End of the Semester...

Hey Guys,

Sorry for the long delay, it has been very hectic with finals, the closing ceremony, traveling back to the states, and starting my summer classes and work again! Anyways the closing ceremony was held at San Pablo CEU and everyone got an acknowledgment for having studied at the campus, whether you were there one semester or four semesters. Then we all traveled on buses to a nice place in Galapagar (a city just north of Madrid) where we had a very nice dinner and dance. It was a nice way to get to see everyone one last time before we all parted our separate ways for the summer. Then I packed up all of my things and traveled home. Upon arrival it was nice to see my family again because I hadn't seen them for a few months. I started work again and also am taking two classes at the Suffolk Boston campus which is nice so that I can get use to the campus and start to know my way around for when I decide to return to finish my studies. I hope all is well with you and that you have a great summer!

Talk to you soon, but for now..

Hasta Luego!

Three Days of Classes

I know that’s soo strange, but its true there are only THREE days of classes left in the semester before Final Exams start. On top of that I have picked my classes for the Fall semester and I can’t wait. Other than that I am on the bus to go to San Sebastián & Bilbao with the school for the weekend…but I will tell you more about that later on…I can’t wait until the final end of the year reception and dance because it will be a nice way to spend the last time together with everyone from the semester…but let’s focus on San Sebastián and I’ll let you know more as the semester progresses!

¡Hasta Luego!

Suffolk to the Stars

OurAstronomy class has returned from the Canary Islands where we had our Lab. We arrived home late last night after an intense week on the Island of Tenerife where we were using the Mons Telescope in the Teide Observatory. The students stayed awake all night long in the observatory so that we were able to be astronomers and see the stars. While looking at the night sky you were able to see thousands of stars where in Madrid you are only able to see about one hundred or so. Traveling to this volcanic island was one of the best experiences of my life and I cannot wait until I can take Astronomy again. We were able to work together to compile all of the knowledge that we had learned to accomplish a lot. Our class was able to locate things that no other Suffolk Astronomy class was able to do before. I can’t wait to show you pictures, but we are still processing them so when they are available I will be sure to post them up! Having observed all night long, we would sleep all day…or at least that was the idea…instead of that we once traveled to the volcano where we climbed to the top walking by lava flows, lizards, and hot rocks. Another day we traveled to see some ancient pyramids that were from an ancient culture. Finally when we were not traveling around the island, as well as when we should be catching our sleep, we would go to the beach and relax. We spent most of our sleeping time on the only white sand beach on the island. There were cliffs that were made of volcanic rock that were jetting into the water which was quite interesting for me. The weather on the island tended to change a bit no matter what time it was which was actually nice. Professor de la Fuente Marcos was incredible and I think that we were able to show him that we had learned a lot from the class and how much enthusiasm that we had during the trip really made it easier for us to locate things in the sky and work together being under such pressure to locate things by the time the lab was over. All in all, the trip was incredible and one of the best experiences I have had in my life. I highly recommend the class to EVERYONE and cannot wait until the Fall semester begins so that I can take the second Astronomy class.

¡Hasta Luego!

Ping Pong

Yes that’s right we now have a Ping Pong table at the campus which students are able to use! I think that it’s very nice how the campus has things that students are able to do in between classes because sometimes you do not want to travel home over your class breaks and now we have yet another thing we can do. Although it is just about the end of the semester I cannot wait to try out the table so that perhaps we will all become a little less stressed now that the year is winding down and everyone is getting ready to travel back home. On top of all of this I have to get ready for my Astronomy Lab to the Canary Islands on Sunday…but I’ll tell you more about that is a while…

¡Hasta Luego!

Semana Santa

Wow how time is flying by! Sorry I have been away for a while, but I am back in action for the rest of the semester and cannot wait to tell you all about the past few weeks! First off lets jump back to the beginning of April…Semana Santa (Holy Week – Spring Break) where I traveled outside of the city with two of my good friends, Alyson & Simon. Together we traveled to Palma Mallorca for a few days; there we spent some time on the beach as well as exploring the island. We were able to experience a different part of Spanish culture which was good because it showed us that not all parts of the country felt the same way about certain things. While on the island we rented scooters, quads, and dune buggies and were able to travel a little bit around the island where we visited, Cali Pi, a nice little town on the South East side of the island. In Cali Pi there was a beautiful cove and spectacular views. Then after Palma Mallorca, we traveled on to Hamburg, Germany. This was a nice experience because it was the first time that all of us had traveled there before. Upon arrival we immediately got hold of the culture and had a blast. Out of all of the places that we traveled to on Spring Break; Hamburg was our favorite by far! Near our hotel there was a carnival which we spent some time at so that we could have some fun, but after that we traveled to various parts of the city so that we could see as much as we could. Hamburg was filled with statues to coincide with its incredible history. There were ruins from World War II all around the city, which nowadays are used as memorials for those people who have lost their lives during the war. We took a walking tour of the city and saw how huge of a port city Hamburg was as well as its historic buildings that are still standing today. After Hamburg we traveled to Stockholm, Sweden. This was incredible considering that it was the farthest north that we had ever been. The temperature was amazing and the city was very quaint because it was situated on several different canals. In Stockholm they use a currency other than the Euro so we were able to have that experience as well. While there we saw the Royal Palace, Town Hall (the building where the annual Nobel Peace Prize Banquette is held), Museums, and the old part of the city. Finally after Stockholm we traveled to Milan, Italy where we were able to spend Easter. The city was on the small side, yet it was filled with sites to see such as: Il Duomo (an enormous cathedral), the castle, the last supper (a painting), as well as the centralized areas of the city. Although almost all shops were closed because of the Easter holiday we still had a great time and enjoyed it a lot.

¡Hasta Luego!

Spring Break!!!

First off this past weekend I traveled to Holland & Belgium and they were both AMAZING! I had a lot of fun indulging in the culture of both historic places (especially all the free chocolate samples) and enjoyed traveling with two good friends of mine, Simon and Natalie. Now I’m trying to finish up some last minute projects so that this week I will be able to relax on Spring Break…or Semana Santa as the Spaniards like to call it. For Spring Break I’m traveling with a few friends to Palma Mallorca (an Island off the coast of Spain); Hamburg, Germany; Stockholm, Sweden; and Milan, Italy…I’m soooo excited! On another note, I am still trying to decide which classes I would like to take in the fall. There are too many decisions for my Spanish major and I still don’t know how I want to approach that…but hopefully with time I will be able to figure something out. I’m also trying to look at some language schools here in Madrid to see if a friend as well as myself can take some classes in another language for fun and so that we have something nice to do. Way too many decisions to make right know…but at least we have SPRING BREAK!!!!! Talk to you soon!

¡Hasta Luego!

Bake Sale

It’s so strange how time is passing by, it seems like there is hardly any time let in the semester! The Astronomy class is observing from the Canary Islands and the Student Council is having another Bake Sale. The Astronomy class traveled to Tenerife one of the Islands that is part of the Canary Islands just off the coast of Africa so that they will be able to use Europe’s largest land telescope for their lab requirement. While there the students will make several visits to see various parts of the island as well as use their newly acquired astronomy skills to try and discover what is above them in the universe! The Student Council held another bake Sale today to help raise more money for the end of the year Spring Fling dance that will be held after the graduation ceremony in May. It makes me sad when thinking about all of the friends I have met over these past few months and the fact that I have to leave them from the summer. Although I cannot wait until we are back in the fall to start off fresh again!! But I have to go catch a flight to Brussels so I’ll talk to you later!!

¡Hasta Luego!