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A New Goodbye

Tick-tock goes the clock, tomorrow is the day.

The minutes go by and I watch as Sunday turns to Monday: Christian, Cj and I are waiting up at Nina's house. I'm tired from a day of packing, on and off tears, and nervousness for my flight tomorrow; but I can't go to sleep. The taxi is coming at 4am to take the three of us to the airport, where we'll meet up with Christine and Vanessa. Christine, Cj, and I have a 6:50am flight to Paris. I'll be back in California at 8pm.

It's funny, during this year I always made the mistake of calling the Malaga train station an airport. And now, when I went to type airport, I first wrote train station. Guess my mind is still finding it hard to believe that I'm going back. Don't know if I've really processed it at all yet. I did the same thing coming to Spain, put off the hard thoughts for as long as I could, then burst into tears walking through security. It's going to be hard to say goodbye this time. Already gave my farewells to my host families and Spanish friends. But now its time for the hard stuff. For the hugs that you don't think you can let go of. For the tears you think will never stop coming. For the see-you-soons that might never come true.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to go back. But in a sad way, a melancholy way: my life here seems so real, so true and so NOW. I don't want to forget, don't want to wake up Wednesday morning and feel like it was all a dream. Don't want to come to terms with the idea of "the past is the past, let it go." I'm nervous. So, so very nervous. I don't know what next year will be like. But I know I have people in my life I can always, always count on to be there for me. I have people who love me, who will stand by my side through thick and thin, and who will be in my life forever. Whether they live halfway across the world or in the neighborhood across the street, I know they'll be there for me. And I'll always be there for them. Forever.

Now wish me luck: I have 6 more hours till I'm catching my flight... gotta stay AWAKE!

Love from Marbella,
Cj Lambrecht

we can all pretend i wrote this

June

The year is for sure rapidly coming to an end. School is finally over (I am so excited to be done with that) and I am left with 6 days in Estepona. I leave tonight at midnight for my trip to Madrid and so on. I will be in Madrid until Friday and then we will go to Granada and the rest of the trip. I am glad that school is over, but it is weird to think i probably wont ever see most of my classmates ever again. Goodbyes with be hard and many, but in the end things will be alright.

I have really high hopes for this trip, and am extremely glad that I chose to go in the end. I have had a ton of fun throughout this year, and the most good and lasting memories have been made with other exchange students.

Today I think i am going to get a haircut. My host dad always jokes about how I never get any hair cut off and that he would be happy to give me a real haircut for free. I think I prefer my long hair to a free buzz. I will then take a bus for 7 hours and 21 minutes to Madrid. I hope to be able to sleep on the bus, but if not then I guess my lack of sleep for this trip will start early. I imagine when I get back I will sleep for a long long time. m

Marbella Weekend

This past weekend I missed out on lots of family visiting Colorado, and the graduation of my actual brother Matthew. Although it would have been a lot of fun to take part in all of that, I had my own fun as well. I might not have been hosting blood family like my parents were, but some exchange family visited for the weekend.
We turned it into a long weekend of beach, party, and of course fun! We had five people sleeping in my bedroom for two night and then four for the third night. Although Monday we had school and didn't get a nice labor day weekend, we decided to take one anyway. Annamarie, Fabien, Anna, and Zoey came and visited Marbella area.
For sure the most fun kids are exchange student, and we make fun out of all situations. We went to the beach and Fabien and I found some treasure. It turned out it was fake, but it was pretty cool still and looked like real gold and a bank note.

This entire post sounds pretty poorly written, but it's all good.

Time is running out

I still feel like there is so much that I need to do and see before the year ends. A lot of this is not possible and i will have to come back to get done. I am down to under 50 days; and sometimes that feels like it is the longest days of my life. However, most of the time it just feels like it isn't quite enough.

I went to the Feria de Cabellos in Jerez last Friday with the exchange students and some Rotary members. It was really cool to see all of the dresses and crazy Spanish people who were there as well. It was like an American fair with all of the balloons, food, rides, games, but it differed because of the large amount of people dancing in their fancy dresses. I have some photos that should be on Facebook soon.

Then sunday I went to the Malaga vs. Sevilla soccer game! I went and sat with Shona, Santi, and Eu, but Vanessa, Christine, and Vanessas host sister also went. It was a lot of fun and the environment of a Spanish soccer game is incredible! Before the game there were thousands of Malaga fans outside of the stadium eating tapas and drinking before the game. Alcohol has ban banned at most of the stadiums because of all the brawls and crazy stuff that has happened. I bought an airhorn and a Malaga scarf. It was unfortunate that we didn't score any goals, but on the bright side we didn't lose either.

There was a holiday today and because of that we didn't have school! It was the small Feria of the year in Estepona. Other than that my plans this weekend are to go to Granada! I am going to meet up with my sister as well as at least 8 other exchange students. We plan to go to a festival of colors on Saturday, and who knows what else is in store. It is always a ton of fun to hang out with other exchange students.

Sevilla

My blog is sporadic and very limited with information, and for that I apologize.

Last weekend i went to Sevilla to spend time with my exchange friend Annamarie. I already had been to Sevilla once before with my host family, but because we were there for Christmas, I wasn't able to see that much. Sevilla is the 4th largest city in Spain, and there are many wonderful things to see. It is a really beautiful city, and probably one of my favorite in Spain! I will be uploading photos soon! I have planned out my last few weeks until the Trip around southern Spain and Portugal. I will be going to the Feria de Cabellos this friday, then on Sunday I will be going to Malaga v. Sevilla soccer game in Malaga. The following weekend (18th) i will be heading to Granada to spend time with my host sister and some other exchange students. Then the next weekend they are coming to visit here! Exchange students are for sure the most fun kids in the world! We just like to have fun, and we do crazy things that normal kids just wouldn't do.

School is still school, but at least it isn't quite so bad anymore. I should be able to pass all of the classes that I need to, and am even able to do better than spanish students on some of the tests!

March, Semana Santa, Cordoba

It has been far too long since I have posted a blog. I apologize for those of you who read this, cause I should be keeping up to date with it a bit better. I have been pretty busy for the last couple of weeks, and have been blowing it off far too long. When things are good, then there is no time to write ;).

This has been an incredible experience. That is all i can really say about it. There are lots of hard times and it is far from easy, but every hardship i have gone through, is well worth it. For Semana Santa (which is the holy week before Easter) I went to Malaga to see the procession. We went on Thursday because it is the biggest procession, and there were tons of people there. It was a lot of fun, and we were able to stay with the exchange girl in Malaga. I have tons of pictures of it on Facebook, and if you want to see even more, just look up "Shona"' from my friends list (she will have even more I am sure). It was also pretty cool to see my host sister again. She came to visit for the holidays, and we had a nice time. Also she got her drivers license now, which is also pretty cool.

Then it was rough, cause I had to go back to two days of school at the very beginning of April. After a short week, I went to Cordoba with all of the Exchange Students in Andalusia. We went to the district conference for Rotary, and spent a lot of time helping set things up for the meeting. It was 4 nights and for days, but i didn't get a full nights sleep any of the nights. It was cool to meet new exchange students that live relatively nearby, and for the most part, we all got along really well.

Now I am back in school again. It is unfortunate because school is so boring and i wish I could be doing other things; but at the same time it isn't that bad because I understand more and I can participate without it being too exhausting. I reached the 7 month mark yesterday, and have a little less than three months left. This of course brings up mixed emotions all over again, but I feel for the most part that i am running a bit short on time and need to start doing some of the things I always said "oh i can do that later".

Granada, Madrid, Toledo (Semana Blanca)

Alright so I got back last night from my 9 night trip for Semana Blanca. I made the most of this week off, and was gone from the time I got out of school, to the night before I was supposed to go back. It turns out that I didn't go back today though. My host family let me sleep, and I am extremely happy that they did.

First, I took a 3 hour bus from Malaga to Granada. I met up with my host sister and an exchange student Fabien (he is French Canadian, and this trip was only possible because we both went). I stayed with my host sister for three nights and we had a lot of fun seeing the city! Then I stayed Monday and Tuesday night with Fabien at his host house. We went to a bunch of important buildings and sights, and saw almost every important landmark in Granada. Some of the particularly cool ones were the Alhambra and the Cathedral. I always seem to love the cathedrals here.

Then on Wednesday, Fabien and I took a 5 hour bus from Granada to Madrid. We arrived without too much difficulty and were staying with a family in a nearby suburb. I spent a lot of money on buses and metro this week, but it was all worth it.

We went into Toledo on Thursday. We had been told by nearly everyone that it was extremely beautiful and we would have to agree. They are really well known for their metal making, and it was cool to see them making some of it! I may or may not have bought a small sword... We also visited some of the various religious buildings located in Toledo. I think there are two mosques, a monastery, a cathedral, and a temple. It was raining by the time we left, but the city was still incredible!

The rest of the trip we spent in Madrid. I didn't take as many pictures as I would have likes, because my phone was all filled up! We visited tons of buildings and landmarks throughout Madrid, but there are a few we missed (such as the Real Madrid stadium!).

It was cool to hang out with other exchange students this week and just to see how their experiences differ from ours. I am going to try to visit more places and other exchange students, just to have fun and to make the most of this incredible experience. I spent a ton of money this trip on various things, but I wouldn't change a single thing about it. I think the only thing that could be considered a waste was the sword, but let's all be honest, its sweeeeet. It was an incredible trip and definitly something I will remember for the rest of my life. It's good to be back though..... just not in school...

There will be pictures on facebook soon,

CJ

Ceuta, Africa

Alright, so my Saturday began like every other day. I woke up at about noon, and went downstairs for breakfast. I then decided to go meet up with some Spanish friends in Estepona. Now that I live further away, this takes either a 15 minute car ride, or a 30 minute bus ride. Just about as soon as I made it and was hanging out with friends, my phone rings; "Hey Cj, Do you want to go to Africa tomorrow?"

The next day, we were on our way to Africa!

We traveled by boat, and it took about an hour to get to Ceuta from Algericas. It also took about an hour to get to Algericas from San Pedro. All in all, I would say that two hours for a nice day trip to Africa isn't so bad. Although a lot of the stores were closed, we ate some typical Moroccan food (kebabs) and had a nice walk. It was cool to see all the history that my host dad had explained to me on the trip to the bus station. It is always cool to live things that you learn and hear about. We walked around a lot, and wet from one side to the other. We got to see all sorts of buildings and sculptures. It was also cool because there was a parade to celebrate (more of a mourning) the end of Carnival. It was a funeral procession with a big fish sculpture, and was cool to see as well,

I am hoping to go to Granada to ski next weekend, and then the following weekend I hope to go to Madrid to visit those sites. We have Semana Blanca (white week) and I should be able to travel a little. I asked about why we have this week off (cause it's only around here) and it is because all of the other schools have time off for another holiday, and they need to make the time fair for paying teachers.

All is well, and i am living my life as well as I can. I love and miss you!

Photos soon! 

I went to Africa

Hey so I went to Africa, that is all

This is from a fellow exchang student that lives in Marbella (20 min away)

love from marbella: Change: Looking over to see Cj on my right, Vanessa on my left, and Christine fidgeting with her blankets on the couch al lado, I can't help but smi...

Quick update

So this week is going to be a pretty good week. I had a fun weekend, we celebrated Carnival a little bit, but it isn't that big here. Now we have the next three days off for "huelgas" which are protests in which kids go walking around town with signs. I went to see what this was like the last time we had them, but this time my host brother and I are using them for extra sleep days. I am also still working on the trip to Barcelona, our first host is now unable to host us, so we are trying to find another in order to make that trip possible. I would love to see all the great things Barcelona is famous for. That is all, I hope all is well back in the homeland.

As many of you know, our family went through an extremely difficult time this January. Our beloved Carly passed away. This was tough on me because I was so far away. I was able to fly back for the ceremony and be with family and love ones for some of this trying time. I am extremely glad that I was able to make it back for that. It was good to see everyone, but i cant even think of worse circumstances.
So January has been pretty good. I am all settled in again and am just getting into the groove of school again. I am all signed up for the end of the year trip, in which we get to travel southern Spain and into Portugal for the Rotary conference.

ITINERARIO de Viaje:

DIA 14 DE JUNIO.-  MADRID- GRANADA

Salida desde Madrid a medio día para emprender viaje en Autocar con destino Granada.

Llegada al Hotel. Cena y Alojamiento

DIA 15 DE JUNIO.-  GRANADA

Desayuno en el hotel y visita de Granada de día completo con entrada a la Alhambra y a la Catedral (guío oficial ½ día) y Almuerzo.

Regreso al hotel, cena y alojamiento.

DIA 16 DE JUNIO.-  GRANADA- CORDOBA- SEVILLA

Desayuno en el hotel y traslado a Córdoba (guía oficial ½ día ), con entradas a la Catedral y a la Mezquita. Almuerzo.

Salida hacia Sevilla, llegada al hotel, distribución de habitaciones, cena y alojamiento.

DIA 17 DE JUNIO.-  SEVILLA

Desayuno en el hotel y visita de Sevilla de día completo con almuerzo (guía oficial ½ día), con entradas a la Catedral, Torre del Oro y Reales Alcázares.

Regreso al hotel, cena y alojamiento                          

DIA 18 DE JUNIO.-  SEVILLA- ALGARVE

Desayuno en el hotel y salida hacia el Algarve, realizando parada en Palos de la Frontera y comida en restaurante.

Llegada al hotel en el Algarve, distribución de habitaciones, cena y alojamiento.

DIA 19 DE JUNIO.-  ALGARVE- LISBOA

Desayuno. Por la mañana salida hacia Lisboa, almuerzo en ruta.

Llegada al hotel, distribución de habitaciones, cena y alojamiento.

DIA 20 DE JUNIO.-  LISBOA (EXC. ESTORIL, SINTRA Y CASCAIS)

Desayuno. Salida por la mañana para excursión a la ciudad de Lisboa (guía oficial ½ día) con entrada al Museo de los Jerónimos, Torre de Belem. Almuerzo.

Por la tarde visita con entrada al Palacio Da Pena en Sintra con subida en microbús. Después visita de Estoril.

Cena y Alojamiento.

DIA 21 DE JUNIO.-  LISBOA

Estancia en régimen de pensión completa en el hotel con posibilidad de realizar alguna excursión facultativa.

DIA 22 DE JUNIO.-  LISBOA

Estancia en régimen de pensión completa en el hotel  y visita a la Convención de Rotary International y encuentro con los Chairman de los Distritos patrocinadores.

DIA 23 DE JUNIO.-  LISBOA  -MERIDA – CACERES

Desayuno en el hotel y salida hacia Mérida para visita (guía oficial ½ día) con entrada al Teatro y Anfiteatro de Mérida. Almuerzo. A continuación traslado a Cáceres. Llegada al hotel, distribución de habitaciones, cena y alojamiento.

DIA 24 DE JUNIO.-  CACERES-  SALAMANCA

Desayuno en el hotel y salida hacia Salamanca. Llegada al hotel para el almuerzo. Por la tarde visita de la ciudad (guía oficial ½ día) con entrada a la Catedral Vieja de Salamanca.

Regreso al Hotel, cena y alojamiento

DIA 25 DE JUNIO .-  SALAMANCA  - MADRID

Desayuno en el hotel y salida hacia Madrid. Breves paradas en ruta

This is the itinerary and it seems like it is going to be a blast. 
There is also a chance that i will be able to go  to Barcelona for Semana Blanca. I would travel with another exchange student and we would take a plane up to Barcelona and stay with a family there for about 5 days. i really hope that we are able to take part in this, because it's Barcelona!
That is all

Holiday Times

Alright so Christmas was a different experience;

First the 24th was a very family oriented day during which we ate a whole ton of various foods. I rather enjoy the food here now, but occasionally we still have something that I simply don't care for in the slightest. We finished eating at around 11 o'clock i would say, and then we took part in a fiesta. We arrived back home in the morning at an outstanding and slightly ridiculous time of 8:25. This is a typical holiday night for a Spanish teen. On normal nights this is not the case, but during some holidays the tradition is to partake in various fiesta activities until dawns early light. The next morning was slightly less enjoyable as we left for Malaga a bit too early. We enjoyed some more food at an aunts house and I met a lot of the new "family". They are extremely nice people and are a really close family. This was good, but really tough cause it made me miss all my family more. Carly I love you, get well soon.
Then on the 29th I believe, we all went to Sevilla to meet even more family! Also of course to eat a bunch more food! Always eating food, always. I have decided that Americans don't eat more, we just eat a lot less healthy than Spaniards. Here they eat a tremendous amount of food, but they eat healthy and more fresh food. I was able to go to the cathedral in Sevilla, and it is beautiful. It is even bigger than the one in Malaga and has a great history (i want to say its the third largest in Europe, but i don't know). I am simply amazed with the architecture that these buildings have.
New Years was another great experience.This was another extremely family time, with a very nice dinner and spending time together. Then one cool thing that they do here is while the countdown to the new year is happening, they eat grapes. One for every month, twelve grapes in very few seconds while the ball of Madrid is dropping. After this we went to a fiesta again; this one didn't begin until 1 o'clock in the morning!