and the following weeks......

Happy reyes!

We have had the epiphany. It was fun.... i got to do the whole put your shoes out, and then the kings come in and leave you stuff. I woke up this morning with presents, and it was wonderful. like a late christmas. The kings gave me a book, pajamas (with penguins on them) and a shirt. It was really funny, because my host mom, even with her kids all being over the age of 16, still pretended they were real. She opened her nice new set of knives and exclaimed, "oh, i really wanted to have this! look how pretty they are!" all excited. i couldn't help but laugh even though the rest of the family found it a little less than funny, maybe even a little dorky. I don't know. i like when people do things like that. i just know that when i'm older i'm going to get myself gifts. Why not? If you have an excuse to buy yourself something nice, why wouldn't you take it. It just doesn't make any sense not to. Anyway...... there's this tradition were the whole family eats this cake called kings cake (i think), and there are 2 prizes inside it. One prize is this bean, and if you get that you have to pay for the cake, and the other is a little figurine, which you get it, you get to wear a super cool crown and are named the king (or queen, depending on said person's gender). It just so happens that I WON, and was named queen. No big deal. Twas splendid, except the fact that the cake is disgusting.

When i was talking about my philosophy class in my last blog, it really got me to thinking in the last few day about philosophy. I know i'm supposed to be talking about my spanish adventures in this blog, but this is really starting to bug me. I know that some of the most respected people in the world were famous philosophers such as Plato and those guys, but really, to me, it's all just a bunch or crap. I have been forced to study up on my philosophy because i have a test coming up, and i just can't make myself think and analyze it because it really doesn't make any sense to me. Every chapter, my philosophy book raises a few questions that are supposed to provoke some kind of grand conversation, but usually i read these questions and about 3 sentences come to mind. Three sentences equals about 3 seconds of talking, and yet my teacher can go on and on for about 3 days debating whether or not the sky is blue. Literally. If someone asks me if the sky is blue, i'd probably say something along the lines of "Well, sometimes, when it's a nice day out. Other days it's kind of gloomy. Sometimes it's a mixture of blue and grey." Or if you want to get fancy you could go with the scientific weather paths, you know the ones that say that the weather usually moves from out west, and just kind of moves across the united states. So if the pressure drops or rises, chances are the sky color is bound to change. Or even better you go could with chemistry and the color spectrum. It's all science really, but yes, the sky IS blue... you can't really argue with that. I'm not meaning to sound ignorant, i would just like to state my point of view, and how i shouldn't have to be studying why things the way they are, when really there's nothing to study. Things are the way they are because that's the way they are. That doesn't mean said 'ways' can't change. That's what the people are for, and the government and all that stuff. It's just the way it is. Plato and his follows and role models, in my opinion, are just reading way to into everything. It seems like they just look around and say "what deeper meaning does that window have over there?" "Why do we use this table like this" "Why am i here." "Where am i exactly?." Although some of these are descent questions to ask, we can't always know these things. Sometimes we just have to say, "well... that window probably doesn't have a deeper meaning other than just to look out, or let light into the house." or "The table is used to put stuff on." and more importantly, "I'm here because i was born." and "Well, i personally am sitting on my bed in my room right now in Godella, spain." The most questioned question, probably, is "what happens after death?" JUST LEAVE IT ALONE. you'll know when you die.... you can't die and then come back to life. it just doesn't work like that. Some of these serious questions that people spend their whole lives debating and arguing over just have simple answers, that sometimes change and sometimes don't. The other day we were talking about how we are unable to know things. i was just sitting there like, that's ridiculous! Of course we can know stuff. i know what 2+2 is. i know my parents and friends. It's just like GEAT REAL. You can't tell me that i don't know things. i know how to slap you across the face if you want. This doesn't mean i don't like my philosophy teacher... she's actually really nice. She impresses me everyday y how excited she get over the difference between the truth and reality. Done with that.

I would now like to talk about one thing that recently happened. I have meet a large number of dog's lately. I don't know why really... it just seems like everyone has a dog. This weekend i went to a little pueblo (again) to eat, and the family had a huge dog. By huge i mean HUGE. I was the only one who pet it at first, so naturally it followed me around the rest of the day.... slobbered all over my shirt and barked at me when i left the room. It was funny because the family just didnt take any crap from him. He was bugging me at one point, and the mom just took out a book and slapped him real hard. I dont know why i found it funny, probably because this dog was huge, so they can hit him harder if they want without hurting him. My host family gave them a ping pong table set for christmas, but i have a feeling the paddles aren't going to be used much for playing ping pong. They seem ideal for 'love patting' their huge dog. It gave me the impression of small horse. a pony per se. Heres pictures of all the doggies.

Little tibet attacking my host father.

Cucka, the cat dog.

But thats it. I've met more doggies, i just don't have pictures. i would like to talk about our natural inner system need to have an order for everything. I’m not saying that we all are super OCD or anything, but we as humans don't just walk around aimlessly. I have been paying attention to how things are done here, and there are quite a few things that have a specific order to them. It’s pretty goofy if you think about it.

My morning schedule is the same every single day. Set alarm for 6:50. Get up at 7:15. Go pee/wash face/brush teeth. Get dressed super fast, put on a little make up (at which time my host mom tells me to hurry up). Put on my shoes, throw my crap in my backpack, go eat some cereal and chug a cup of coffee. Walk to my neighbors house, wait for her to be ready for 15 minutes. Run to meet who ever is bringing us to school. Arrive at school.

Afternoon schedule: Get home, throw my backpack in my room. Eat lunch. Watch the news with my parents while talking about stuff. Go to my room, pretend to do homework. Go out with neighbor/ go to library/ go chat with my host sister/ play the piano. Actually do homework. Eat dinner. Watch movie.

Daily schedules aren't exactly what i'm talking out. We do specific things and a certain order as well. For example, eating. A few people have a certain way of doing things when they eat. I'm sure my eating habits are notable in some way or another (mom/dad don't say anything), but i've been observing things, and i have found that my host dad and brother do things in a specific order. First of all, my host dad has a profound passion for 'el vino' and always has a hefty supply in the house. At dinner, he sits down, compliments the cook (my host mom), pours himself a glass of wine, smells it, sips it, and then makes a satisfactory noise such as 'mmmmm' or 'que BUEno'. Then (depending on the food) when he gets served, he just goes at it. mixes everything and cuts everything up into little pieces using rapid fork and knife motions. Sometimes i like to watch because i think it's funny. My host brother has a very nice and clean way to peeling his oranges. First of all, he never touches his food with his hands ever, so he uses a fork and knife to peel the orange. First he cuts it down the middle, then each half once again, then, very carefully, cuts the orange peel off, stabs the whole orange piece and stuffs it into his mouth. That always makes me giggle because he's ever so careful while peeling it, but then stuffs it into his mouth all messy like, usually ending in a small orange juice puddle.

Other than physically eating, we have the normal lunch party. When a few families gather this is what happens 99.9% of the time. First, sit in the big room with couches to talk and drink something, gather around the table and wait for someone to set it. Someone sets the table, and everyone comes to eat. Then you sit down, eat normally (vegetables first, then meat, then salad), After eating you eat more usually something like cheese and wine, then someone will bring out a dessert with a bottle of champagne (or two). Once thats all over, theres coffee and little sweets like chocolates or fruit or something.

Other than food, i have my little orders as well. For example, so get the the metro station, i go down the block, turn left, then turn right on the main street. Walk until i see the bar with the green sign, turn left. Walk until i see the shoe store, turn right. Turn left at the old wall with a bunch or graffiti, walk straight until the station.

There's plenty more, but i just dont have to time to explain EVERYTHING.

The other day i went to l'horta (i think it's called) to help my neighbor with his garden, so that was pretty fun too. I felt all handy and stuff, and he gave a bunch of plants to bring home. I decided im going to make him a scarecrow about of stuff i find in godella. It's going to be awesome.

This is my dad and my chemistry teacher. feel free to admire the similarities.

Happy january.

Jane