THAT´S NOT CHICKEN?

HOLA from Espana :)

The experience so far has been one that I will always remeber. I absolutely love my family! I am staying with Julia Mas who just got back from Portugal, where she swam in a swim meet. Spain is definelty different from what we are use to. Some of the foods are weird but REALLY good. I don´t think I have found anything that I don´t like, other than our first lunch. We had soemthing that looked quit similar to chicken, so most of us ate it. It was served with french fries so we assumed it was fried chicken patties and fries. Well all the people on the team who can speak and understand spanish failed to tell us IT WAS NOT CHICKEN! Shortly after I inhaled two pieces one of the girls informed me it was cow lining, EW!!!!!!! It actually tasted like a mix between pork and chicken when I was eating it, So I am going to continue to think it is still chicken¨:) After that experience I decided that I would not eat any meat unless I could clearly tell what it was or it was translated for me.

The first night was hard, after being extremely tired from the plane ride (my sleeping medicine for the plane failed miserably!), the time change, and Day 1 I got very homesick. Although I still miss my family it wasn´t long till being homesick disappeared. My family has done more than enough to make me feel right at home and I fell in love with Barcelona! Walking around the city was well worth every blister on my feet :)

Today was one of those days where you love it but at the same time you hate it. Don´t get me wrong, how on earth could you hate Spain? Its more of the pain of the gigantic hill, wait no MOUNTIAN, we climbed up today that we hated. Around a mile up the steep hill was enough dryland to last me the year :) The top was well worth it though. Not only was the view gorgeous, but we got to see, and walk, in the area that America´s Next Top Model Season 7 Caridee did her runway finale. It was neat to be able to see it on t.v. and then be there in person walking the same path that people like Tyra Banks had been on a couple years ago.

In the process of trying to get there Marina, Hailey and I got lost. We sat down in the shade to rest, thinking that the group would walk down the same way we went up. We were worng! haha :) Well decided were not really lost we were just "slightly seperated" from the group. We looked hilarious trying to find the group, attempting to speak spanish, asking "grande groupo?" while pointing to my bolles swimming t-shirt. The fact that not one of us new any spanish, other than hola was awesome. Finally Dillion Love answered his phone, laughing at us for getting left behind. Why he thought us being lost in a Spanish "forest/park area" was funny I still have yet to figure out. We found the group with success and headed down the mountain, another mile, and took the subway back to Cataluyna for lunch.

Casey, Jessica, Taylor, Kendall and I decided to eat lunch at this nice Friday´s like resturant. We all ordered a refreshing coke light and a pizza, which were amazing! Congrats to Taylor and Kendall who saved the rest of us when asking for the check in spanish, after waiting forever for them to pick it up.

For desert us girls had our mind set on gelato´s. After we attempted to get gelato´s we ended up on a wild goose chase, Taylor pretty much covered the marathon in here blog but summarizing the event, we ran through the Plaza all holding hands, weaving in and out of the crowd. Earlier, while traveling back down the mountain earlier we saw numerous gelati shops, but when we were looking for one it was no where to be found. We had to be back at a meeting point by 2:40 and Casey and Taylor decided they were NOT LEAVING without a gelati in their hands. Well we found a store along with some teammates. Everyone made it back by 2:40 which was good :)
After our lunch festivities we headed back to the pool for practice.

I look forward to tomorrow, as we are going to the "mall". Since we have not gotten much time to do a lot of shopping, I think I can speak for all the girls when i say we are excited to go the the mall tomorrow! Until next time :)
Aubrey <3