Labels and Pumpkin Pie

I wore my Rotary Exchange shirt to school yesterday and was pleasantly surprised when a friend from my class asked me where I had gone on exchange. Laughing quite a bit, I replied, "um... Spain?" It took her a second, but she figured it out and we enjoyed a good laugh over it. I found it hard to believe that she didn't remember that I was on exchange from California, but was pleased that my "exchange student" label was starting to wear off. In the beginning, I felt like I had a big "Made in the USA" label stamped onto my forehead. While it was useful when I needed extra help, my obvious foreignness was a bit of a barrier between myself and the other students. My status as "extranjero" isn't gone completely, it's faded to the point where I feel as if I fit in here. My Spanish isn't superb, but I understand the teachers and can hold a good conversation. I have friends who seek me out for help and ask me to wait for them so we might walk together, who are proud of my high test scores and laugh with me when I miserably fail. The teachers generally expect me to do the homework and participate in class, though I suspect they give me a bit of slack on the exams (I don't get docked points for spelling and grammar, thank goodness!!). I'm pulling high scores in Latin, Greek, and French, improving slowly in Science and History, hopefully passing PE (learned how to do a cartwheel in class the other day!) and full out failing Philosophy (a girl can only do so much haha). These past few weeks we've had a lot of free classes do to teacher absences; they give me more time to work on my conversational skills with my peers, which I love. My friend Claudia (from Australia) and I get together most Wednesdays after school to study, which is incredibly helpful because she knows way more Spanish than I do. We've become Wednesday regulars at a local restaurant, though the guy who calls out names still can't pronounce my name correctly! Oh well, he's got seven more months to get it right!!

These past couple of days have been incredibly cold, only a little above freezing in the morning, plus high humidity and sharp winds. Most days I do my homework while curled up in my bed and drinking Nutella soy milk.

I'm realizing that I didn't post about my Thanksgiving: to sum it up, my exchange friend and I made it up, my exchange friends and I made dinner for ourselves and some local rotarians. We, the exchange students, got permission to take friday off and spent it in Gibraltar! As the only one of us who'd been there before, I attempted to tour us around (which mostly consisted of searching for monkeys). I'm proud to say we made it all the way around and a ways up the rock without becoming helplessly loss!

Besides that, life here is pretty normal! My new yoga class is awesome, I really need to do some laundry, and I think I may be getting a cold (bring on the mandarins, kiwis, and orange juice!). I'm missing home quite a bit since it's the holidays, but I'm looking forward to spending Christmas in England!!

I hope everyone at home had a wonderful Thanksgiving <3 I'm thankful for all of you and your support!

Love from Marbella,
Shonabell

 it's not Thanksgiving without lots and lots of Pumpkin Pie!!

 Las Chicas!

 Dinner :)

 YUM

 Just so cool in Gibraltar

 Mis Amigos at the castle in Gibraltar

FInally got to see the monkeys! This guy just chilled with us while we took lots of photos and videos :)

Little Sister

Dear Callie,
I've never had a big sister, let alone an older sibling, which means I've never really known the responsibilities of my job: do I buy you lots of presents, fight with you, give you advice, lend you my clothes, ignore you, laugh with you? These three months away have given me a long time to think about what it means to be your older sister. It means that I love you unconditionally. It means that we can talk about anything, and that I always have someone to hug when I'm feeling sad. Most of all, it means I miss you so much that the thought of being away for seven more months is almost unbearable. I miss tiptoeing into and out of our room in the dark so as not to wake you, I miss the way you sometimes talk in your sleep, I miss the way your face lit up when I showed you a new Taylor Swift song, and the way you can talk and talk for hours. I miss seeing you dance around the house, and I miss the noise you make when you tap your feet under the counter. I miss doing your hair and makeup when you dressed up as a princess, and buying you all the silly little presents that mom never would. I miss you speaking non-stop Spanish to me even though you knew I didn't understand a word, and I miss the way you laugh and laugh at your own jokes. I miss holding your hand in parking lots and helping you play computer games. Most of all, I miss you calling me "Shawny" and the way, when you smiled at me I knew without a doubt that you loved me.

I know I'm not here for you this year, and I'm sorry for that. You have grown up so much already in the time that I've been gone! Third grade was a big year for me: I learned my times tables, my dream was to live on a ranch with my best friend with lots of horses, I earned my black belt, and (how could I forget) you were born!  I always thought of myself as a leader, but looking back I tried so hard to fit it that I almost lost myself along the way. You're already much braver than I was, and I'm so proud of your ability to stay true to yourself even when everyone else is doing something else. There are things I'd wish someone had told my eight year old self (or rather, I wish I had listened to some of the things people told me!). I may not be there for you whenever you need me this year, but here is some advice that will hopefully get you through some of those sticky situations...

It's okay to make mistakes, just make sure to learn from them.

Mom and Dad are usually right.

Telling the truth makes life a lot easier, even if it doesn't seem like it will in the moment.

Listen to whatever music YOU like, not what your friends say is cool.

Don't be afraid to sing and dance in front of people.

Always do your homework and try your best on tests, but if you occasionally get things wrong it's OKAY.

Watch Disney movies as often as possible.

Read often, but don't forget to go out and live in the real world too.

Smile at people even if they're not one of your friends.

Boys are silly -- don't ever let one of them make you feel bad about yourself. You are perfect just the way you are.

Practice the splits everyday -- at least one of us kids needs to be semi-flexible!

Try new things and seize opportunities. I always wish I had been in theater and played softball, but was too scared to try!

Believe in fairies.

And always remember that your big sister loves you <3.

I miss you so much Callie-Boo.
Lots and Lots of Love from Marbella,
*Shawny* xoxo

Time Between Us

Hola everyone!

Check out my guest blog on tamarairelandstone.com (click on "blog") -- enjoy!!

Love from Marbella,
Shona Bell

Remembering Why

As I inch closer to the three month mark, my life in Marbella is becoming just that: my life. I'm settling in. School in Spanish is now just schol: no longer a foreign place full of confusion and stress; rather, school is filled with challenges I am overcoming day by day. Make friends: check. Learn more Spanish: check. Do the homework: check. Pass a test -- well, let's just say I still have a ways to go before that happens (though I've got a Latin exam on Friday that I'm feeling prepared for). I stand out less: my spanish is better than most of the tourists' and retiree population's, I dress like a Spaniard (for the most part -- still not ready to trade in my TOMS for a pair of Converse), I've finally figured out how to work the bus system, and I love my siestas (and fiestas) like the rest of them.

Still, I have my doubtful moments. Just this past weekend, I was seriously questioning my decision to go on exchange. I felt lonely, stressed, and scared. Sunday morning was characterized by my loneliness and homesickness; I was so depressed that the very thought of moving from my bed seemed impossible. Luckily, I've got a good support system behind me; at the core of which are the other exchange students here in Marbella. Knowing I was in a "funk," Vanessa and her host mom dragged me out of my room (okay, out of my bed -- yes, I know three in the afternoon is a little late to still be in my PJs) and over to their house. We made crepes (chocolate&banana and sugar&mango - yum!). The sweet smell that filled their kitchen alone was enough to cheer me up, and our easy conversations, in Spanish of course, just added to my rejuvenated spirit. Mamen, Vanessa's host mom, is one of the warmest and most caring people I've ever met; the conversation between all three of us, despite a slight language barrier, is that of old friends. Our stomachs full and spirits high, Vanessa and I tramped down a few flights of stairs to their "den," watched the Big Bang Theory (at first in Spanish, but we eventually switched the settings so we could listen to Sheldon's voice -- it's just not the same dubbed!) and enjoyed ranting back and forth about our lives. By the end of the evening, I was feeling confident once again: Vanessa and Mamen had succeeded in reminding me why I came here.

In other news, my Spanish is still improving with every passing day. I can finally say things in past tense and am understanding most of what goes on in class! Marbella is raining buckets at the moment. I usually have an umbrella, but that only makes so much of a difference when the cars drive through puddles at racing speeds, causing waves of water to splash upon me. I can't really complain though, there's something incredibly soothing about changing out of wet clothes and into warm sweats, then joining my host parents for a hot meal. On days when I'm feeling especially chilled, I make myself hot soy milk with nutella -- sounds weird, I know, but yummmm. It's ten times better than your average hot chocolate :).

A quick congrats to all of my friends at home (and abroad) who just voted for the first time!

Love from Marbella,
Shona Bell

P.S. Does anyone know a good recipe for pumpkin pie that begins with a real pumpkin? They don't sell canned pumpkin (heck, they don't sell ANYTHING pumpkin) here in Spain, and I'm craving a slice or two (or ten) or pumpkin pie.

Random Days (and mornings)

Waking up in the morning is one of the hardest parts of exchange. The split second between dreaming and waking up is full of incredible confusion; "where am I? what's going on?" Every morning I have to convince myself that the day is going to be okay and I will feel better later. So far, I've made it out of bed, to the kitchen, and eventually to school every day. On my way to the bus, I always look up to the sky and find the Orion and Big Dipper constellations; somehow they make the world seem like a smaller place, meaning that I am much closer to home than I feel. Usually, no matter how hard the morning may be, I do have an okay day :).

This past week has been full of many ups and downs. I burst into tears in class on Monday; it was super embarrassing because nothing much happened to trigger the tears (except for stress), but ended positively when I noticed how many of my "friends" were willing to comfort and support me. It was the first time I have ever felt truly accepted by my classmates. I was smiling and crying at the same time that day.

Tuesday morning I woke up with a terrible cold; unfortunately/fortunately I had already made plans with a friend from school. We met at "la alameda" (which seems to be the standard meeting point for teenagers here) and took the bus to "Puerto Banus." Even though I was feeling completely miserable Claudia and I had a good time window shopping. By the time I got home, I was running so late for my dance class that I had to run all the way there (about 1.5 miles) in order to get there on time. Still feeling incredibly sick, I attempted to follow the dances and was thrilled when the hour class was finally over -- I was in desperate need of sleep.

The next day I got up early (9 am, early for a non-school day) to go with my host dad to collect my residency card. We hadn't expected the line to be so short, so instead of meeting my friends as I had planned I sat at "la alameda" and read Time Between Us, an awesome book by my dad's friend, Tamara Ireland Stone. The beautiful park, with its tropical green trees and sparkling fountains made for a relaxing reading zone :). At one I met Cj at the bus station and we made our way to Puerto Banus (Cj wanted to see all the fancy cars and yachts). We took a boat back to Marbella, then Charissa and Vanessa caught up with us for ice cream.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday went by in a bit of a blur. Homework, sleeping, Facebook, TV, Pinterest... I spent four days as an incredibly lazy teenager.

Monday and Tuesday were just two normal days at school; today I got to leave school early to go to a Rotary meeting with Nina, Christine, and Charissa.

I'm realizing that my words are coming out slightly terse and uninteresting. I'm not exactly sure why, but I'm really exhausted at the moment. This whole thing is just absolutely exhausting sometimes. Mentally, physically, emotionally; it's like I'm on a crazy roller coaster ride. At some points I'm terrified, others thrilled, usually exhausted, occasionally sad, and, quite often, happy. There's this little thing called a language barrier that challenges me daily. My spanish is getting better, and I am finally conversing with other kids in my classes (!!) and can mostly keep up with my host parents at the dinner table. School is getting to be normal, although I am dreading the coming weeks without days off. So far I've only had one full week of school; next week I have thursday off but after that it's five day weeks (ugh).

Sorry for the kind of random collection of thoughts in this blog. I'm feeling a little odd this evening and not in a very eloquent mood (not a bad mood, just a tired one).

Love from Marbella,
Shona Bell

Looking for the Castle

Monkeys, red phone booths, and double decker buses: my trip to Gibraltar could only have been better if I'd stumbled upon a blue police box. Because it's only an hour car drive away, my host parents and I took our time Saturday morning sleeping in and eating breakfast. Once we reached the border between Spain and the UK (it feels weird saying that) my host dad parked the car and we walked through customs, where we waved our passports by bored-looking security guards, and right into Gibraltar.
We hopped on a double decker bus (yipee) that took us Casemates square. From there, we grabbed a map and started making our way down main street. EVERYTHING WAS IN ENGLISH (which was just a little bit exciting). Popping into a cemetery to look at the gravestones and dead people, I saw my first wild monkey! <----I don't know about the rest of you but I think this sentence is wacky ;P While trying to find our way to the castle, we ended up walking halfway up "the Rock" where we took some fantastic photos. By then, we'd been walking for at least 2 hours, my ankle hurt and I was incredibly disappointed in myself for choosing to wear skinny jeans. Still looking for the castle, we made our way up and across the rock some more and wound up at old siege tunnels. Although we didn't go into the tunnels, there were a ton of monkeys hanging around and messing with the tourists (stealing food, grabbing hair, climbing on legs and laps, etc.). Eventually, we made it to the castle -- by this point, we'd seen so many amazing things (and we were hungry and tired) that we all took a look at the castle and said "cool, it's a castle" and continued walking back down the hill. Once we reached the bottom, we stopped to enjoy some traditional british food -- I had fish and chips and my host parents had shepherd's pie. Meandering through the shops on our way back, my host dad and I had an argument about whether or not Columbus was the first person to discover America (he thinks he was). Quickly realizing that my spanish arguing skills and lack of proper information were no match, I attempted to excuse myself from the conversation. Luckily, my host mom seemed to recognize my discomfort and dragged me into a shop with her (thank you Ana! Lol). We made our way back to the car, and finished our long, fun day by sharing some pasties from a local shop -- yum!

monkeys in the cemetary

cool photo from halfway up the rock

fish and chips

the rock

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I spent Saturday with my friend Cj, another exchange student from Colorado, in a town about 25 minutes away in Estepona (where he lives). He showed me the "sights;" cute, typical spanish streets, a beautiful beach, a small port, and all his local hang out spots. We wandered a long ways down the beach towards Marbella -- at each corner we'd say "just 'till the next one" and the next one, and the next one, etc. For lunch, we shared a platter of traditional spanish meats at one of the local restaurants (absolutely delicious) and, of course, french fries. I met his host mom, who took us out for ice cream and dinner; she's really nice and the two of them seem to get along really well :). After dinner Cj showed me the way down to a really pretty cove; unfortunately my agility level decreases about 100% in the dark, so I was pretty clumsy trying to make my way along the rocks and wall on our way to the cove. The view there was absolutely beautiful -- lights all the way along the coast, you can see Gibraltar and even a spanish city on the African coast. After sitting for a little while (enjoying the free wifi haha) we made our way back. At 11 o'clock I hopped on the bus back home, exhausted but happy to have had a good two days behind me.

the beach in Estepona

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All in all, it was a fantastic weekend (I spent Sunday sleeping, cleaning, and doing homework).

I hope everyone is doing well at home, I miss you all!

Love from Marbella,

Shona Bell

My-Life-is-a-Cliche-Movie Moment

Yes, this really did happen to me...

"Oh sh*t," she thinks as her foot catches the lip of the stair.  A slow-motion effect takes hold, and she feels the milliseconds tick by: the floor inching closer and closer to her face. Then, right before reaching the ground, her arms shoot out beneath her (dropping the pile of books that had, just moments before, been held securely to her chest). Suddenly, life regains speed and she's sprawling out on the stairway. Cheeks flushed, she attempts to collect herself, her books, and what remains of her dignity. Reaching for her science book, she is surprised to feel the warmth of skin and looks up straight into the blue eyes of an unfamiliar boy. Unable to think properly (and still in a bit of a daze from her fall), she grabs her book from him -- and manages to drop her notebook again in the process. Now utterly embarrassed, she scrambles to grab it before he can help her again. Unfortunately, she's too slow and attempts to smile gratefully as he hands it to her. Mumbling a quick "gracias" and hoping her smile didn't look too much like the grimace it was masking, she grabs her things and rushes down the hall. The bess rings as she sits down. Soon enough, her thoughts begin to drift, and she can't help but wonder if her elevated heart rate was caused by the fall, running to class, or the boy with the blue eyes.

Quick shout out to my parents, who just celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary! Love you Mom and Dad!!! <3

As always,
Love from Marbella,
Shona Bell