Monday was my last day at school. It has been surreal that my time here is up. When I first saw that I could student teach abroad I didn't think I would ever want to do that. One day I just said, "What the heck" and went to a meeting. Since that day I made the best decision of my life! This experience has changed me so much not only as a future educator but as a person as cliche as that sounds. Barcelona is a beautiful city and I have stayed with an amazing family that has taught me how to love no matter what. There are 5 kids in the family and every single moment it is crazy. Of course I only have one brother, who is older, and he never annoyed me like I did him haha Even though there are 5 kids and at times it was overwhelming, I could not ask for a better family. I truly feel like I am their 6th child. Patricia and Nacho are role model parents. Even when they are mad they still roll their eyes and laugh after getting after the kids. Every day they make sure that I am doing okay and they always ask me questions whether it is about the US or about my family or Ben. Oh, and about how old they are. It is a joke between us how much older than they are than me so they talk about these American groups or songs from back in the day (mom and dad it's music you listen to ;) ) and they automatically think I have never heard it and how they say I am too young. Well, my parents are old :D and so I tell them I actually do know the song/group and start singing with them i.e. the beetles, blues brothers, elvis etc.
Now I want to talk about the school that I have been student teaching at for the past month and I will get back to the family business. Like the title of the post Monday was my last day at school. As excited as I am to graduate and to be done student teaching so that I can start my journey as a teacher, I do not want this experience to end. At school all of the kids were so sad. Every class both boys and girls would hug and cling to me and beg me to stay. One girl even said I could sleep at her house if I needed to haha The boys who always give me a hard time (5C) tackled me in the hallway and starting hugging me, I definitely did not expect that out of them! They are hooligans! Throughout the day it was surreal that I would not see these kids anymore!!! During our lunch break the teachers put together a luncheon at the school library. There was pizza, coke, Bailey's chocolate, and of course presents! Each of us got a school t-shirt which are VERY nice, a yearbook from last year, a lanyard with a note from our teacher, and the newest school journal that they publish each month. We took pictures and enjoyed our lunch and then it was my last class of the day with my sweet girls! It was heart breaking. Maria wrote me a note and made me a bracelet and the girls all wanted my email address to write me, so I am hoping for tons of emails in the future to stay in contact with them! I said my goodbye's to the kids and to Rudy. I didn't feel like it was real, I just thought to myself I will be back. But who knows?! I actually may! ;)
Today we had the day off from school to do last minute things and to say goodbye to the city we have grown to love. Abby, Tayler and I met at 8 and started our last minute sight seeing at Olympic village, Mount Tibidabo, Monjuic, Camp Nou, and of course SHOPPING! When we went to Monjuic, come to find out it wasn't on! We wanted to see it during the day and then again at night to see the light show, well it only happens at night on Thursday, Friday and Saturday! We missed out!! When we went to Tibidabo for my 3rd time with the last time being a fail, we actually made it! We rode the bus to where I wanted to eat lunch (it is where Nacho said to go) and then we got on a lift that took us to the top of the mountain. The sight was amazing. We could see the entire city right in front of us! There is also an amusement park and a church at the top. We went inside the church and of course it was pretty. So many paintings. After we were finished, we went and ate across the street from La Verna (we couldn't read their menu so we went were Nacho said had good drinks). We sat at a table that overlooked the city and listened to the kids playing outside at school. There was a huge opening instead of windows and it was perfect for a day like today. Once we ate lunch we shopped until we dropped! So many things to get!!! Tayler definitely beat Abby and I on the packages! She could barely walk down the tram aisle without hitting people sitting down.
When I got home Brenda (the nanny) taught me how to make the spanish omelets. I helped peel the potatoes (she laughed as I attempted). I am awful at this but I got better by the end of the night haha The finished product was the best. I cannot wait to attempt to make it at home! Patricia also showed me how to make the red peepers that I love and we have pa amb tomaquet since these are the 3 things that I am dying to make back home. When we ate dinner Guillermo told me how he has enjoyed me staying at his house and I thought I was going to cry. I feel like I don't get too sentimental about things but boy, tonight is the night where I get emotional! After dinner we took pictures with each other and had a good time playing with everyone. Nacho told me how they made the right choice in having me stay (thank goodness) and that anytime I am around Barcelona there home is always open under one condition... next time I bring KY Bourbon haha He said that once he answers the door he will ask okay where is the Bourbon. If I don't have it I have to stay somewhere else haha Hopefully they will get to come to KY and see my home and I can take them places like they did with me. After the pictures were taken, Pablo and Jorge kept saying "Kelsey no leave, no leave." and crying. Broke my heart especially because I won't see them in the morning before I leave. These 2 were so scared of me the first day and tonight I couldn't get Jorge to stop kissing me and he was wanting me to hold him! They also gave me a very pretty bracelet as a way to remember them always as Patricia said. Little does she know, I will never forget them.
Words cannot express the emotions that you go through with staying with a family who you don't even know and you grow into their family in one month. I know that I am probably rambling trying to get all of my emotions in this blog but bare with me. This family has turned me into a girl who barely tried new things into trying, slimy red peppers, potato and onion omelets, weird/raw meat, green olives, chick peas, slimy beans that I am still not sure what the heck they were, smearing tomato and garlic on toast drenched with oil and salt, eating french fries and chicken nuggets with a fork and knife, and many other things. I adapted to their culture and I do not think that I could have done that if I was not with them. As kind hearted as they are, I don't see how I could ever forget them even if I tried. Hopefully, I will see them again some day!!!
Kelsey
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