Dorothy is back in Kansas!

I have been back at home for a few days now, but it is just now starting to sink in. Germany was wonderful! It was so great to meet all of the family and spend one last week in Europe in relax mode. We also made a day trip to Salzburg, Austria, and that was really cool to see. Other than that, we ate way too much, drank German beer, visited three castles, and spent a lot of time talking and catching up. 

Before going to Germany, we spent a day and a half in Valencia. Omi, my mom, and Megan really liked it, so that was really good. It was so refreshing to see their reaction to Valencia because I had been living there for 4 months, but everything was new to them. I am just really glad I got to share it with someone else because I really do love that city. It was hard to leave, but I can't wait to go back!

Adjusting back has not been as hard as I thought it was going to be. The time adjustments have also come pretty easy. Most of that is due to the fact that my plane was delayed until 2 AM, so I crashed after that and my sleeping habits have been pretty normal. 

I start my summer internship at the Kansas City Wizards on June 2, and I will be working in the Spanish media department. Hopefully I won't lose my Spanish in the next week. :o)

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend everyone!

Love,

Katie

Countdown!

Hi everybody!

Sadly, we only have 3 more days in Valencia. We head to Madrid on Friday, where I will meet my mom, Meg, and Omi. I am very excited to see them, but not excited to leave this city! Luckily, we are coming back for a day and a half so they can see the city and meet my host family. After that, we are heading to Munich, Germany. We also are going to take a day trip to Austria. It will be fun to meet family that I have never met before and eat some good German food! After Germany, we head back to Madrid to catch our return flight and I will be back at home on the night of the 18th.

I am very excited about doing a little more traveling before I head back to the states. I am really nervous to return. Everyone says that reverse culture shock is much worse than the first rounds of culture shock. However, I didn't experience bad culture shock, so maybe my reverse culture shock won't be intense. I'll be busy this summer anyway. I am going to intern with the PR department at the KC Wizards, our soccer team. I am really looking forward to it because I will get to use my Spanish to speak with some of the players who are not fluent in English. 

I spent the past week trying to balance studying and enjoying my last week in Valencia. Tonight is a study night. :o) My final exams won't be too terribly difficult. Some of them are oral exams and others are written. The best part is after the exams our professors are going out to lunch with us. We have really all become good friends with our professors since most of them are around our age. 

We had to write a review on Valencia and our home stays today, and it made me realize just how lucky I have been. Valencia was a perfect city to live in and I love my host family. I not only improved my Spanish, but learned about many other cultures, traveled to amazing places, learned a lot about myself, and made life-long friends. This really has been a great experience and I can't wait to return to Valencia, Spain, and Europe in general!

Have a great week everyone!

Abrazos grandes y fuertes!

Happy Birthday, Miss Sara Cloon! Have a good one!