Easter is over!

So the little vacation is over! This afternoon after lunch I’m coming back to Barcelona, and I still have some homework left!

My little cousins and their parents came on Thursday and have stayed here. They are 12 and 9, just as Bill’s sisters, both girls. So I have spent every day playing lots of things with them, and I haven’t had much free time for me! But I’m having a good time now, though I miss a lot my friends! The weather hasn’t been very good, and it has rained a couple of days, so I haven’t been able to go walking in the forests anymore… 

By the way, in three days is my birthday!!!! I already have my main present, because my parents gave it to me the night before Holland. It’s a camera, because I didn’t have one and my brother was carrying his own, so I wanted to take pictures in Holland! I will buy some clothes and maybe something else if I’m interested. Yesterday was Sant Jordi and today is Oscar’s birthday, these days are full of things! So I will let you know tomorrow about the celebration of Easter, with the “monas”!

See you in the next post!

Song of the day: The Kooks – Always Where I Need To Be

Days in the country!

Heeeey! Today I’m going to go later in the evening to the bar with WiFi in the village, so I will upload all the entries I’ve made and maybe talk with Bill, if he’s online, because we haven’t had the chance to talk yet… So I’ve been here for 3 days, and this morning I’ve gone up to Les Salines, the highest mountain in the surroundings, with 1300 meters. It’s not very high, there isn’t any snow either, but the views from there are really nice. My brother and me started walking at 9:12, and after 7,4 km we arrived there, at 10:28. I have taken some pictures, very beautiful from the forests near the top.

Yesterday we went to Figueres to watch a film called “Sin límites”, about a man who starts taking some pills that make your brain work at 100%, so he wins lots of money and success. You have a good time watching it, and it’s not bad, but there’s no real point in it, no reflections, any second meaning. Well, I’ll let you know some more in a few days!

See you in the next post!

Song of the day: Train – Drops of Jupiter

Setmana Santa!

Setmana Santa has arrived! Today I’m going to Maçanet de Cabrenys, my village in the Pyrenees, and I’ll stay there for the whole week! The bad thing is that I have no internet in there, I have to go to the bar and get the Wi-Fi there…

Last night I started watching a new series, a miniseries actually, called The Pacific. It has won awards, and it’s got only 3 chapters. It’s about the second world war in an island of the Pacific Ocean called Guadalcanal, and it shows how destructive war is, and how it affects to the Marines. I’ve only watched the first part, but I liked it, and I’m looking forward to the next one!

So I have my second trimester grades already! And they are better than the first trimester ones, I got 4 A’s and all the rest with B’s. That’s good, although I think I can do better in the third trimester. Yesterday I went out for lunch with Marina, Arantxa, Oscar, Xavi and the two Uris. We went to Fresc Co, but I ate gnocchi from Pasta Corner… We stayed in the park in front of my house for a while, and then we went to Valero’s house. I was at home at about 7 thirty, and I could talk with Dutch people for the first time. Bill was not online and now that I’m not going to have Internet I’m not going to be able to talk to him… L But I’ll try to come online in some public place and spend some minutes to talk!

See you in the next post!

Song of the day: Jason Mraz – The Remedy

Back To Reality

Today was the first day at school after coming back from Holland, and luckily, as every other wednesday, we didn’t work at all. Yesterday we were aloud to stay at home although there was school, because we arrived very late the night before. So in the morning I went to Elisenda’s house for her birthday. At her place there was her boyfriend, Irene and Mireia, but I didn’t stay long. In about 40 minutes Irene and me left home, as it was almost lunchtime.

When I was at home I was in facebook all time, watching pictures and more pictures about the trip, and I uploaded some too. In the afternoon, at about ten to five I went to school to say hello to everyone, and then I came back home to prepare myself for my basketball training. I didn’t feel like running and jumping, but I had to get used to the normal schedule again. 

So this evening I was doing some homework and I really need something to clear my mind. My thoughts start flying away to Holland every second and I can’t do anything to stop it! I guess it’s just a matter of time to concentrate again in the important things!

Song of the day: Wake Me Up When September Ends

Holland!! Farewell, Last Day

So we knew it had to end someday… Today was the last day in Holland, and everything has happened so fast… But let’s explain how the day was!

I got up a bit earlier because I wanted to take some pictures of the house and the family. I enjoyed everything I did, thinking it was the last time I was going to do it: taking a shower in that bathroom, having breakfast with Bill… Before going down to the kitchen Bill’s father came to shake hands and say goodbye, as he had to leave now. So once I was prepared to go I took my camera and started picturing each corner of the house, except the upper floors, so that I could remember how my exchange was. Finally, I took a Photo of the family: Tessa, Bill, Lobke, Guislaine, the nanny and her husband. I will keep that picture!

Bill’s mother drove us to school with the bags, and we said goodbye then. Some minutes later we left Cals to go to Utrecht by tram and spend the day there. We had some free time when we arrived, as the first group was going up the tower. That was really tiring! We had to go upstairs for 80 meters of height, and those were 465 stairs! But it was worth, the views up there were very beautiful, and we could visit the rooms where the bells were. Even Wessel played a melody with the bells! So after that we went to an indoors-climbing place. It was 60 meters tall and that was too scary for me… I didn’t try to climb, as I’m a bit afraid of heights, but I helped the people in my group, Uri and Adriaan. Uri got to the top of the easiest one and tried also a couple of difficult ones, but always got stuck in the middle, as Adriaan.

We went back to the station; it was time to return to Cals College. When we were there, the Dutch partners told us to wait outside, as they had prepared a little surprise for us. So we waited, talking and trying not to think in the few time we had left. But they said it was all set, and we went in there. Ben was holding his Les Paul, and everyone was in a circle. The Spanish also stayed around them, sitting inside the circle. The surprise was a song: Time Of Your Life, by Green Day. They started to sing it at the same time, all together, and that moment will be in my mind for a lot of time. The song said:

Another turning point;

a fork stuck in the road.

Time grabs you by the wrist;

directs you where to go.

So make the best of this test

and don't ask why.

It's not a question

but a lesson learned in time.

It's something unpredictable

but in the end it's right.

I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs

and still frames in your mind.

Hang it on a shelf

In good health and good time.

Tattoos of memories

and dead skin on trial.

For what it's worth,

it was worth all the while.

It's something unpredictable

but in the end it's right.

I hope you had the time of your life.

My eyes started to get wet and I didn’t want that to happen, not yet. It was so emotive, and I just couldn’t stop some tears falling. When they finished everyone started hugging and saying goodbye. There was an hour left, but it was like seconds, lots of things were happening at the same time. I managed to not cry, and Ben played some more songs, as Wake Me Up When September Ends. We all sang it together, holding hands. When the teacher said the bus had arrived, it was the saddest thing ever. We looked for our bags and once they were inside the bus I started to say a final goodbye to everyone. The last person to say goodbye, just as I was going inside was Bill, it was the third or fourth time we did it. But when I saw them from the windows I realized that it was over, and how much I would miss them. The driver turned on the engine and there was a huge wave goodbye. We got away and when I couldn’t see them from my sit, I just couldn’t stand it anymore and cried silently. After twenty minutes or half an hour Miriam came to sit besides me, and we talked about the most funny and important moments in Holland. We had some laughs and the trip didn’t seem that long.

In the airport we checked in and we didn’t have to wait much. I bought some souvenirs, as I couldn’t buy them anywhere else, and after a while we entered the plane. I sat with Joana. We listened to music during the trip, and we arrived in about two hours. It was half past eleven when we arrived, and at the time we were in the bus from El Prat to the school it was Eli’s birthday. We arrived and our parents were already there. I said hello and went home while I started to explain how everything was.

And that’s it, that was the end of my day, but I don’t think I will easily forget it, neither this nor the people we left in Holland. Sincerely, I think it was the greatest time I had in my life.

Song of the day: Green Day – Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

Holland!! Calvin's party, Day 5

Well, today it has been the last whole day in Holland, and now I just can't think of the farewell, because we have to enjoy these last moments and wait for the last minute to come. This morning we were supposed to go to an amusement park, a really important and huge one, but I woke up at a quarter past ten, so it was too late. I had breakfast with all the family, they had prepared a big meal with lots of different things, including some croissants handmade by the little sister, Guislaine, and nine scrumbled eggs . Everything tasted very good and I ate a lot.

A friend of Bill came by his house and we were playing pointless games in the computer for a while, they were really original and I had fun. A bit later in the morning, at about 2 o'clock, we went to his swimming pool. It is big for being of the family, and it was quite new, from some weeks ago. We invented a new sport called water hockey, but I lose 6-2... But we had fun, and when we had a quick shower we prepared our bicycles to go to Calvin's.

Almost everybody was in there, some playing FIFA and some others in the outside, it was sunny. I wet outside and stayed there talking with people, it was really warm. Later I went out to the street, where there was a little zone for children, and we were there for a while, waiting for the other people to come with something to eat. We could choose between Frikandel and some other thing, and there were 4 cubes of french fries. After finishing it and cleaning everything we got on our bicycles and cycled to the little "beach" by the river.

It was sunset and it was very beautiful. I spent most of the time there with Marina, and there was time to talk about lots of topics and things. Later, when it was almost dark, we all returned home, at about 8 or 8:30. Once we were there, I ate the kind of yoghurt Bill gave me some days ago, and we decided to watch a film, after I prepared all my bags to go. It was really sad when I saw my bedroomall tidied up, with everything packed, but I tried not to think about it. The movie was The Tourist, and although I had watched it in Barcelona, I enjoyed it for the second time. By the time it finished it was late, so we said the last goodnight. I was going to miss that! I listened to some music in bed, as I did every day, and I spent a while in deep thoughts. I said o myself that I had to sleep well all night, because that would be the last one. See you tomorrow, in Barcelona!

Song of the day: Ben Saunders - Kill For A Broken Heart

Holland!! Paintballing & Emmely's party, Day 4

Hello everybody again! Today it was a really exciting day! In the morning we went paintballing, the first time in my life I did it. The place was indoors but big and it was like in a real war, with the ruins of the houses, broken cars... Well, we dressed up with a suit they gave us, covering all our body from paint. We also had to wear an armor, as we were under sixteen, and I appreciated that, because the guy teaching us how to play said the paintballs went like 300 km/h!!! We started with maybe 50 balls, I don't really know how many there were... So we started making two teams, the yellow and green one and the red one. The second match was capture the flag, with the same teams twice. We took a break to have something to drink and then returned to play the Dutch versus Catalan match. We started equally, but then the Dutch people trapped us and we were surrounded, so we couldn't do antything! We lost. The last match was everyone versus WESLEY IN A COW SUIT! He started in one corner and we started in the opposite one. He had to run to the other side of the field and then the game would be over. So we started shooting at him and he was hit like twenty times! Well, I had so much fun, but I got hit three or four times: once in my mouth, once in the side of my face and once in my arm.

We arrived home at half past three and we had something to eat. We watched a theater show that Bill's father and sister had seen the day before, but we watched it in the DVD. The nam of the comediant was Koller, and he didn't say anything in the whole play, just acted without talking. It was really funny, I think he's good! We had dinner outside the house, Thai food. It was the first time I ate that kind of food, but I liked it. At about eight o'clock we left home to go to Emmely's, where we had the second party in Holland. It's a really big house too, and when we arrived almost everyone was there, with a fireplace like at Thom's.  I had a really good time there, with the music and everything, it was fun.

When we came back it was a quarter to one, and we went to bed, I was really tired. The next day we would go to Calvin's in the afternoon, to have another party. It will be great too!

Song of the day: BoB - Magic

Holland!! Amsterdam & Tom's party, Day 3

So here I am again, to explain how this great exchange is going! Today it seems that the rule of everyday beter than the previous is real! We woke up a bit earlier in the morning, because we had to be at school before 8:30. We were going to take a bus to Amsterdam! I already got used to riding bikes and actually I like it, it refreshes your mind of ideas. So I sat with Oscar, and we spent almost all the trip talking with Joana and Marina, in front of us.

So the first thing to do was visit the Anne Frank's museum. The secret Annexe was bigger than what I thought, it was actually pretty big. But only the Spanish students could go inside, because there was such a long line it would be too late come get inside half an hour out of the schedule. Afterwards Spanish and Dutch people met in front of the Reijsmuseum, where there's a huge garden with flowers and other things. Group 2 (mine) had to wait for 45 minutes before entering, so we went for a walk to a big square where there was the word "iAmsterdam" in enourmous letters. In the museum we had to fill in some portfolio about Love in paintings and sculptures, and we saw some really famous art pieces like "The Nightwatch".

Then we went to have lunch to McDonalds, where I ate a Quarter Pound cheeseburger with fries and cola and Bill ate TWO BIG MACS!!! We also went for a boat trip along the canals and we saw the most important buildings of Amsterdam and where Bill felt he was was alone because we talked in Spanish almost all the time! :) We had to wait for the bus for a bit of time, maybe like an hour or around, but the return trip wasn't really long. When we arrived home and prepared our stuff for Thom's party, we got to Bill's mother car and left.

I just can say the party was EPICLY AWESOME. There was a fireplace in the garden, with everyone, just talking to friends, in the outside of the house. Joyce brought her guitar and the both of us had a great time playing and singing songs, I loved that time. So at 1 o'clock the people left in the house had to pick up everything and we said goodbye to everyone. We arrived home at 1 thirty, and it was really late, so we went to bed.

Song of the day: Paramore - The Only Exeption

Holland!! Swimming pool, Day 2

Hello theree!! Today it has been better than yesterday for me! We jut came back from the swimming pool just in front of Cals College and I had so much fun! Swimming pools here are not like the ones in Barcelona, they had a slide, a really big swimming area, artifiial waves... We arrived there at 7 o'clock and left at about ten or something like that. Time went really fast for me there, and after changing our clothes we went back home. I tasted something new I liked a lot. It was some kind of yoghurt with another thing I don't really know how is it named, with cranberry taste, and it was great!

So this morning we went to school early,  at 8:30 we were already there. Everytime we have to go to the other side of the river we have to take a boat that costs one euro per person, but Bill has some special ticket and doesn't need to pay. So the first thing we did at school was an interview. We had to come up with some questions and then record a whole interview with minimmum 3 minutes of length. We got to do it and we even put a background song in it! After that it was time to prepare the Europe poster. We drew a map and wrote some tasks as explaining a myth or the european stereotypes. At the end we didn't finish it at all, but most of the people didn't either, it was too much work. Then we entered another classroom and prepared for Dutch class. Wessel was the teacher for that hour, and he didn't do it that bad! So my group (Bill, Wessel, Roger, Maxim and Andrea) had to learn a dialogue in Dutch about a grocery store and then say it in front of the whole class. It was something like:

- Goedendag
- Hallo, wat wilt u kopen?
- Ik wil niet een, niet twee, maar drie appels kopen
- Dat kost een euro en tachtig cent.
- Alstublieft
- Dankuwel en tot ziens
- Tot ziens

I still remember the conversation and I know how to pronounce it! Most of the people went to Utrecht after that class, but we went home and spent some house time. I met the nanny and her husband, they have been at Bill's house since he was born. We watched the end of the Beowulf film and played some guitar songs. We had dinner at 5:30 or maybe a bit later, but it's still strange for me to eat at that early time!! Then we took our bicycles and went to the swimming pool. You know the rest of the story then! Every day is better than the previous one, this is awesome!

Song of the day: Jason Mraz - Wordplay

Holland!! Arrival, Day 1

Hello everybody, specially my parents! I hope you read this, because I'm wasting some of my valuable time in Holland to write this down! Last night I was nervous as I had never been. I went to bed early, after a little time of conversation with Bill, and I didn't sleep really well, so I got up at three o'clock in the morning and prepared all my stuff to go. My father drove me to school with the bags, and when we kissed goodbye I was already entering the bus to the airport.

Non of us believed what was really happening, and in five or six hours we would be flying or in Holland!! So I listened to some new muic I had downloaded from Jason Mraz to think about other things and don't be so nervous. We checked in and had to wait there for a couple of hours, as the flight was leaving at 6:45. But the time finally arrived and we got to the plane. I sat on the window, with Maria, and we talked a lot about eveyhing, even the flight was interesting!!

So once we were at Schiphol we had to take a bus to Cals College. It took a while, but when we got there everybody was almost shouting of emotion, specially when we saw all the Dutch mates waiting for us. We said hello to everyone and shared some time together in the entrance, but in that time the schedule started. We had to take a little class of introduction where we had to say what we liked the most about our partners and things like that. Like that we broke the ice and everything went fast, Calvin's father drove Bill and me to Bill's house and I was introduced to his family. At home there was only his mum and little sister, Ghislaine. I unpacked my things and then it was time for my first ride! Bicycles are big in here, and they're not the same as the Spanish ones, but I think I got used to it pretty fast. We were going to an ice cream shop over the river, with Roger, Wessel, Maxim, Andrea, Martijn, Marc, Anna, Tessa, Albert and Tjeerd.  We stayed there for a while, in some rocks, and then went home at about 5 o'clock.

Then I went with Bill to the grocery store, because he had to buy some things to eat. Afterwards, Bill's father drove all the family to a restaurant, a "bufet libre", and we had dinner there. We could get whatever we wanted to and then ask the cook to cook it. I liked it a lot. At home we decided to watch a film, Beowulf, but it was already too late, about ten o'clock, so we didn't finish it, just half of the movie. I said goodnight d went upstairs to my bedroom. Well, so this is my first day in Holland!! I've only been here for som hours and I'm already loving it!!


Song of the day: Jason Mraz - Remedy

Best Days Ever - Exchange Day 4

Well, here started the first and unique exchange weekend in Barcelona. We were tired as hell, but we decided to get up at a reasonable hour to do lots of activities. We had met about ten people more at ten in the morning in Rambla de Poblenou, to have a nice time at the beach. It was sunny and the day was great, so there was no problem. But once we were there we looked around us and noticed that none of us had brought any ball or anything to play, so Andrea and I went into a shop and for three euros we got a fancy ball!

We were all the morning in the sand, doing lots of different things, it was fun. At lunch time we stayed there at the McDonald's by the beach, we were just ten people counting Dutch and Catalan, so we were in a small group. When we finished we walked all along the streets in Poblenou and went back to the school, were we were going to meet all the rest of the class. During this trip, we learned a bit of Dutch, some separate words and sentences, many of them just to have fun. They learned also some Catalan and Spanish expresions, also the Barça anthem. They were good at languages!

Park Guell was the principal plan that evening, but it turned out that it closed at six, and it was five o'clock, so we arrived at the conclusion that Parc de la Ciutadella would be great as well! Honestly, every place seemed great to us when we had fun and laughs with them. We also brought ping-pong balls and rackets to play there. My target was Martijn, he has been training ping pong for 6 years and he's really good. I wanted to try him! I lost 7-5 at the end, but it was worth it, and we shaked our hands after the match. So after dancing, shouting, chatting and loads of other stuff we came back home, where a paella made by my mum was waiting for us!

Actually, it was the first paella she cooked, but it was tasty. So we finished our day as we did always, some chapters of Modern Family and some chatting before bed. The next day we were going to visit Camp Nou. It would be the first time for me and, of course, for him. So, goodnight and see you in the next post!

Song of the day: Jack Johnson - Do You Remember

Best Days Ever - Exachange Day 3

Well, Third day was Friday, and it started like just another work day for me. Getting up early, preparing all my stuff to school... But we still had a guest, who had already got used to the life in my family! So we arrived to school and I had to attend Geography class, while Bill and the other Dutch people were doing some activities with class B. Anyone in my class was really listening to the teacher. There was too much going on, lots of good moments to come and think of.

So I was swimming in my thoughts and when I looked at my watch it seemed to be 12:30, time to go to the port to pick'em up! We met all of them just by the beach in front of the Mafre towers, almost everybody had had dinner by that time, so I had to hurry up with mine to start doing things! That day we were supposed to make a photo marathon along Las Ramblas, taking pictures of 20 tghings we had in a paper. The truth is that the first ones were kind of difficult to find, but once you got the spirit of the photographer, it was instantaneous! We went into lots of places: the Boqueria, the Liceu, Canaletes fountain... We had a really good time, and about five o'clock we took the metro in return to the school.

Me and Bill went home to have some "house time", he was really tired from all the previous activities. So we got ourselves comfortable and prepared the Guitar Hero game. He had played before a couple of times, but I have to say I used to play a lot last year and I'm such a master :D  We started talking and played poker with my brother. Time went fast and suddenly it was nine o'clock, so we prepared the table for dinner.

We never had something typical to eat, he didn't want to taste bread with tomato and the only thing that can be considered from here he ate was a potato omelette. But well, we weren't that uncomfortable that night, and we talked naturally while eating. Afterwards, he showed me some really funny videos, the ones from the serie asdf and some others, and we laughed a lot. We finished the day with a couple of Modern Family chapters, and we were so tired that we hardly said goodnight.

Song of the Day: James Blunt - Stay The Night

Best Days Ever - Exchange 2

Well, so I'm finally back and willing to explain how the first whole day of our great exchange went.
This day is actually the one in which we got to know each other better, and we got more confident. When I first got up up at my parents' bedroom, I didn't really know what was going on, but then I remembered everything! I went to Bill's room (mine) and told him to wake up, it was time. He answered me almost at the second I knocked on his door, and he went directly to the shower. He even seemed used to my house! We had breakfast and prepared things for school, and we went to the street. He only came with me on the first hour, in PE class, but he couldn't participate because of a problem he's got on his knee... We played Shootball, the sport very similar to what here we call "Matar". I had a lot of fun, though I didn't like Bill just sitting and watching... Since the end of that class until 6 o'clock we didn't see them, but at that time we went to the Metro station to pick'em up, and went to the bowling tio have a good time!

There we played for about an hour and a half, and that few time was really useful to get to know each other better and to make jokes and laugh, the most important thing when it's about being with a person you just have met! I returned home at about nine in the evening, so there was a little gap between that and dinner. He had an iPod Touch, an my brother and I have a shared one, so we were talking about it and playing some games. Then we chatted a little in the living room and started having dinner. At first it was a little bit uncomfortable, too much silence, but my mother tried to keep a conversation with him all the time, so it wasn't that bad after all.

Before going to bed we saw some "Modern Family" chapters, which is really funny and made him laugh a bit. It was late, around a quarter to twelve, when we said goodnight and he entered my room. I hadn't got used to sleep in my parents' bedroom, but at the end it became a routine! I thought next day would be great too, We were going to go to the center, and maybe some other place afterwards. So in a few minutes, I was deeply asleep.

Song of the day: The Kooks - Mr. Maker

Best days Ever - Exchange Days 1

Well I think I have to apologize about this two weeks without activity, but I have too much to talk about, so let's get started.

I ended up last day explaining my first contact with the Dutch partner. So we talked a bit n Messenger, and with other students. I was about to explode on Wednesday, waiting for them to come, and when I arrived at the school, they were already there. It was hard for me to recognize Bill at first, because I hadn't seen any recent photos of him, but since we said hello and then everything started to go as fast as the light. We went home, I introduced him to my family and we unpacked all his things. I had the whole five days of the exchange planned, so we didn't have to wait a minute to go to Rambla de Poblenou. There was almost everyone there, and we went walking down to the beach, where we spent a while. I really liked it. It was really dark and we had to go back, I think at 8 thirty or something like that. The first family dinner was a bit embarassing, lots of uncomfortable silences and not a lot to say. But after dinner I stayed talking to him for a while, we laughed and made jokes. Then we saw the show Modern Family (in English, of course) and it seemed that it wouldn't be that difficult to have one more person at home. We said goodnight and went to sleep.

This way I explained it, so fast, that's the way it seemed to me that happened: one second I was nervous for them to arrive, next we have already said goodnight. And we understood each other really good, which was one of my first fears I had. So, they say good things happen fast right? If that's true, this one has been AWESOME!

See you in the next post!

Song of the day: Jason Mraz - Lucky

Concert

Hey there!

I've really enjoyed this last weekend, I did lots of things. On Friday evening I met Albert, Dane and Pau, and we had a great time, but we had to go soon because of a problem, so we went down and talked for a while. Well, the best day was, no doubt, Saturday. I had lunch with my aunt, uncle, cousin and grandparents, who live in Mataró, and I hadn't seen them for several weeks. That night, at 9:30, I assisted to a concert of Els Amics De Les Arts. They played in Badalona, and it was in a room, not very big but neither small. As it was the second concert in my life (but the first one was from Bruce Springsteen in a stadium with 40.000 people, so they are different experiences) it was special, and I loved it. Here you have a video of one of their songs:

See you in the next post!

Song of the day: Els Amics de les Arts - A Vegades

Intense Days

Wow people, I'm having some really exciting days, and everything is happening so fast!

First of all, our Dutch partners. I sent a mail to Bill, in which I explained everything that came into my mind in that moment, all my likes and dislikes, my hobbies, my activities in week days... So I waited a day and a half and I couldn't take it anymore, so I spoke to Calvin (Xavi's partner) and he phoned Bill, who was ill, to create a facebook account. The next day I was able to have a talk with him, for the first time. He's nice and funny, and I think we'll get along pretty well. I also talked to many other people in Holland, and started to know a little bit about their schedules and traditions.  IT'S AWFUL HAVING DINNER AT 6!! I'll try to handle the situation...

Then I have some things that are really making me going crazy, and I don't have a moment to stop thinking about it, even when I'm about to sleep. So I'm very stressed, but I always look relaxed and happy. That's my way of living: everything happens in the inside.

So I'm looking forward to Dutch people to come here, it will be great! See you in the next post!!


Song of the day: Jason Mraz - If It Kills Me

Well, I think I'm about to forget my website, because in five days I haven't written anything!!

But there isn't anything really special happening these days, so don't worry, you haven't missed the important part. I could say last week was just following the routine, nothing out of the schedule, nothing new, nothing risky. But on Friday we finally knew the names of our exchange partners, and I didn't wait a minute when I was at home to look in the internet how he was or getting his mail. But he didn't have Facebook! I found some information about him in his Tweeter page, but as I don't have an account, I couldn't really see any details. I'm afraid I will have to wait to meet him!

That evening I met Albert, Dane and Pau, just as we did today. On Saturday, after Maths class and lunch, I met Sergi. Today we have gone to the cinema and watched this new film about some sovietic prisoners who escape from the Gulag they're in. But to reach freedom they have to face a long trip on foot, go South and enter a non-comunist country, as India. I think it's a good film and it's worth going to see it.


And remember I said that last wednesday would be a good day? Well, there's no doubt about it was, but the thing I was hoping I'm going to make it happen tomorrow. And maybe I feel there's not a moment to do it and I'll do it on Tuesday. But it's going to happen.

See you in the next post!


Song of the day: The Strokes - You Only Live Once

I don't want to move!

I can`t have any strength even for saying hello. I just returned from the most tiring basketball training I've done this year. We spent a whole hour and a half just running, doing push ups, abs and other physical condition exercises. We didn't touch a ball, just panting in the court. Horrible.

Tomorrow I'm hoping of a good day, I've kind of arranged my day, thinking in what to do and when and in my mind, it promises lots of important things. We'll see if they become. I will go (this time there is definitely class) to my English classes and finally see my friends there.

Luckily tomorrow it isn't any important class, and we'l probably have two dead hours, so I will be able to rest there. See you!

Song of the day: The Strokes - Last Nite

First Day After Christmas

Hii!! Today We have started again the boring, tiring routine of each year, waking up early, preparing the bag, doing the homework... It seems a joke, but within today I've already got use to this goddamn schedule.

But this evening nearly kills me. I went with illusion to the metro, looking forward to see again my English classmates, because I haven't seen any of them since the 22nd of December, prepared for that half-an-hour-trip to the IEN (Institut d'Estudis Nord-americans). So I arrive there, put off my earphones and when I'm about to go upstairs to class I hear that one of the classmates says to me that there is no class. I could only think: **** **  ****** *****!! I had to turn back and go home again, wasting another T-10 travel and thirty-five precious minutes. Well, Wednesday is the real starting class and I won't miss it this time.

See you tomoorrow!!

Song of the day: Maldita Nerea - El Secreto De Las Tortugas

PRESENTS; PRESENTS!!

Heeeellooo! Yesterday and today were the best days of the year until now (I know it's not much, but I can say I've loved these days). Yesterday, after writing the previous entry, I went to my grandmother's house, where my whole family was, to give and receive the presents that the Three Kings have brought. For me they had left a couple of books, a heart-rate monitor (it's a kind of belt you put on your chest that measures your heart beats per minute, it's wireless connected to a watch where is showed all the information, it's great!), a couple of shirts and a pen-drive. That's from all my mother's family part.

But today it's been the celebration at home, the most important one for me, and it has been awesome! It turned out that my father, while he was in the US, found out that there were sales in all electronic stuff (considering that there is normally a lot cheaper than here, it was even more then). So this morning, when we went to see our presents we found one for all the family, and it was... A MacBook Pro!!! Even though it's not only for me, I love having one. I've always wanted a Mac, so this is great. I got a school bag, a book. a CD (the one I told you a few days ago), a pair of jeans, gloves and, for me and my brother, an iPod Touch! (it was also bought in the States in sales :-P). I think it has been the best presents I ever got.

Well, my brother today has left Barcelona and he's going to Andorra with a friend, to spend this last part of the vacation. Tomorrow I'm leaving to my village too and I won't be able to write in the blog until the 9th. See you soon!

Song of the day: Jack Johnson - No Other Way

Presents + Cinema, perfect!

Hey! I'm just going now to my grandmother's house to see what the "Three Wise Men" have brought me and everyone in my family. And tomorrow morning it's the same but at home, it's more like a private celebration. So after that, I'm going to go with my parents and brother to the cinema, to watch I don't know which movie, and I like this late cinema sessions.

This evening I went to Sergi Candela's house and there we watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother called Blitzgiving, from the 6th season. The truth is that I'm watching now the third, but he wanted to show me that, so we saw it. I've got to go now, but tomorrow will be more!

See you in the next post!

Song of the day: The Killers - A Dustland Fairytale

Waiting for the three wise men to come

Good evening ladies and gentlemen!

Today I've really had the impression than in this house we eat a lot, really a lot. The day before yesterday I had to go shopping to the supermarket to buy some food, yesterday was the same story, and today I went with my dad and bought lots of things to eat! I don't understand...

By the way, I've just returned from Glories, because I had to go to PC City to look for a wire to connect our videocamera to the computer. I also have gone to Gong because of one of my presents of the day after tomorrow. I bought a CD of one of my favorite artists, if not my favorite, Jack Johnson, and another one for my father, from Jeff Buckley (he's also really amazing with his version of Hallelujah).

See you in the next post!

Song of the day: Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven

Hi!!

Today it has been a boring day. I only got out of my house in the morning when I went to the mall to buy a new school bag and also to buy some food, but since then I've been at home. But I also like being here, because I've practised a lot with the guitar and I've improved a lot in playing barred chords instead of the open ones. But today I haven't got much to explain, we'll see if tomorrow becomes a more interesting day!

See you in the next post!

Song of the day: The Strokes - What Ever Happened

Hi 2011!

Hey people!

Yesterday was the first day of this New Year, so there are only 363 days left to celebrate the entrance to 2012, or maybe to die because the world's end... My grandparents of Mataró came by our house to have lunch and have a little time with us, because we don't see very often. When they arrived we had this typical luxurious meal prepared, with seafood, foie and other things.

My granpa felt really proud and happy because my brother and I showed him some songs we've learned with the guitar, and as he was a musician long time ago but had to quit playing his instrument because of an accident, he liked watching us making music. After lunch we saw some records we have from New York and Chicago and explained them what was each of the tall buildings and monuments. When they left, I spent the rest of the evening reading.

Today I've had lunch with my great-grandparents, who are 91 and 96 years old, and after that we returned home and spent the evening here. So we have already started this year, I'm sure that before we can realise, we'll be thinking about today as a very far past, so we have to enjoy our days and be happy.

See you in the next post!

Song of the day: John Mayer - Half Of My Heart