriends have slept with hookers, or how many times they have been high and in rehab, or how many days in a row they have been drunk since arrival. Nice, but not someone I feel like trusting...

But me and Kati are incredibly happy and having a blast. We get out of "school" around 1 at which point we walk home and enjoy an AMAZING lunch from our Senora. We have yet to be disappointed. The three course meals are amazing every single day and we have yet to have a repeat. Then we take super long siestas simply because we can.

Last week we took an amazing day trip as a group to Segovia to see the castle that Walt Disney based his idea off of, and the Cathedral, and had an amazing lunch with abut 7 courses and a famous Segovian dessert.

We have also been busy planning our trips! I am actually leaving for Valencia, Spain (about 4 hour bus ride from Madrid) tomorro

w (Saturday) at 7 AM! I am also SO excited for my two planned trips: Portugal on February 4th and Paris for Valentine's day!! I am truly without words for how amazing this all is. I am trying to live it up until my money runs out. Which will happen pretty darn soon since the American Dollar is worth NOTHING. Thanks.

The week before we checked out a trendy bar and danced til 6 AM at a gay club. It was beyond amazing. They have a different feel and attitude towards gays here, so there were many straight people as well. And last night was amazing. We stayed out til 6 in the morning again, dancing the night away and receiving tens of thousands of compliments regarding our beauty from every type of European. Please beware of Italians. They are trouble.

Today we took it easy and strolled the beautiful Casa de Campo - miles upon miles of hills, trees, a

lake, and trails. Madrid truly has everything....everything! As the Italians kept telling us, "Madrid iz zee best, zee best."

We have also been eating a lot of chocolate because it's beyond amazing.

Love you all! I'll try to be better. :)

I do not know how long I have been in Spain. I do not know how much sleep I have gotten in the past three days. I never know what time it is. And I never know when to eat. But I am going to consider this my first official day in Madrid.

After an obnoxious hassle with security, a two

hour delay once we had already been seated and on the runway, a stressful transfer, being woken up after only half an hour of sleep by bright lights and random breakfasts because it was 8 AM in Spain and 1 AM in my cabeza, and a completely nauseating plane ride that forced me to whip out

some mad pilates breathing skills to prevent vomitarse in public, we arrived safely in Spain.

I was shoved into a taxi with some random 6'10" boy and essentially had no idea what was going on. I don't care how fluent I am. I was running on half an hour of sleep and my

contacts were mad at me and resembled a dirty fishbowl. Excellent. We arrived at our hotel and had to pay...ready for this...61 USD for a 15 minute cab ride. Please send money. Love, Erin.

The hotel was gorgeous. Kati and I were running around like idiots. The most idiotic, however,

had to be the fact that we could not, for the life of us, figure out how to get the lights on. After peeing in the dark I demanded help. We went down stairs to ask for assistance. Apparently Europe is actually serious about being green rather than it being the cool thing to do, so you need to put your hotel room key into a slot in order to activate power. Schnazzy, eh?

Also, while we're mentioning Spanish culture/customs, there were no clocks. None. Seriously.

Not surprised. Also, there were no locks on things such as bathrooms and the shower only had half a door. They truly have completely different ideas on personal space and privacy.

Oh PS - I may have forgotten all my bras...

We had an amazing meal in the hotel where we met some cool students, we had to dinner and followed people around to restaurants for tapas and drinks, and we

walked the beautiful streets til about one in the morning and the streets were packed. It was a

Monday night. Amen to things being open and people being out past 8 damnit.

We checked out of the hotel in the morning. Kati and I had used a free calling card to make a 4 minute call hom

e. When we checked out, they said it cost us 63 dollars. About 8 bucks a minute. Not free. Not okay. Please send money. Love, Erin.

We met our host families before we started bawling and causing a scene.. They, and the home, are absolutely

adorable. Kati and I are sharing a room with some rad bunk beds, complete with fenced in area to prevent death while abroad y arriba.

We had to take some pathetic test today. A great thing to give to completely jet lagged, hungover, and for a lot of people, both, students. Afterward we were standing around with a bunch of guys, all of us holding our 3 x 3 foot maps of the city. It was so touristy, I wish I had had my camera out to top it off. None of us knew how to get home. En serio. One kid a

s trying to find his way back on a metro that would take him 40 minutes. Yah. That's unfortunate. Kati and I live about 5 minutes away on the bus, so we guessed. And yes, we made it home.

We just got back from exploring our own little street. When I say little street, I mean there are hundreds of taxis, people, a palace, parks, and a mall that looks nicer than anything the United States has ever created. And it's just a frickin mall (in photo). We couldn't afford dinner, so we ate McDonalds. And we couldn't afford that. Kati

sandwich cost her ten bucks. At McDonalds. Yah. And she spilled her drink. Please send money. Love, Erin.

So between buying phones, buses, stupid phone calls, meals, and all around making mistakes like it's going out of style, I hope to be well on my to running out of ideas to mess up in the first place and become a Madrileña.

Perhaps next time I right I'll only be 100 euro shorter instead...

Paz. Todo el tiempo.

Pre-Spain Excitement

As much as my previous and bitter post cracks me up, I have a much more excited attitude as the days get closer and my trip seems like more of a reality.
While it still feels surreal, we finally received some housing information today. I of course spent the entire afternoon in my pajamas Google earthing all of Madrid, looking up the houses and parks nearby, and getting completely ecstatic about my next four amazing months.
My new madre's name is Carmen. She has a 14 year old daughter and a home. That's the extent of my information but it works for me.
I am to share this residence with the lovely Kati Hinshaw. I have studied abroad before, and while it was short, the girls that I lived with have been my hermanas ever since, and there is this little bond that is completely undescribable until experienced. I cannot even put into words how excited I am to be sharing this life changing experience with such a brilliant and wonderful girl. I cannot wait to get into trouble, laugh hysterically, and grow as a person with this crazy farm girl from Hudson Illinois who just happened to cross my path. :)
I am absolutely craving this study abroad experience. It may sound ridiculous, but I am honestly so excited to be proud of myself. It's a personal goal and feeling but I always felt that everyone was put here for a reason, and so far all I have done is gone to school and gotten good grades. I am so ready to move above and beyond my acquired education and simply be somebody. And the fact that I know that I can do this just makes me happy and makes me proud.
In the mean time, I have long lists of all the things that I need to do. I paid money for more money (damn exchange rate). And I am packing my suitcases, which, by the way, I put on my scale frequently to make sure I stay under all weight restrictions! Erin Howes will be spending her money on plane tickets and clubbing and European clothes, not luggage thank you very much.
I write so much. Win. And I think I will hold off until Spain.
Hasta y amor.

Madrid Plans Taking a Turn

After a rough past week of dealing with the IWU Madrid cancelletion, oh, excuse me, "suspension," I have let go of my anger (not really) and have moved on to find a new program to get excited about.

I will be applying for the study abroad program IES which will still alow me to study in Madrid, live with a family, travel, the works. Because the school has screwed us over, we do not have to pay any application fees and we automatically will be accepted to the program. I am not the only IWU student choosing this program, which is great because me hopping on a plane and flying to a foreign country alone is not okay. Thanks.

I am hoping that in the months to follow, the level of cynicism will take a hike and allow me to truly become excited for this new trip. I genuinely cannot wait for the experience, but right now my face is still burning from the slap it received last Wednesday. It left quite the mark.

This new program does not start until mid-january, so that will give me more time to sit around in Glen Ellyn alone. Should be fun. I also cannot participate in a May Term, since the program will not return until mid-May. But as long as I am back for work and Emma's graduation, I have no complaints. Overall, there are more classes offered, more spanish, more people to meet, and the same 4 day school week and opportunities for travel.