Okey dokey. Figure it's about time I got this thing goin.

Too bad I have NO IDEA where to start. So much has gone on...

Well. The beginning makes sense.
We're going to skip the miserable beginning part with the orientations and nasty hostels and annoying people. That part's not important.

My first few days here it was Festa Major in Olot. This is where the village or town or city kind of celebrates being...uh, them? Each village has a different date for their Festa. So...well, when I first saw my family it brought tears to my eyes. Cause when you're that exhausted, and that stressed out, and have been waiting for something THAT long, you get a little bit emotional. So we drove home, ate dinner, and then they asked me if I'd rather go to bed or go to the town's center...and I figured -- what the hell? You're in SPAIN -- so out we went. First, the correfoc. A little Catalan lesson: Corre means "run" and foc means "fire." You probably get the picture. People set off fireworks and little bombs in the streets, and people run around under them, trying to die. Or so it seems to me.

Anyway, after that I went with my (13 year old!) sister to the middle of a mosh pit at this "concert" (consisting of a dj playing music and a couple scantily clad young people dancing on stage) and sustained some serious hearing damage while dancing around with tons of Spanish teenagers screaming along to songs I couldn't understand. Yeeeahh, baby.

Next night we went to see this parade type thing, with some interesting floats...one where everyone was dressed up as what I THINK were Smurphs (...???), a float where "Bippity Boppity Boo" from Cinderella played in Catalan, a HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL FLOAT (represent!), and even a float I THOUGHT had to do with Mother Goose, until the people following it started dancing suggestively...

But afterwards I experienced the best tradition EVER. No kidding. Everyone (but it's mostly teenagers) crams into the narrow streets and walks along with barely any room to breathe, and people stand at the windows and balconies of the buildings above and throw water down on you. (AIGUA! AIGUA! AIGUA!) So you get soaking wet and freezing, but you really enjoy it.

So, to summarize the rest (because I feel as if I'm rambling), I attended the loudest session of fireworks in my life, went to Barcelona and walked around Gaudi's beautiful parc, stayed in another (rather better) hostel, went to my new school and got talked at in superfast Catalan about el primero Batxillerat, and figured out that I really can understand people a lot of the time!!! ...Even if I can't say anything back. Sigh.

So that's mostly it. This can't do it justice, but I'm pretty sure nothing can.
Sorry for my rambly style of writing. I'm so tired.

My family is wonderful. My host dad, little sister and me went bike riding today...gah. Beautiful.

By the way, I can't find ANYTHING on this keyboard. Almost.

I MISS YOU. People. Mom, pick up your phone.